The city plans to present its proposal to both the territorial and federal governments this fall when initial engineering plans are to begin. If funding is secured, construction would begin in 2008...
Iqaluit's proposed port would operate from the end of June through the end of November. It would offer a single berth big enough to accommodate oil tankers, cargo and cruise ships and would also serve as a small-craft harbour...
A facility in Iqaluit could also be well-positioned for naval and Coast Guard ships to assert Canadian control of both the Northwest Passage and the Davis Strait, where foreign fishing vessels are beginning to cause concern.
The article notes also an effort to build a similar port at Cambridge Bay, with observers operating under the assumption that it's probably an either-or question as to which will be built.
There's no reason to narrow the scope of development in that way. Canada's north is far underdeveloped to date, and putting in enough infrastructure to meaningfully decrease the level of isolation should be a starting point rather than a final goal. And if that development will also lead to benefits in terms of national sovereignty, then the investment only looks all the better.
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