April 11th Community Meeting
On April 11th, we met at Kitti Hall for a series of presentations on climate change adaptation in Tuk. The evening began with a remote presentation by Fiona Duckett from Baird Engineering, who explained the 100% design of the erosion mitigation strategy for the Point and Tuk Island. Fiona discussed the types of materials needed for erosion mitigation and provided cost estimates. One proposed option is to move sand from the spit to the beach to keep the same sediment in the system, as this sand has likely moved from the beach naturally extending the spit.
The construction of this project is funding dependent. If funding is received, the project tender and construction are anticipated to begin next winter through to 2024. You can see the animation of the design here.
After this presentation, the audience was given an opportunity to ask questions and comment on the project. Comments included:
Inside of Harbour should be included along with the Oceanside shoreline.
A Harbour erosion protection plan should be included in the funding for coastal erosion.
No sand should be taken away from the spit, everything should be trucked in.
Need for separate erosion funding to protect the harbour, inside of the community for protection for housing
Not happy with barriers that are used to help protect the coastal erosion.
More discussion needs to happen with the community before the project goes ahead.
Not impressed with the design
Suggestion to look at Nome, Alaska for example of erosion protection, sea walls
Nothing has worked in Tuk, rocks, tires, etc.
Need to have stone that will not fracture
The second portion of the evening started with a remote presentation by Dustin Whalen, Natural Resources Canada, about some of the erosion and flooding impacts that have been observed in Tuk and the future projections. He identified that the focus for erosion mitigation has been on the Island and the Point because this is where the most amount of erosion has been seen through the monitoring program. He agreed that the Harbour is also seeing erosion, but not to the extent being seen in these other locations. He also commented that without mitigation, the Island could be gone by 2040, which would leave the harbour open to more impacts from waves and storms.
Dustin’s presentation was followed by a presentation by Kearney Coupland, Landscape Architect and climate change adaptation specialist, about long-term planning for the future of Tuk, which was focused on planning for relocation. The presentation was based on the findings from an evaluation of other coastal communities that have had to relocate or plan for relocation, because of the impacts of climate change. The presentation introduced adaptation pathways to introduce adaptations that protect, accommodate and retreat from the impacts of climate change as well as the process of designing a Master Plan to guide the future development of Future Tuk. A similar presentation was presented to the Mayor and the Hamlet Council the previous week. The presentation was meant to be a starting point for a discussion on how to move forward with plans for relocation in the future.
Comments on the second portion of the evening included:
Radio announcement about meetings (CBC noon hour) to let people know.
The city plan shown in the presentation does not fit with the subsistence lifestyle.
People in Reindeer Point don’t feel like part of the community, lack of communication
Concerns about safety during storms in Reindeer Point because disconnected from the community
Lack of communication is a problem
Frustration about community engagement not being part of the design process
Community voice needs to be part of the decision-making
Adaptation does not end in Tuk, needs a global response
We really appreciated the comments that were made about the current and long-term adaptations for Tuk. The comments and discussion provided important insight into how to increase the engagement of the community in decision-making and reinforced the need for community consultation in the design process. These themes will guide the next phases of the adaptation process.
Thank you to everyone who came out for the meeting. We really appreciate you taking the time and commitment to your community’s future.
