Published 3:43 am Thursday, December 4, 2025 By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Northern News Services A contaminated spill site in Whale Cove has stopped the hamlet from building a fire hall, a five-bay garage and much needed infrastructure in the centre of town, according to Mayor Oliver Shipton. The spill dates back to when the Northern Canada Power Commission, a former federal Crown corporation, operated in the community, prior to Nunavut becoming a territory. Shipton said the Government of Nunavut’s environmental rules prevent the hamlet from building in that spot because the spill needs to be cleaned up first. “They’re making us put these buildings in areas in town where they really don’t work out, and it’s not feasible,” he said. “And we had ministers come to the community, and we’ve been fighting this issue for years, and we haven’t really had much feedback or support on the issue.” He added that no studies have been done to establish the cost of cleanup. “We were told the government would provide that but the government has yet to do so,” he said. David Akeeagok and David Joanasie, both ministers at the time, visited Whale Cove under the previous territorial government to discuss the issue, the mayor said. So far, Shipton said no one has been held responsible for the spill or made to pay for its cleanup, leaving the contaminated site in the centre of town as an ongoing nuisance. “When it comes to spill cleanups, that can be in the millions of dollars, and hamlets aren’t given extra operational budget or money to be able to handle these issues. So we’re at a we’re at a crossroads. What do we do?” Shipton said. He believes the responsibility likely lies with the federal government because of the change in jurisdiction, moving from the Northwest Territories’ government to Nunavut’s government leaves Ottawa on the hook for the spill clean up, he surmised. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada has been in touch with Shipton about the spill , but he said the process to determine who will pay is long and hasn’t yet been resolved. Northern Canada Power Commission used to run a power plant in the middle of Whale Cove in the 1960s and ‘70s, according to a Qulliq Energy Corporation (QEC) report from 2014. Soil contaminated with diesel fuel exists where that old plant once stood, covering 21,000 cubic metres, QEC found. QEC said the Northern Canada Power Commission was in charge of the site when the spill took place. The mayor raised the issue during the Nunavut Association of Municipalities’ annual general meeting at Iqaluit’s Aqsarniit hotel on Nov. 11. The assembled panel who heard Shipton’s plea for accountability included Michele LeBlanc-Havard, director of environmental protection at the GN. She said her department is trying to untangle the web of responsibility for numerous contaminated sites across the territory. “The people at the table are all saying that’s not mine, that’s someone else’s to deal with. And what we are doing at the Department of Environment is trying to modernize our Environmental Protection Act,” LeBlanc-Havard explained. Her department has heard legal questions raised regarding how much enforcement the government can use against itself and other departments for historical destruction of the environment. LeBlanc-Havard said if a contaminated site exists on a GN asset, then the GN has a liability to clean it up. “We do have a list of GN liabilities that’s extensive,” LeBlanc-Havard said. “We know that communities are looking to develop those sites because they need the land, and they want to use it in a safe way.” The Department of Environment is regularly informing the GN’s Department of Health about the contaminated sites in the territory, according to LeBlanc-Havard. Shipton said Whale Cove — home to almost 500 residents — is being blocked by the contaminated site at a crucial juncture. “This is stopping our development in the community, and that’s critical at this time in Nunavut’s history, to be able to develop and stay on par with other communities,” he said.
Whale Cove contaminated site holding community back: mayor
