The hamlet of Pangnirtung has reached a deal with the Diocese of the Arctic to tear down existing derelict Anglican church structures in the community and build brand new facilities in its place.
The deal was announced by Jack Hicks, the hamlet's senior administrative officer, on Feb. 18.
“The (six) buildings have sat unused for a very long time, decades even,” said Hicks in an interview with NNSL Media. “They’re gradually deteriorating, they’re an eye-sore (and) they’re a danger to public health. There’s long been considerable desire in the community to see them taken down, and the land used for buildings of use to the community.”
The new structures will include a daycare to replace the current one that's in need of significant and costly repairs, a multipurpose structure, and a new parish hall with housing for a minister. The land and title will remain under control of the Diocese of the Arctic and the Anglican Church under an arrangement which predates the existence of Nunavut and which were grandfathered into the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement.
“These lots are quite large and they’re absolutely the best available land for building in the community," said Hicks. "The future of these lands is really important to the future development of the community. We’ll be taking great care with the planning process."
Hicks said an environmental assessment has been conducted on each of the buildings with a price tag of about $300,000 to remove any hazardous materials.
That cost will be covered by the hamlet, Hicks added.
“When we contacted the office in Yellowknife, they made it clear the church doesn’t have funds to pay for the work themselves," he said.
Rev. Alexander Pryor, executive archdeacon of the Diocese of the Arctic based in Yellowknife, said entering into agreements with officials at the community level ensures that any development performed on lands operated by the church benefits people at the local level.
“We know our communities need housing but in some places, there is also a need for office space, for after-school programs, and for what those in the south would call 'third spaces'," he said. "We know many southern developers are hungry to buy our land and they would build nice buildings, but then collect rents that go down south (and) not benefiting our communities.
"As the self-governing Anglican Church in the North, we want to develop those lands ourselves, and then 100 per cent of any rent or profits would stay in the North and really go to benefit the local communities through our local churches."
In terms of a timeline, Hicks said demolition is expected to take place in the early summer of 2025 and should take around a month.
“The hamlet discussed this and agreed that this was the way forward," he said. "That was our message to the community: hamlet council is aware of the desire of many people to see the building demolished, that there’s a plan in place that will see that happen, and any planning that happens will result in information being provided to the community and probably public meetings to consider options. It will be a very public process.”
