N.W.T. gov't signs deal for fuel re-supply at NORAD radar sites

The N.W.T. government has signeda five-year deal witha Florida-based firmto supply and deliver fuel to radar sites in the North.

The deal with Crowley Solutions will see the company work in partnership with the territorial government's Marine Transportation Services (MTS)to supply fuel to 21 coastal sites in the N.W.T., Yukon and Nunavut.

The radar sites are part of the North Warning System, a chain of unstaffed surveillance sites across the North that act as an early warning system for potential threats entering North American airspace. It is part of Canada's NORAD agreement with the U.S.

"Reliable re-supply of these radar sites is important for Arctic military efforts by the United States and Canada," reads a joint news release from the N.W.T. government and Crowley Solutions, on Wednesday.

For decades, the re-supply service was providedby theNorthern Transportation Company Ltd., the predecessor to the MTS.

Diane Archie, the N.W.T.'s Infrastructureminister, said in a statement that the new deal will provide significant revenue to the government's MTS, "while providing northern employment and economic opportunities."

The news release does not state the value of the five-year deal.