Featured Project
Coral Harbour Remediation – Salliq, Nunavut
Location
Salliq (Coral Harbor), Nunavut
Key Services
- Construction of a non-hazardous waste landfill.
- Deconstruction of outdated infrastructure, including the Former Maintenance Building.
- Collection, segregation, and disposal of multiple waste streams.
- Design, construct, and operate three Land Treatment Units for hydrocarbon-impacted soils.
- Contact water management and treatment.
Description
Tucked away in a remote Inuit community, in Nunavut’s Kivalliq region, sits Salliq (Coral Harbour). For decades, the community lived under the shadow of the Cold War, from the 1940s to the 1950s, when its land served as a staging site for a joint radar network developed by Canada and the U.S.
After its decommissioning in the 1970s, it was abandoned, leaving a complex brownfield burdened with environmental liabilities, including hydrocarbon-impacted soils, fuel tanks, hundreds of drums, asbestos and lead materials, and deteriorating structures. It remained compromised for decades.
The multi-year remediation was delivered by Sudliq Developments Ltd. (SDL), a wholly Inuit-owned company, working with Milestone Environmental Contracting and later forming Salumaq Environmental Contracting Inc.—a majority Inuit-owned partnership focused on long-term community capacity building and sustainable remediation across Nunavut.
The project team successfully led a comprehensive remediation project, achieving significant environmental, logistical, and community-focused outcomes.
The Coral Harbour Remediation and Inuit Capacity Building Project has been awarded the 2025 Brownie Award for Community Engagement, more info here.
Key Challenges
- Logistical Challenges Addressed.
- Efficiently handled unforeseen hazardous waste without delaying the demolition schedule.
- Constructed an access road to bypass the active airport runway, ensuring uninterrupted site access.
- Collaborated with regulatory bodies to dispose of complex waste streams at suitable southern facilities.
- Environmental Stewardship.
- Mitigated environmental concerns near the active airport, ensuring public safety and compliance.
- Worked closely with federal stakeholders to meet regulatory standards for waste treatment and disposal.
Key Solutions
- Brownfield Remediation: Delivered targeted cleanup of a former DEW Line military site, providing an effective model for northern brownfield reclamation.
- Environmental Restoration: Implemented restoration measures to return ecologically and culturally significant land to safe, sustainable use.
- Community Revitalization: Built local capacity by training and employing Inuit residents, generating economic benefits and future project leadership.
- Sustainable Redevelopment: Created Salumaq as a community-owned mechanism to manage ongoing and future remediation and land-use initiatives.
- Cultural & Historical Reconnection: Integrated land-based training and historical learning to strengthen cultural ties and community identity throughout the remediation process.
Vision:
This initiative aimed to address the challenges faced by a remote community with limited local educational resources and opportunities to provide long-term benefit for the region.
Plan:
An integral element of the project was the Coral Harbour Inuit Capacity Building Program, designed and delivered by Salumaq as part of the company’s commitment to long-term Inuit Capacity Building and funded by CIRNAC.
Outcome:
Employed 37 local Inuit workers, contributing over 11,462 hours—double the planned target.
Delivered 2,020 hours of training, including HAZWOPER certification and on-the-job skills development.
Diverted 100 m³ of salvaged timbers for reuse by the community, reducing landfill waste and shipping costs.