Project record

Arctic Bay Small Craft Harbour

Qikiqtani Inuit Association location map identifying Arctic Bay, or Ikpiarjuk, in Nunavut

Qikiqtani Inuit Association; Arctic Bay / Ikpiarjuk community location map

Public Services and Procurement Canada has awarded Pilitak Enterprises a CAD 77,035,350 contract to build a new small craft harbour at Arctic Bay, Nunavut. The 50-month contract covers breakwaters, a fixed wharf, basin and entrance-channel dredging, a launch ramp and float wharves, with initial capacity for 64 small craft and space for about 80 more.

Project signal

Construction in Canada

Current status Pilitak Enterprises holds the CAD 77.04m construction contract through 7 May 2030; DFO plans construction activity in 2026-27, while current public sources provide no marine mobilisation evidence Source confidence Confirmed

Location

Canada / Americas

Segment

Port infrastructure

Status

Pilitak Enterprises holds the CAD 77.04m construction contract through 7 May 2030; DFO plans construction activity in 2026-27, while current public sources provide no marine mobilisation evidence / Confirmed

Last checked

3 August 2026

Coverage

Related sectors

Port infrastructure is the primary work classification. Related sectors connect this record to adjacent marine delivery and market coverage.

Subject index

Related subjects

These subject pages bring together related projects, technical articles, reports, and evidence methods.

Project anatomy

Contract scope and delivery roles

Client / authority
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, delivered through Public Services and Procurement Canada in partnership with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association commitment framework
Delivery parties
Pilitak Enterprises Ltd - prime construction contractor
Contract route
Competitive open bidding under solicitation WS5205548489. CanadaBuys records selection on the highest combined rating of technical merit and price and contract CW2405837 awarded to Pilitak Enterprises on 17 February 2026.
Execution window
The CanadaBuys contract runs for 50 months from 17 February 2026 to 7 May 2030. DFO describes a five-year project from 2025-26 through 2029-30 and says construction will begin in 2026-27. QIA's wider CAD 105.9 million investment record anticipates the harbour becoming operational by 2031; that broader programme date is not the same as the construction contract expiry.
Works package
Construct breakwaters, a fixed wharf for larger vessels, a dredged harbour basin and entrance channel, a launch ramp and float wharves. The contract record says the first configuration will accommodate 64 small craft and preserve room for an estimated additional 80 vessels within the harbour area.
Marine interfaces
Delivery must coordinate breakwater formation, dredging and material management, fixed and floating berth systems, larger-vessel access, small-craft launch operations, short Arctic construction seasons, community resupply, traditional harvesting and fishing access, and long-term harbour management. The public award does not disclose dredging quantities, material routes, plant spread, subcontractors or package sequencing.
Commercial evidence boundary
CanadaBuys records a total contract value of CAD 77,035,350. QIA separately records CAD 105.9 million over seven years for the Arctic Bay harbour investment. The two values cover different public reporting boundaries and should not be presented as competing versions of one contract price. No downstream subcontract awards are identified in the cited public sources.

Project timeline

Material developments

Dated events that changed scope, counterparties, delivery, commissioning or operating status.

Open this project in the Change Log

Pilitak completed the related Clyde River harbour

DFO's completion record gives Pilitak a directly comparable Arctic harbour reference covering breakwaters, a fixed wharf, dredging, launch ramp and floating wharves. It strengthens delivery-chain context without proving that Arctic Bay field work has started.

Source

Pilitak received the 50-month construction contract

Contract CW2405837 fixes the prime contractor, CAD 77,035,350 value, marine scope, 64-vessel initial capacity and 7 May 2030 expiry. Award does not establish mobilisation, installed quantities or acceptance.

Source

QIA set the wider investment and operating target

QIA recorded CAD 105.9 million over seven years beginning in 2025 and expected operation by 2031. This is the wider harbour investment boundary, not the later construction contract price.

Source

Evidence gap

What remains unverified

Outstanding evidence

  • Notice to proceed and first marine mobilisation
  • Dredging quantities, method and material route
  • Breakwater and fixed-wharf subcontractors
  • Float-wharf supplier and installation package
  • Arctic-season logistics and community-resupply interfaces
  • Harbour authority and operating arrangements
  • As-built hydrography and May 2030 contract completion
  • Operational readiness by the 2031 programme target

Related records 2

Reporting status

Construction, confirmed confidence

Last checked 3 August 2026 across 5 cited sources. The dated timeline above carries the project events.

Last checked 3 August 2026 Cited sources 5

Sources and related records

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Source collections

Project sources 5