Good day. Thank you for the opportunity to address this committee today.
My name is Brian Tattuinee. I'm originally from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, but I've called Iqaluit my home for a number of years now. I'm the business development manager for Nunavut Sealink and Supply, a majority Inuit-owned company based in Iqaluit that delivers essential sealift services across Nunavut. We transport general cargo and fuel, supporting economic development throughout the territory, and bring many years of Arctic experience and a versatile fleet to do the work.
My role focuses on understanding developments across Nunavut and offering logistics solutions. Our customers include all levels of government, the private sector, the resource sector, industry and individuals in the communities we serve.
We operate a fleet of 13 dry cargo vessels, serving all 25 of Nunavut's communities, all 14 of Nunavik's communities in northern Quebec, and resource sector clients across both regions. We play a key role in delivering cargo safely, reliably and efficiently.
Our operations take place under some of the most challenging conditions in the world, with a short seasonal window. Every community in the north receives at least one ship per season. Some receive two, and others receive three or more, depending on demand.
We load cargo, primarily along the St. Lawrence Seaway, in Valleyfield, Côte-Sainte-Catherine on the south shore of Montreal, and Bécancour. This year, we also plan to have an operation out of the port of Churchill, after more than a decade of not going there regularly.
Due to limited infrastructure in many communities, we specialize in self-sustained cargo delivery, so we take everything with us when we deliver cargo for communities. We carry tugboats, barges and loaders so that we're able to safely deliver cargo to the communities we serve. However, that also takes away space from revenue-generating cargo when we visit these communities.
Our operating season typically begins around this time of year, with the last ships returning from Canada's Arctic by late October or early November. Outside of our busy season, we focus on debriefings of operations and learning how the experience of our customers—such as Arctic Fresh Group—was with us so we can continually make improvements to our operations and also prepare for next year.
Our Arctic is growing. We've added capacity in recent years, including, just last week, announcing an addition to our fleet. As I said, we're up to 13 ships now. At the same time, it's important for us as an organization to understand what development is coming to the Arctic so that we can continue to scale our operations effectively.
We recognize the federal government's commitment to Arctic development through major projects such as the Grays Bay road and port project and the Iqaluit hydro project. As a Nunavummiut, I'm very excited to learn about these investments and the increased attention that we have there. We are also encouraged by the investments to modernize the Canadian Coast Guard's fleet of icebreakers, and we look forward to our continued collaboration to deliver essential goods and services to our north.
Investments in community and marine infrastructure are particularly important. Projects like the port of Iqaluit, which opened in 2023, and smaller improvements in other communities, such as sealift lay-down areas and ramps, demonstrate meaningful progress and offer models that could be expanded to other communities. There's also the continued investment in things such as the Canadian hydrographic service to update all of the charting and navigational aids that are in Canada's north.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to speak. I'm looking forward to the questions.