Navy facility in Canadian Arctic 'could be finished this season,' a decade overdue

Nearly a decade behind schedule, the Canadian military’s long-promised naval refuelling station in the High Arctic could open as early as this summer, albeit with restrictions on the facility's operations and serious questions about its long-term viability.

Nearly a decade behind schedule, the Canadian military’s long-promised naval refuelling station in the High Arctic could open as early as this summer, albeit with restrictions on the facility's operations and serious questions about its long-term viability.

The Department of National Defence says contractors at the $115-million Nanisivik Naval Facility are still fixing valves, painting buildings and replacing pipes before the maritime outpost on the northwestern coast of Baffin Island can operate.

National Defence spokesperson Frederica Dupuis characterized that work as "minimal," saying in an emailed statement this week the facility "could be finished this season, pending confirmation from the contractor."

But the Arctic construction season is short and the facility’s potential operating window will close by the end of summer, leaving the navy's new Arctic patrol vessels without a domestic resupply station in the Far North for at least another year.

Adding to the uncertainty, the Department of National Defence has yet to find suitable contractors to bring in fuel and operate the site. The department says officials are still assessing the needs of the new Arctic patrol vessels before a request for proposals can be issued.

Any marine fuel that does eventually arrive at Nanisivik will have to be barged in at the start of the operating season in late August.

Once on site, the fuel must sit in the facility's storage tanks for at least 48 hours before samples are flown to Ottawa for testing – a procedure that will take approximately one week to complete, according to Dupuis.