The federal government says Iqaluit, Inuvik and Yellowknife will be the sites of three planned Northern Operations Support Hubs.
Defense Minister Bill Blair will be in the capital of Nunavut this morning to make the announcement.
The hub is the foundation of the federal government’s Arctic security strategy, committing more than $2 billion over 20 years to establish the hub to increase the presence of military forces in the region.
The Operations Support Hub is not a military base, but the Department of Defense says it supports military operations by supporting military operations through communications and transport infrastructure and providing safe storage for supplies.
Canada currently has operational support hubs in four locations around the world: Germany, Kuwait, Jamaica and Senegal.
The announcement is certainly welcome news as the military has pledged to improve the city’s infrastructure to operate the hub that includes better communication, water and power facilities.
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The Northern Premier lobbys Ottawa, linking infrastructure upgrades to military spending, as a means of national construction and helping Canada push the national GDP target of the NATO spending target.
Although plans for the hub were announced almost a year ago, federal conservative leader Pierre Polyable recently pledged to build a military base at IQAluit if he wins the next election.
