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NTI looks at cutting costs

"We're seriously looking at restructuring the whole process"

GREG YOUNGER-LEWIS

Inuit leaders will decide this fall how they want to transform their central land claim organization into a leaner, more independent, cost-cutting machine.

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. will consider completely overhauling the way they do business and provide services to beneficiaries in order to bring down their perpetually increasing spending.

The NTI board of directors discussed the need to tackle their on-going funding problem during a quarterly meeting in Grise Fiord last week.

"This looks at how we can best do our jobs for the beneficiaries," said NTI president Paul Kaludjak. "We're seriously looking at restructuring the whole process, looking at the operation of Nunavut Tunngavik overall.

"This has a long-term focus, looking at what are we going to be like over the next five to 10 years."

The Nunavut Trust, NTI's main source of funding, rejected the board's request for about $10 million beyond their guaranteed annual budget increases, after their annual general meeting last November. The money was meant for economic development projects, such as replenishing the coffers of Atuqtuarvik Corp., their main lending agency.

Kaludjak said the board and staff will review all their departments for ways to bring down annual costs, to the point that they no longer have to request increased funding from the trust.

NTI staff will detail changes in a "Strategic Plan" for the 2006-07 fiscal year, to be presented for approval at the board meeting in September. Delegates would vote whether to accept the plan at the next AGM.

Kaludjak said it was too early to say how services would be affected.

However, he said Nunavummiut can expect staff to review $1.7 million in annual spending for NTI's communication link to the communities, known as the community liaison (CLO) program.

The program employs officers in each community to inform residents about NTI programs and events.

John Lamb, NTI's previous CEO, warned the organization's leaders last year in his annual report that program officers had provided "minimal" accountability to their spending since 2002.

Joe Kunuk, NTI's new CEO, repeated the warning at last week's board meeting. He noted that regional Inuit organizations wanted to do the program review themselves, but had failed to do so.

While trimming expenses, the NTI board will also look for ways to find other sources of revenue, besides the Nunavut Trust.

A new NTI charity, called the Qaujisaqtiit Society, has already started looking at getting new funding from governments, foundations, and corporations. The added money will be spent on NTI department budgets, regional Inuit associations, Nunavut Sivuniksavut, Inuit Heritage Trust and Atuqtuarvik Corp.

Despite the on-going budget crunch, NTI has increased payments to executive members and boosted the salary of its president.

The board agreed to keep the same base salary for its first and second vice-presidents, but gave the current vice-presidents an "authorized merit payment" of three per cent of their salary for their work between April 1, 2004 and March 31, 2005.

The president will receive a raise, effective March 16.

According to the board, the bonuses and raise are consistent with NTI's human resources policy. The dollar amounts will not be released, until an annual report later this year.

A location has not been chosen for the next quarterly board meeting, from Sept. 13-15.

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