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Dousing of 77-day Iqaluit dump fire delayed because of government squabbling over money

A large dump fire has been burning for over 75 days.

It has led to school and park closures and has become a smelly and smokey annoyance to its city's population.

According to reports, the fire is four stories high and about the length of a football field but hasn't been put out because no level of government wants to foot the $2.4 million bill to douse of the flames.

No, this isn't happening in some third-world fledgling democracy.

It's happening right here in Canada, in Iqaluit Nunavut.

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While the fire — dubbed dumpcano — has been deemed 'not a public health emergency' everyone seems to agree that it needs to be put out.

But, according to one territorial official, that's been delayed because Iqaluit city hall has its hand-out for money.

"The city has taken the approach that they want somebody else to pay for it and I think they were waiting to see if somebody else would pay for it," Darren Flynn of the Community and Government Services Department, told the Canadian Press.

"For me to say it hasn’t delayed it, that wouldn’t be accurate at all."

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In a letter to city hall on Friday, Nunavut's territorial government noted that the City is "ultimately responsible for choosing the best course of action" and that they've have already provided the city worth of $400,000 in equipment.

And here's the kicker: the city actually has a $7.5 million in an unrestricted contingency reserve that it could have activated weeks ago.

"I am formally reiterating what Government of Nunavut officials have been communicating for weeks," notes the letter penned by cabinet minister Tom Sammurtok.

"Based on the audited financial statements, the city does have the necessary funds to extinguish the fire, given the stated $2.4 million cost estimate and revised plan announced by the city last week."

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For their part, city council claims that the territorial government never said, "in writing" — until the August 1st letter — that they wouldn't pay to put out the fire.

So here they are, 77-days later, back to square one.

"I am quite disappointed with the Government of Nunavut, as well as the Government of Canada," city councillor Joanasie Akumalik said during Friday's council meeting according to APTN News.

"There’s no Leona, there’s no Taptuna trying to help us out," he said, referring to Nunavut’s MP, Leona Aglukkaq, and Nunavut Premier Peter Taptuna.

"I guess everyone in this room is disappointed. We’re left holding the bag, and it’s going to cost money."

Council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday to discuss next steps.

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