ABOUT US
Tower Arctic Ltd. is a member firm of the Tower Group of Companies, the second oldest operating group in Nunavut; second only to the Hudson’s Bay Company; now Northern Stores.
The Tower Company, founded in 1945 and later re-organized in 1961, is recognized as one of Canada’s foremost Arctic design, construction and management companies. The Company has worked continuously in the Arctic since 1946 and has originated many modern concepts in permafrost design and Arctic construction methods.
Work in the Arctic began shortly after World War II with design and construction of the joint High Arctic Weather Stations (H.A.W.S.) for the Canadian and U.S. governments at Resolute, Mould Bay, Isachsen, Eureka and Alert, which were the first permanent structures built in the High Arctic. This was followed by the development of the Resolute Bay Airport and various ionospheric and scientific stations and airports in the Northwest Territories and Greenland. The Tower Company has done pioneer work in the Arctic and other isolated areas since its inception. It was first to build wholly airlift supported projects and was first to use light aircraft with soft balloon tires for landing on totally unprepared Arctic terrain. It developed new foundation techniques for permafrost areas and pioneered the use of light weight prefabricated components for use in all types of Arctic superstructures. It designed and built the complete High Arctic scientific weather station network for the Government of Canada, as well as, the Eastern portion of the DEW LINE.
The company has successfully completed, for government and private owners, over fifteen hundred Arctic projects, designed and built to take into consideration the special environmental requirements of the region, i.e., permafrost, extreme low temperatures, high winds and difficult logistic support.
In 1979 Tower Arctic Ltd. was formed to give long time, key employees equity participation in the construction division of the company and in 2008 became majority Inuit owned.
Tower Arctic Ltd. is a fully registered Inuit owned company, listed with NTI and recognized under the N.N.I. Business Incentive Policy of the Government of Nunavut, with an excellent reputation for promoting local interests.
Tower Arctic Ltd. is continuously active in heavy, civil and building construction projects with its Head Office and base facilities in Iqaluit, Nu. Over the years, projects have included commercial and industrial buildings, excavation, aggregate production, road building, water and sewer distribution systems, water treatment facilities, residential construction, institutional construction, weather stations, subdivision development, reservoirs, pipelines, bulk fuel facilities, airports and port facilities.
On all northern project work, Tower Arctic Ltd. endeavors and continues to exceed the stipulated Inuit involvement requirements, as outlined by the IIBA (Inuit Impact Benefit Agreement) and/or contractual obligations. Through the hiring of local skilled workers and or through, on the job training programs, our over 72 year record of achieving high Inuit involvement on project work, speaks for itself. As an example of our commitment to promote native participation; during the Pangnirtung Reservoir Project, Tower Arctic Ltd. founded Qikiqtaq Equipment Ltd., a heavy equipment and civil construction company with the majority of equity participation held by residents of Pangnirtung. Managed locally, the company continues to this day to be active in the community and profitable, which not only provides local employment opportunities but also contributes to the local economy.
Read more about us in Aboriginal Business Quarterly (page 38)
Iconic Family Business Marks Seventh Decade: The Tower Group of Companies Readies for a Third Generation
We are proud of our past but remain focused on the future. Contact us to see how we can help you with your next construction project.
