{"id":19220,"date":"2025-03-07T20:16:56","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T01:16:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kativik.qc.ca\/?p=19220"},"modified":"2025-12-08T16:46:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T21:46:11","slug":"building-in-nunavik-the-challenges-of-choosing-a-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kativik.qc.ca\/en\/building-in-nunavik-the-challenges-of-choosing-a-site\/","title":{"rendered":"Building in Nunavik: The challenges of Choosing a Site"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″][vc_column_text]For any construction project, there are no fewer than seven major stages before the first shovel hits the ground. From applying for funding to signing the contract, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes. Now imagine building in Nunavik. It\u2019s a whole different kettle of fish!<\/p>\n

In this series of three articles on building in Nunavik, we\u2019ll talk about three key stages: selecting a site, designing a project, and maintaining and servicing the building inventory.<\/p>\n

Following is the first article in this series.[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white” style=”dashed” border_width=”4″ el_width=”60″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″][vc_column_text]Nunavik is perceived as a vast territory, an expansive playground for hunting and fishing, protected from real estate development. It may therefore come as a surprise that selecting a building site can be a problem. In fact, it\u2019s a massive headache.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]

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Political issues<\/h2>\n

\u201cObtaining land has recently become a real issue. All the communities are lacking space, sites, \u2018Category I\u2019 land allotments,\u201d explains Sarah Aloupa, President of Kativik Ilisarniliriniq.<\/p>\n

To put this into context, let\u2019s look at a few facts. The James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA), signed in 1975, divided Nunavik\u2019s territory into three categories. \u201cCategory I\u201d lands, as Sarah Aloupa mentioned, belong to Inuit landholding corporations. Not only do JBNQA beneficiaries have exclusive hunting and fishing rights on these lands, but they can only develop on these portions of land. However, Category I lands, divided into 14 communities, represent only 1% of Nunavik\u2019s 1,082,000\u00a0km\u00b2 (source: Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Coordinating Committee<\/a>, accessed February 18, 2025).<\/p>\n

However, negotiations and political decisions take time. In the case of Nunavik, they lag behind the pace of demographic<\/a> and environmental changes. What\u2019s more, even if a site becomes available within the Category I lands, there are a number of technical constraints that complicate construction efforts.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]

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\u201cThe Landholding Corporations Association is currently trying to negotiate with the government to extend our Category I land, as the population is growing and we\u2019re running out of space.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Sarah Aloupa<\/span> President, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq<\/span> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Technical issues<\/h2>\n

According to a report submitted to the Kativik Regional Government in February 2024 (source: Nunatsiaq News<\/a>), residential development in Nunavik faces two major challenges: thawing permafrost and a lack of gravel.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]

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\u201cThere are many, many areas where it\u2019s impossible to build because there\u2019s water accumulation in the spring, because the permafrost is thawing… or because it\u2019s on a path traditionally used for hunting. We have to take all of these things into account.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Melissa C\u00f4t\u00e9-Laforge<\/span> Coordinator, Material Resources<\/span> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″][vc_column_text]Although these constraints are all well documented, there are other, unexpected obstacles that also come into play:<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the way grey water and drinking water are currently managed, many sites are unavailable for construction. This is because we have to choose much larger sites to build on, so that three trucks can get to the building to provide drinking water and heating oil and to manage wastewater,\u201d explains J\u00e9r\u00f4me Dionne, Director, Material Resources.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]

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\u201cIf we had a waterworks system, as is the case in several Nordic countries, and even in Iqaluit (Nunavut, Canada), we could afford to build in steeper areas that are currently inaccessible to us. Finland is doing it, for example. This would also allow us to choose smaller sites.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/div>\n

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\n J\u00e9r\u00f4me Dionne<\/span> Director, Material Resources<\/span> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \"\"\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″][vc_column_text]Lastly, to address the shortage of gravel, our teams are already using a system of piles\u2014which are set in rock or in deep permafrost\u2014for the foundations of new buildings. This method should help reduce construction costs and prevent the risks created by global warming.<\/p>\n

Once foundations are in place, how do people go about designing, building, and maintaining buildings in Nunavik? Stay tuned; we\u2019ll explore this in a future article.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″][vc_separator color=”white” style=”dashed” border_width=”4″ el_width=”60″][vc_column_text]We\u2019re hiring! Join our team and apply today.
\nAPPLY HERE\u00a0 \u2794<\/strong><\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″][vc_column_text]For any construction project, there are no fewer than seven major stages before the first shovel hits the ground. From applying for funding to signing the contract, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes. Now imagine building in Nunavik. It\u2019s a whole different kettle of fish! In this series of three […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19240,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBuilding in Nunavik: The Challenges of Site Selection - Kativik<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why choosing a construction site in Nunavik is complex, from political constraints to permafrost, land availability, and infrastructure.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kativik.qc.ca\/en\/building-in-nunavik-the-challenges-of-choosing-a-site\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Building in Nunavik: The Challenges of Site Selection - 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