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Around Nunavut
November
11, 2005
Hold off on election, Aboriginal groups say
Fearing that Paul Martin’s Liberal government may soon fall in a possible
non-confidence vote in the House of Commons, aboriginal leaders are pleading
with NDP leader Jack Layton to support the Liberals until after a first minister’s
meeting with aboriginal leaders scheduled for Nov. 24 and 25 in Kelowna, B.C.
It’s widely expected that the federal government will announce a new Inuit
social housing program at that meeting.
But if the government falls before the Kelowna meeting, the country will be
plunged into an election campaign, and the impending aboriginal spending plans,
which also include money for education and health, would likely be postponed.
Layton, after failing to reach an agreement on health care with Paul Martin
last week, is now threatening to vote against the government in a non-confidence
vote.
This week, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Assembly of First Nations called
on Layton to support the Liberals until after the Kelowna gathering.
“We have serious and urgent expectations, both of a policy and budgetary
nature at this upcoming meeting with the premiers and prime minister,”
ITK president Jose Kusugak said in a press release issued this week.
As of Nunatsiaq News press-time this week, Layton responded by proposing that
the NDP introduce a motion on Nov. 24 that, if passed, would lead to dissolution
of the house in January and a federal election in February.
November
11, 2005
MLAs banished to the soap opera slot
Nunavut MLAs aren’t happy about getting bounced out of APTN’s prime-time
viewing hours after they resume sitting in Iqaluit next week, and they’re
writing to the APTN’s board and the CRTC to complain.
The Nunavut legislative assembly will start a new session in Iqaluit on Nov.
14, this coming Tuesday. They’ll sit for about 10 days.
Nunavut television viewers may watch their legislative assembly on APTN from
4 p.m. to 6 p.m. eastern time, Monday to Friday. Because of Nunavut’s time
zone differences, Kivalliq residents may see it between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., while
Kitikmeot residents may see it between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
But Nunavut MLAs want their show moved out of the soap opera slot and back
into prime-time hours of 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Along with the legislatures of Yukon and the Northwest Territories, they’re
writing a joint letter to APTN’s board of directors, and to the CRTC, to
complain about APTN’s scheduling decision.
“APTN’s plan results in less prime-time aboriginal language programming,”
said Levi Barnabas, the MLAs’ caucus chair, said in a press release this
week.
Early last month, APTN kicked off a new prime-time news and current affairs
package that starts at 7 p.m. eastern standard time — covering the same
time slot that MLAs covet.
November
11, 2005
Maksagak back as deputy commissioner
Nunavut residents will see a familiar face in the deputy commissioner’s
job this month: Helen Maksagak of Cambridge Bay.
Maksagak, a respected community leader, served as deputy commissioner of the
Northwest Territories from 1992 until 1994, and from 1995 until 1999, served
as commissioner of the NWT.
After the NWT divided on April 1, 1999, Maksagak served as Nunavut’s commissioner
until April of 2000.
The deputy commissioner’s job is to act in place of the commissioner,
should the commissioner be unable to carry out his or her duties.
Maksagak will work with commissioner Ann Hanson, who was installed in her job
last April.
November
11, 2005
Feds increase funding to Nunavut Francophones
Nunavut’s francophone association, l’Association des francophones
du Nunavut, and the federal government recently announced the signing of a “collaboration
accord” covering 2005-2009.
Under the agreement, Canadian Heritage agrees to support the AFN’s efforts
in the areas of culture, community and economic development, education and health,
while the AFN agrees to provide the services.
This year the AFN will receive $272,000, up from $245,000 in 2004. The AFN
can also apply for project money from a budget of $421,760 set aside for the
North.
The AFN’s executive director, Daniel Cuerrier, said the increase in the
annual operating grant of 11 per cent this year will not necessarily be repeated
next year.
November
11, 2005
QIA gives money to Sanikiluaq enviro group
The Qikiqtani Inuit Association will donate $17,500 to the Nunavuummi Tasiujarjuamiuguqatigiit
Katutjiqatigiingit group, which is studying the environmental impact of a proposed
new hydroelectric project planned for the Eastmain and Rupert rivers in northern
Quebec.
Also known as the Hudson Bay Inter-Agency Working Group, the committee is worried
that the damming of rivers emptying into Hudson Bay will affect water temperatures
and wildlife.
November
11, 2005
Sheila Watt-Cloutier “Northerner of the Year”
Up Here, a Yellowknife-based magazine that serves the tourism industry, has
named Sheila Watt-Cloutier, chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conferences, as their
“Northerner of the Year” for 2005.
An Up Here press release issued this week says Watt-Cloutier is recieving the
award for her work in helping to bring about a global ban on persistent organic
pollutants, and her more recent work on global warming.
Watt-Cloutier is featured in an article published in the magazine’s November-December
issue.
November
11, 2005
Elders get fix-up funds
Elders and disabled Nunavummiut who own homes have a new pot of cash to tap
into.
An annual $1,500 grant is now available from the Nunavut Housing Corporation
for servicing furnaces, hot water boilers, water tanks and pumps, ventilation
or ductwork systems and other projects. Funding is also available for general
preventative projects related to energy efficiency, accessibility, and minor
repairs to windows, doors and fixtures.
Applicants should call the housing corporation for more information.
November
11, 2005
Aboriginal musicians wanted
Calling all Nunavut and Nunavik musicians! Send examples of what you can do
to “Dig Your Roots” — a project focusing on aboriginal music,
which wants to encourage “independent talent from the Canadian underground.”
The National Campus and Community Radio Association plans to produce a series
of “Dig Your Roots” CDs, in collaboration with Corus Entertainment
Inc. “Dig Your Roots” also plans to include a nation-wide “tour”
with live coast-to-coast broadcasts of regional concerts on campus radio stations.
The idea behind “Dig Your Roots” is to put a spotlight on musicians
who might not have access to a professional studio or an opportunity to perform
in front of a larger audience.
“We’re going to try and promote aboriginal artists, so people who
don’t always have the chance to hear them will be able to,” said project
coordinator Antoine Bédard. “There is a lot of talent in remote
areas.”
Bédard says he’s not looking necessarily for traditional music,
but for “what aboriginal musicians are doing.”
The deadline for applications to “Dig Your Roots” is Nov. 23.
For more information on how to apply, consult www.digyourroots.ca
A jury of professional aboriginal musicians will select the participants.
November
4, 2005
Baffin: Canada’s artsiest rural region
The Baffin region is the “most creative rural area in Canada,” says a recent survey done for a group of government arts funding agencies.
The survey, done by Hill Strategies Research, used information from Statistics Canada’s 2001 census to count the number of artists living in each of Canada’s postal code regions.
The found that the X0A region, which takes in the Baffin region, has 230 artists in a population of 6,700 workers, for an “artistic concentration” of 3.4 per cent, four times the national average of 0.8 per cent.
Nunavut’s X0C region, which takes in the Kivalliq, was tied for sixth place in Canada with an artistic concentration of 1.6 per cent.
Canada’s artsiest urban neighbourhood, the survey found, is Montreal’s Plateau area, centred around Mount Royal Avenue between St-Denis and Park Avenue, with an artistic concentration of 8 per cent.
November 4, 2005
QEC tinkers with rates
Power customers in two tiny communities, Whale Cove and Kimmirut, will start paying lower rates this month, a GN press release says.
Consumers in these two communities paid, until now, rates that were 25 to 30 per cent higher than the Nunavut average. That’s because the rates were set by the old Northwest Territories Public Utilities Board to cover the cost of building new local power plants.
But Nunavut’s Utilities Rates Review Council has recommended that Whale Cove’s community power rates drop by an average of 18.14 cents a kilowatt-hour, and Kimmirut’s community rates drop by an average of 16.63 cents a kilowatt-hour.
Nunavut’s energy minister, Ed Picco, is waiting for a final report from the URRC on how to finance new power plants and power plant upgrades through the use of a temporary surcharge called a “capital stabilization rate rider.”
Meanwhile, the QEC will go ahead with another temporary surcharge called a “fuel stabilization rider,” which will add 3.98 cents a kilowatt-hour to customer’s bills as of Nov. 1, pending a final report on the issue from the URRC.
Also from Nov. 1, residential customers will benefit from a new subsidy system for residential consumers that increases to 1,000 kilowatt-hours the amount of monthly consumption that’s eligible for a subsidized rate
November 4, 2005
QIA sprinkles money on youth
The Qikiqtani Inuit Association went on a small spending spree this week, sprinkling money among youth groups in three communities.
The organization announced the following handouts:
- $10,000 to a youth sewing program in Iqaluit;
- $10,000 to a youth sewing program in Pangnirtung;
- $45,000 to a youth camping program in Pangnirtung;
- $45,000 to a youth camping program in Arctic Bay.
The money for youth camping is redirected from a Heritage Canada scheme called the “Urban Multi-Purpose Aboriginal Youth Centre Program.”
November 4, 2005
Economic gurus warn of poor health, education
Nunavut’s economic future is still clouded by poor population health and poor quality education, says a report issued by the Nunavut Economic Forum.
The report is an update on a study issued by the Conference Board of Canada in 2001, and looks at what’s changed in the five years since.
The researchers found that progress in developing Nunavut’s “human capital” — its people — is too slow.
“The pace of these improvements will disappoint Nunavummiut and other observers, but this should not deter anyone’s resolve on this front,” they said in their executive summary.
Their report says “serious issues exist with the health status and education of Nunavummiut, in particular for women and children,” and that in spite of increasing numbers of high school graduates, “significant work remains in raising the quality of education children receive.”
November 4, 2005
GN plans red-tape review
The Government of Nunavut is asking the business community, Inuit organizations and other stakeholders for suggestions on how to snip bureaucratic red tape.
Suggestions received will be used to streamline the business regulatory system.
“There is a growing sense among Nunavummiut that this regulatory system no longer serves us well,” said Peter Kilabuk, minister of economic development and transportation, in a press release. “It is outdated and does not reflect our own distinctive economy.”
Some areas of focus include: mandatory filing requirements; detailed guidelines and reporting; enforcement and inspection activities; duplication between the GN and federal government; application of fees, permits or licenses; inspections around safety and health standards; and processing times for program and service delivery.
The review will be conducted by the Barriers to Business Working Group, which includes representatives from the departments of economic development and transportation, executive and intergovernmental affairs and justice.
November 4, 2005
QIA election Dec. 12
Nominations opened on Oct. 24 for the presidency and nine Community-director seats, one in each of the following communities: Cape Dorset, Clyde River, Hall Beach, Sanikiluaq, Igloolik, Iqaluit, Kimmirut, Pond Inlet and Resolute Bay. Nominations close on Nov. 7 at 5 p.m.
All positions are three-year terms that expire in December 2008.
Nomination papers must be delivered to either executive director Terry Audla, or chief returning officer Helen Klengenberg. Faxes will be accepted to either (867) 979-3238 or 979-1643
QIA will hold an election for beneficiaries on Dec. 12.
November 4, 2005
Pang tees up
More than $30,000 in golf equipment is bound for Pangnirtung for the Christmas holidays.
That’s more than 1,000 golf clubs, 8,000 golf balls, along with golf bags, shirts and shoes.
Kids in the community enjoy golf but don’t have proper equipment, according to Peter Kilabuk, MLA for Pangnirtung, who organized the effort. First Air is flying the equipment free of charge and will host a golf clinic this winter.
The equipment will be given out during Christmas celebrations.
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