Handshakes and signatures punctuated the Kivalliq Trade Show this week as corporate and government departments announced deals struck at the event.
Nukik Corp. and Qulliq Energy Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday signifying the companies intend to collaborate on the planning and deployment of southern renewable energy into the region.
The Kivalliq Trade Show ran from Monday to Wednesday in Rankin Inlet.
Nukik is an Inuit-owned corporation formed between the Kivalliq Inuit Association and its economic development arm, Sakku Investments Corp., to draw hydroelectric power and fibre optic capacity from Manitoba into five Kivalliq communities.
The Kivalliq Hydro Fibre Link project would also supply energy to future mining operations, according to a joint statement released by the two corporations this week.
Currently in its development phase, the project, if implemented, could represent Nunavut’s first such infrastructure link to southern Canada.
Nukik plans to pursue environmental licensing next year with construction proposed to begin in 2028 for a 2032 launch, according to the statement.
“We look forward to becoming a long-term customer of the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link, which will provide clean energy to the Kivalliq communities,” Ernest Douglas, Qulliq’s president and CEO, said in a statement announcing the signing.
Meanwhile, Arctic Gateway Group also signed a memorandum of understanding with Sakku Investments Corp., this one aimed at fostering regional economic development between the Kivalliq region and Manitoba.
Arctic Gateway Group, an Indigenous-owned and northern-owned company, owns and operates the Port of Churchill, the Hudson Bay Railway, and other critical trade infrastructure in northern Manitoba.
Its proposal for collaboration with Sakku on a trade corridor intends to promote joint initiatives with a focus on transportation, energy and telecommunications, infrastructure development, and workforce development.
“The revival of the Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay Railway is important for the Kivalliq region of Nunavut. We all benefit from increased frequency of resupply ships from Churchill, which will reduce costs for businesses and families in the region,” David Kakuktinniq, president and CEO of Sakku Investments Corp., said in a statement issued Tuesday.
Facilitating the plan is a series of infrastructure improvements undertaken recently by the federal and Manitoba governments, in which Arctic Gateway Group replaced hundreds of thousands of rail ties, rebuilt multiple bridges and cut rail travel times by two and a half hours, according to the statement.
The partnership would seek to fill remaining infrastructure gaps in northern Manitoba and Nunavut.