The Nanisivik Naval Facility was initially announced in 2007, with a targeted opening of 2012, but construction didn’t begin until 2015 and the opening of the installation has been continually delayed.
The opening of a Canadian naval refuelling facility in the Arctic scheduled for later this year now appears to be in limbo.
The Nanisivik Naval Facility was announced in 2007 by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a new docking and refuelling installation that would support Royal Canadian Navy ships in Arctic operations. It was envisioned as operating year-round with a deep water port and airstrip to boost Canadian sovereignty in the region.
Department of National Defence officials said the facility would be operational starting in 2012.
But construction didn’t begin until 2015 and the opening of the installation has been continually delayed. Last year DND officials suggested it would open in the summer of 2024. A report by the Auditor General of Canada issued two years ago noted the opening would be in 2025.
Now DND admits it doesn’t have an opening date.
“The site is not yet operational,” DND spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin stated in an email to the Ottawa Citizen. “We are still finalizing the work plan for the site, and we will have more information to share in due course.”
No specific timeframe was provided for either the site to go operational or for when DND might have more information on that issue.
The delays come as other nations are increasingly focused on the Arctic. United States President Donald Trump has talked about expanding American influence in the Arctic and has expressed his desire to buy Greenland from Denmark.
Russia and the U.S. are cozying up together and have discussed possible co-operation on energy projects in the Arctic, the Politico news site reported on Feb. 18.
Evening Update
The Conservative government significantly reduced the scope of the Nanisivik Naval Facility in 2011 as part of efforts to cut defence spending. A planned “jet-capable” airstrip for the site was cancelled.
The Nanisivik facility was also supposed to have been staffed year-round by as many as 15 people, but the Conservative government also cut those plans and the facility was limited to summer-only operations.
Today the installation includes unheated fuel storage facilities, a site office, a wharf operator’s shelter, a helicopter landing pad and an unheated storage building, CTV reported in 2024.
The Nanisivik installation is near the entrance of the Northwest Passage, a vital shipping route.
Poulin attributed the construction delays to short construction seasons and harsh Arctic weather as well as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
In addition, the main road connecting the facility to the hamlet of Arctic Bay was washed out in 2021, preventing vehicle access to the location.
To date, DND has invested a little more than $107 million in the Nanisivik facility. Poulin said the total was expected to reach $114.6 million.
Poulin stated that the delays “have not impacted the operational capability of the Royal Canadian Navy to operate in the Arctic. Other options are available to fuel RCN vessels, and the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels have excellent range and endurance.”
Details about the other options available to refuel Royal Canadian Navy ships were not provided by DND.
The Liberal government’s updated defence policy has warned that the Arctic Ocean could become the most efficient shipping route between Europe and East Asia by 2050. As the Arctic becomes more accessible, the policy document called for providing the Canadian Forces with more capabilities to protect the country’s interests in the region.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre unveiled some of his defence plans on Feb. 10, committing to building a permanent military base in Iqaluit. He has said he also wants to double the size of the Canadian Rangers, the military’s eyes and ears in the north.
David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe
