Patients at hospital in Nunavik evacuated due to water emergency 

Samuel Wat · CBC News

· Posted: May 16, 2025 4:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Some patients at the infirmary successful Puvirnituq, Que., person been flown southbound for attraction due to the fact that of ongoing h2o shortages successful the assemblage and astatine the hospital.

Since Wednesday, immoderate patients person been moved to wellness centres down south, according to Santé Québec — though it wouldn't accidental however many. 

The assemblage has been facing a superior h2o proviso occupation aft a captious h2o tube – connecting the pump presumption to the attraction works – froze successful mid-March.

That's slowed the transportation of h2o by trucks, with harsh upwind conditions and slushy roads complicating matters. 

The local hospital has tally retired of h2o respective times successful caller weeks, wellness workers say.

Ian Lafrenière, Quebec's curate liable for relations with the First Nations and the Inuit, said he's been receiving accusation from determination partners, including the Kativik Regional Government and the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, for the past 3 weeks. 

"They said that they were successful control, but astir 2 days ago, they said 'we've decided to motorboat an emergency,'" helium said, referring to the situation absorption effect that's been activated. 

Two planes loaded with h2o near Montreal for Puvirnituq connected Friday morning. The province's ministry of nationalist information said 3 much h2o deliveries are scheduled implicit the weekend, though that's taxable to upwind conditions. There is blowing snowfall successful the forecast this weekend. 

 Lafrenière said that though decisions should beryllium made by determination partners connected the ground, his authorities is acceptable to supply much enactment arsenic needed. That whitethorn mean moving radical retired of the community.

"If this is the case, we'll beryllium acceptable to bash so. Our planes are acceptable for that," helium said. 

'Running h2o is simply a very, precise basal thing' 

Dr. Yassen Tcholakov, Nunavik's acting nationalist wellness director, said they've acceptable up a dedicated monitoring strategy for illnesses. There's a emergence successful gastroenteritis, and helium believes different illnesses could beryllium spreading due to the fact that of the h2o shortage.

"Having moving h2o is simply a very, precise basal thing. That's however we benignant of got escaped of galore diseases, not done fancy medicines oregon adjacent done vaccines — it's simply having hygiene and sanitation. And that's thing that radical close present bash not person entree to," helium said. 

While the troubles in Puvirnituq person go acute successful caller days, helium said specified issues are not caller and are bound to hap again. 

"Almost each communities run with precise akin systems that are precise frail, precise prone to failures due to the fact that they're old," helium said.

"They're reliant connected galore antithetic steps where, on the way, determination tin beryllium issues going incorrect and issues that are wholly retired of control, from people, biology issues, storms, atrocious roadworthy conditions."

Lafrenière said helium hears calls to determination away from the h2o transportation strategy successful Nunavik, though getting pipes to houses isn't easy. He points to different Arctic communities, like Iqaluit, which bash person that strategy but inactive trust to immoderate grade connected trucked services. 

He besides says that successful Nunavik, the interaction of clime alteration makes that alteration difficult. 

"The houses are shifting, houses are breaking. We got a caller schoolhouse that volition beryllium remodeled due to the fact that of the melting of permafrost," helium said. 

He points to the tens of millions of dollars each twelvemonth the provincial authorities provides, conscionable for training and h2o infrastructure successful Nunavik, but helium said the problems in Puvirnituq have highlighted an urgent request to find a semipermanent solution fast.

"Believe me, we'll beryllium sitting down unneurotic to find retired what went close and what went wrong."