Builders say construction will be done in 4 to 6 weeks
Construction on Aqqusariaq, Nunavut’s first addictions and trauma treatment centre is nearing the finish line.
The federal and territorial governments and NTI first signed an agreement to build the centre in 2019. Construction on the 24-bed facility started in 2023 with a price tag of $83.7 million dollars from the government of Canada, government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc (NTI). Construction was expected to finish in December 2025, before being pushed to spring 2026 and now the summer.
Merlyn Recinos, co-CEO of Arctic Fresh Group — the builders on the project — said construction is expected to be done by the end of the summer.
Recinos said the delay has been caused by challenges in getting materials for the project and supply chains disrupted by tariffs with the United States.
“People talk about the tariffs in the U.S., but when that happened, it really shifted how logistics happen in the world,” Recinos said.
Sheila Levy, the executive director of Kamatsiaqtut Nunavut Helpline for mental health support, said she’s thrilled construction is almost done and the centre can open soon.
“It is a facility that is sorely needed in Nunavut to have people not have to go south in order to get support and treatment,” she said. “Family treatment in the North is going to, hopefully, make a huge difference in having people recover or at least get support with their addictions.”
Levy said supporting Inuit at home in Nunavut will be a big help and the centre will be worth the wait.
“If they had to wait this long in order to get it done properly, then so be it. Let’s just look at the positive that it’s going to be open and people are going to get the help they need, hopefully,” she said.
Nunavut’s Department of Health couldn’t give an exact opening date, saying it will depend on final preparations and readiness, rather than a fixed date.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Nunavik residents rally against alcohol and drugs, amid rising rates of violence, CBC News
United States: Craft space aims to teach Alaska Indigenous women skills — and help beat addiction, Alaska Public Media
