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Around
Nunavut
September
12, 2003
GN appoints IQ advisory council
The Government of Nunavut has appointed 11 people to serve on a new body set
up to provide advice on Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
Called "Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Katimajiit," the new body will:
- Provide advice on the development of public policy to reflect Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
- Provide advice, as requested by government departments, on efforts to develop
and deliver programs and services within the context of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
- Provide advice on efforts by Nunavut government departments to demonstrate
traditional Inuit values in their day-to-day operations.
- Provide advice on the viability of suggested approaches to Inuit made by
government departments.
The council's members are: Attima Hadlari of Cambridge Bay, Miriam Nilaulaq
Aglukkaq of Gjoa Haven, Peter Peetooloot of Taloyoak, Henry Ialuanik of Arviat,
Jackie Napayok of Whale Cove, Mary Ann Tattuinee of Rankin Inlet, Rynie Audla
of Sanikiluaq, Metuq Nowdlaq of Iqaluit, Kananginak Pootoogook of Cape Dorset,
George Qulaut of Igloolik and Albert Nurriaq of Hall Beach.
Each member will serve a two-year term.
Peter Kilabuk, the minister of culture, language, elders and youth, announced
the council's creation this past Monday.
September
12, 2003
Diamond hunters make new kimberlite finds
Exploration firms working in the Kitikmeot and Kivalliq regions reported this
week that their summer exploration programs have turned up new discoveries of
kimberlite.
Kimberlite is a mineral, usually found in long, narrow pipes under the ground,
that often contains diamonds.
In the Kivalliq region, just south of Rankin Inlet, a consortium of three companies
exploring an area called the "Churchill Diamond Project" reported
this past Tuesday that they've found four more kimberlite pipes, bringing the
total number they've found this year to 15. Samples from those finds are now
being tested for their microdiamond content.
Although the finds are highly promising, they do not necessarily show that
there are commercial quantities of diamonds in the area. But the companies —
Shear Minerals, Stornoway Diamond Corp., and BHP Billiton — say they are
becoming more confident in their belief that they have discovered a large kimberlite
field in the Kivalliq.
In the Kitikmeot region, Tahera Corp., a proponent of the small, $50-million
Jericho diamond mine proposal, says it has found a kimberlite dyke about nine
kilometres south of the diamond-rich Jericho kimberlite pipe.
Samples from the dyke will analyzed for microdiamond
September
12, 2003
Ottawa conference to ponder land claim implementation
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and four other aboriginal organizations will hold a
major conference in Ottawa from Nov. 11 to 14 to talk about the implementation
of land claims agreements.
Organizers of the conference say they hope to "lay the foundation of a
new and more effective relationship for claims implementation by bringing all
stakeholders together."
About 110 people — federal, provincial and territorial officials, aboriginal
leaders, negotiators, and academics - are expected to attend.
Speakers will include Pita Aatami, the president of Makivik Corp., Dr. Joseph
Gosnell, president of the Nisga'a Lisims government, Ted Moses, grand chief
of the James Bay Cree, and Tony Penikett, former premier of the Yukon.
September
5, 2003
Premiers ink pact
in Cambridge Bay
The three territorial premiers
were in Cambridge Bay this week to sign a co-operation accord to strengthen
the North's voice on the national stage.
Premier Dennis Fentie of
the Yukon, Premier Stephen Kakfwi of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Premier
Paul Okalik signed the "Northern Cooperation Accord" on Sept. 3 during
a ceremony at Kullik Ilihakvik.
"We will work cooperatively
in areas such as the economy, devolution, aboriginal rights, the environment
and social policy," Okalik said in a news release. "The strength of
northern solidarity was clearly demonstrated earlier this year when the federal
government committed an additional $60 million for the North as part a national
health-care arrangement."
As part of the accord,
the territorial premiers will hold an annual northern premiers' forum.
The accord will be valid
for three years and can be amended as well as renewed.
September
5, 2003
Election call for
Iqaluit
On Oct. 20, voters in Iqaluit
will head to the polls to elect candidates in the following positions:
A mayor and eight councillors
for the Iqaluit city council, seven members each for the Iqaluit and Apex district
education authorities and five members for the Conseil Scolaire francophone
d'Iqaluit, or the Francophone District Education Authority.
Nomination papers for all
candidates are due before 3 p.m. on Sept. 15.
September
5, 2003
New jail slated for
Kugluktuk
Prisoners from the Kitikmeot
region will be able to spend short jail terms in their region after a new 20-person
facility opens in Kugluktuk next year.
That was the news brought
by Premier Paul Okalik, the minister of justice, during a visit to Kugluktuk
this week.
A news release from the
Government of Nunavut says Kugluktuk's "healing facility" will house
up to 20 offenders serving short sentences or completing their sentences at
the Baffin or Yellowknife correctional centres.
The GN will save costs
by renovating an existing building in the community. That was a key element
in locating the new facility in Kugluktuk, the release says.
The new jail, due to open
early next summer, will create 12 new positions for the community.
September
5, 2003
Senators to meet on
northern fisheries
From mid-September to early
November, the Senate's standing committee on fisheries and oceans will conduct
a special study on quota allocations and benefits for northern fishermen.
The committee will look
at federal and territorial activities and plans for allocating quotas for turbot
fishing areas, the roles and plans of various agencies in the building of an
Inuit-owned and operated fishery, Inuit plans for entering the fishing industry
and efforts by hunters and trappers organizations to build up their fishing
efforts.
Witnesses from Nunavut,
Nunavik and Ottawa will appear before the committee. To learn more about the
issues and to follow the proceedings, go to www.senate-senat.ca/fish.asp.
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