Enhancing Nunavut’s Municipal Infrastructure through Integrated Community Sustainability Planning

Iqaluit, Nunavut, September 11, 2013 – The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister of the Arctic Council, and the Honourable Lorne Kusugak, Nunavut Minister of Community and Government Services, today announced the official launch of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSPs) Web-based Toolkit.

“Our Government is proud to contribute to a project that is helping our Northern communities improve their long-term planning,” said Minister Aglukkaq. “This toolkit will allow communities to take ownership of their infrastructure planning needs.”

“Fostering community self-reliance is an important initiative of this government,” said Minister Kusugak. “This online toolkit, allows communities to identify their infrastructure needs and future goals. The infrastructure plans identify short, medium, and long-term infrastructure requirements. The infrastructure plans recognized by the communities will be used as the basis for the Government of Nunavut’s annual capital planning cycle.”

Nunavut took a major step forward in addressing its infrastructure needs in 2009 when it first implemented integrated community sustainability plans. The new web-based toolkit announced today will help with the maintenance of these plans, and assist communities in developing even more comprehensive strategies that reflect changes in demographics, economic goals and each community’s specific realities. As well, the toolkit will continue to evolve as the needs of the communities evolve. This integrated approach incorporates resources from all Government of Nunavut departments, as well as providing hamlets with the necessary tools needed to develop long term infrastructure plans.

This project was entirely funded by Government of Canada through the federal Gas Tax Fund transfer. The total budget for creating the ICSPs was $638,600 and the toolkit development was $102,640, for a total of $741,240.

The federal Gas Tax Fund transfer provides long-term funding to municipalities across the country to build and revitalize their local infrastructure. The Government of Canada has invested over $10 billion to date in municipal infrastructure through this program, and passed legislation to make it a permanent transfer of $2 billion per year. As part of Economic Action Plan 2013, the Government committed to index the Gas Tax Fund to provide additional funding for communities going forward. Nunavut received an allocation of $97.5 million between 2005 and 2014. From 2014-15 to 2018-19 will receive an allocation of $78 million.

About ICSPs in Nunavut

In 2009, the Government of Nunavut began an infrastructure consultation process to build Integrated Community Sustainability Plans. The goal in developing the ICSPs was to have a long-term planning tool that allows communities to think systemically when planning to implement new infrastructure. Understanding factors of sustainable infrastructure planning, such as municipal service requirements or community access roads, provides a holistic approach for the planning of capital infrastructure projects.

To view the Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSPs) Web-based Toolkit, visit ICSP Toolkit.

For additional information about federal investments in infrastructure, visit Infrastructure Canada or follow us on Twitter @INFC_eng.

Contacts:

Marie-Josée Paquette
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and
Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
613-943-1838

Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148
Toll-free 1-877-250-7154

Elissa McKinnon
Sustainability Coordinator
Department of Community and Government Services
867-975-5347

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