Gjoa Haven residents concerned over alleged contaminated soil near homes

ENVIRONMENT  SEP 10, 2026 – 3:30 PM EDT Gjoa Haven residents concerned over alleged contaminated soil near homes Hamlet says contaminated soil, rubble from a 2022 fire is to be sea lifted out this week A pile of soil and debris sits near Gjoa Haven resident Kyle Aglukkaq’s home on Sept. 8. The hamlet says it is aware of concerns that the material could be from the contaminated rubble of a 2022 fire. (Photo by Kyle Aglukkaq) By Nehaa Bimal A pile of dark, wet-looking soil and debris that appeared in Kyle Aglukkaq’s neighbourhood in Gjoa Haven for less than 24 hours this week immediately raised concerns. “[It] reeked of diesel and clearly showed signs of debris,” Aglukkaq wrote over Facebook Messenger Wednesday. “So many kids play around here [and] the smell will travel into our homes and linger.” It showed up Tuesday and was gone by Wednesday morning. The property on which the mound of soil was placed belongs to Gjoa Haven-based contractor CAP Enterprises Ltd. Owner Charlie Cahill says that, to fill a swale that forms each year near the road, he brought in excess sand and gravel from another site near the property and from a parking lot the business is building in town. He told Nunatsiaq News the diesel smell could be due to the parking lot material or due to diesel being trapped in the permafrost beneath the swale, into which his workers dug. “I think the issue has been overblown,” he said. Jennifer Wakegijig, Gjoa Haven’s chief administrative officer, wrote in an email that the hamlet has received complaints that allege the material could be from the remnants of a telecommunications building that was destroyed by fire in 2022. The building housed the hamlet’s main fibre connection, workstations, data centre, servers and hosting services, such as telephone and video conferencing. The Government of Nunavut also used it on a lease-to-own agreement with NCC Properties Ltd., a subsidiary of NCC Investment Group Ltd., which also owns NCC Development Ltd. The hamlet had allowed NCC to store the rubble near the community’s power plant in the centre of town, Wakegijig said. The company was supposed to remove the material on a sealift in 2024, but it has remained in the community. “When it was still there in the winter of 2024, the hamlet had requested with each successive sealift, every few months, that the unsightly pile of rubble be removed,” Wakegijig said. The company did not respond to Nunatsiaq News’ requests for comment before publication.…