Good morning.
By way of introduction, I'm a professional engineer with 10 years of experience with the federal government and 20 years with the territorial government. The last nine years I've been a consultant in the north. Most of my work is intracommunity and for aboriginal governments, and I'm currently doing some work for Baker Lake.
Mr. Simailak spoke about education, training, and infrastructure. These have been constant themes in my experience of 30 years in the north. The springboards of prosperity for the territories will certainly be its resources, just as it was more than a century ago for the eastern provinces and more recently for Alberta and Newfoundland. The key to realizing this potential will be investment in infrastructure. The key to ensuring that Canada's aboriginal population can participate in the economic mainstream is education and training.
In 2000 I was asked to investigate the options for upgrading the Baker Lake airport. It didn't go ahead at that time. In 2007 I was asked to take a second, more detailed look. We examined the option of extending the existing airstrip, as well as a realignment at the current site to reduce zoning restrictions. We also looked at relocating the airport. Following consultation with Transport Canada, the territorial government, the industry, and operators, the recommended option was the relocation of the airport to a site northeast of the hamlet and the construction of a new 1,525-metre runway, along with other facilities.
This location meets all of Transport Canada's standards and offers full unrestricted use for a Boeing 737 aircraft, with ideal wind orientation and flexibility for future expansion. The cost is estimated at $20 million. The current financing proposal seeks contributions from the governments of Nunavut and Canada and from industry. It can make Baker Lake a new air transportation hub for mining, exploration, and development in the region, with direct passenger and cargo routes to Yellowknife, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Val d'Or.
We will leave a copy of the study and the current financing proposal with you.