[Airboy]

Originally Posted by Sasha

It's really great that Iqaluit is getting hooked up to high-speed internet! This is going to be one massive step towards improving the economic situation of Nunuvuts capital. I hope the new port will drive down the costs to import materials to build more (high quality) housing. One thing the feds might want to invest in would be a massive public storage house so that building materials are not degraded in the weather before being used. This coupled with enforcement of the National Building Code and allowing people to own land (which in the beginning would involve distributing land to everyone) would improve housing stock quality dramatically. And finally, more affordable housing units are needed for Iqaulit's massive homeless problem.

I'm just some white asshole, and I don't know all of the ins and outs of this kind of stuff. This being said, I think Iqaluit has lots of untapped potential. Instead of being spread out over many little hamlets because the government put them and their families there back in the day, the native people of the north will move to the capital. The mecca of the Inuit that will provide economic opportunities unheard of in their little home towns.

I see many industries that could bring Iqaulit money, it's just that the infrastructure is not there yet. Food prices are high despite government subsidies. Rent is expensive beacuse it costs too much to build new units. But if these problems are resolved, here are some industries that could exist in the city:

• Coast Gaurd / Navy base for patrolling the Northwest Passage (Will get very busy in the future)
• Database hub (If cheap electricity could be developed)
• Tourism (Including an arctic casino)
• Cargo flight refuelling, crew swap, and sorting (Like Anchorage)
• Cold weather testing for various machines (Autos, planes...)
• Winter warfare training for various nations. only Canada does this now and only in the spring.
• Cargo shipping hub (For NWP) (Very expensive) The bay is to unpredictable for ice conditions. There once was talk of a deep water port at Kimurut and then a road inland.
• Oil and Gas (Although the people there are against it)
• Onshore and Offshore wind (if there was a grid connection to large market)

Are there any other industries that could work in Iqaluit?

I don't see many other industries moving in other than mining. As you said the cost of logistics is extremely high. But it is nice to see this finally get moving. there was another possible high speed route over the top but that fell through. Now that I am not doing work up there they get it.