Citizens call for better balance between defense and local population in Kangerlussuaq

Ajaaja Schmidt moved to Kangerlussuaq with her husband Apunnguaq Schmidt on May 1st with the desire to live in the settlement permanently.

Apunnguaq Schmidt grew up in the settlement and knows the conditions well. They were therefore very surprised by how high a priority the defense and the soldiers are in the settlement.

– I know that there have always been soldiers in Kangerlussuaq, so it is not their presence per se that I am reacting to. But after the citizens' meeting on April 3rd, it just became very clear that many citizens are experiencing a lack of staff housing and a general lack of housing. I also feel that for a long time, renovation of the apartments has not been given enough priority by INI. It seems as if the system has gone awry somewhere when homes are unused or not ready for ordinary citizens, while the defense is given the opportunity to take over and renovate them, Ajaaja Schmidt tells Sermitsiaq.

Balance in the settlement

Ajaaja Schmidt points out that it is not about being against the soldiers, but about finding a balance between the needs of the local population and the needs of the defense.

– I also experience that the soldiers often keep to themselves, even though I know that many of them would like to be more visible and have better contact with the city. I would like the mayor to do more for the citizens of Kangerlussuaq - especially by listening to the concerns that many have already expressed.

Upcoming citizens' meeting

According to Ajaaja Schmidt, a citizens' meeting has been arranged later this month with member of the Greenland Parliament Múte B. Egede and Mayor Malik Berthelsen, where she hopes that the citizens will be heard.

– I know that the situation looked different just a year ago, when many apartments were empty. That is why I can also understand that agreements were made to get the homes back into use. But I do not think that enough thought has been given to the fact that there should also be staff housing and ordinary housing for the people who work and live permanently in Kangerlussuaq. The problem is not that the homes are being used — the problem is that there is now a lack of balance, so that ordinary citizens and families also have the opportunity to live and stay in the settlement.

Calls for a plan for the settlement

However, there are also citizens who think it is good that more military personnel have come to Kangerlussuaq. One of them is Vivi Schultz, who has “Vivi's Shop” in the settlement.

She believes that the military has, among other things, ensured that she could keep the shop.

"I enjoy the lively street scene again. The way I remember and thought Kangerlussuaq should be", she writes in a post on Facebook. Like Ajaaja Schmidt, however, she is calling for a plan for how the settlement should be developed in the coming years.

Arctic Command plans citizens' meeting

Sermitsiaq has asked Arctic Command how they view the situation in Kangerlussuaq. In a written response, they write that they are "aware of the many questions that have arisen as part of the increased presence of the Armed Forces in Kangerlussuaq. Therefore, a citizens' meeting has been planned in the settlement at the beginning of next week. Here, the head of Arctic Command will talk about the preliminary plans for the Armed Forces' activities in the settlement and answer questions from citizens."