At a town meeting this week, councillors unanimously agreed to hand the contract to Whitehorse-based energy company Solvest, which had been its partner on the project since 2019.
“We are pleased to announce that we are at the stage where the contribution agreement with Infrastructure Canada and the contract with Solvest can be finalized and work can begin,” read a briefing note prepared for council by town staff.
That note set out that Solvest has experience on other projects in Inuvik – including at the town’s Northmart and the Gwich’in Tribal Council building – and is “familiar with the landscape, challenges, short construction season and capabilities of local contractors.”
In 2022, the federal government announced funding worth $5.6 million through its Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Fund to support the project.
At the time, Inuvik Mayor Clarence Wood was quoted as saying the project would reduce the Midnight Sun Complex’s carbon footprint by around 360 tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually. Wood forecast “potential operational cost savings of $13 million over the anticipated 25-year life of the project.”
“This would enable the town to direct funding to other programs and reduce its infrastructure deficit,” he said.
Wood and Solvest said this week they could not comment on the project. The mayor said a clause in the funding agreement with Infrastructure Canada meant no interview can currently take place.
At the same Wednesday meeting, town council approved reallocating unspent capital funds from last year to buy an Elgin Pelican mechanical sweeper.
The town’s old sweeper was recently auctioned off after an inspection revealed necessary repair work that the town said would have been prohibitively expensive.
Aastha Sethi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio