Current ads
Jobs
Tenders
Notices
General

Click below

Around Nunavik

April 21, 2006

ITK visits Nunavik

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami guided a group of senior civil servants through Nunavik earlier this month. The group visited Kuujjuaq, the Makivik Corporation annual general meeting in Kangirsuk, the Raglan Mine, Puvirnituq and Inuit organizations in Montreal, as part of ITK’s annual effort to build more awareness about the Inuit regions in Ottawa.

ITK president Jose Kusugak also came to Makivik’s meeting in Kangirsuk, where Kusugak updated delegates on his efforts to work on better health and housing agreements for Inuit.

Kusugak said he had recently met with Tony Clement, the new federal health minister, who seemed open and ready to act on Inuit calls for better services.

“He said, ‘Josie I don’t want to conduct another study,” Kusugak reported.

Kusugak said he believes “we can work with the new government” and said ITK is focusing on reaching long-term agreements in Ottawa.

April 21, 2006

KRG gets money to clean up mine site

Quebec will give $50,000 to the Kativik Regional Government to pay for a clean-up project at Blue Lake, an abandoned mine exploration site, 70 kilometres north of Schefferville.

“The results from this project will provide us with essential information on the methods we can use to ensure the most complete rehabilitation of abandoned mine exploration sites in the North,” said Quebec’s native affairs minister, Geoff Kelley.

Last summer, the KRG started the first phase of the clean-up, with $50,000 from Quebec. The second phase is scheduled for this summer, and will involve the demolition of structures at the site, as well as the storage or burning of garbage and other solid waste found there.

Quebec has also confirmed an additional $300,000 to support the Nunavik mining exploration fund.

Since its creation in 1998, this fund has become a resource for mining exploration companies wanting to work in Nunavik, said natural resources minister Pierre Corbeil.

“Everything tells us that 2006 will break all records in mining investments. The largest amounts of money being spent on exploration are in the Abitibi, Ungava and Nord-Du-Québec regions,” Corbeil said.

April 21, 2006

Wanted: Freezers for dead people

Billy Weetaltuk of Chisasibi is interviewed by Charlie Shipaluk of Taqramiut Nipingat Inc. TNI broadcast Makivik Corp.’s annual general meeting live from Kangrisuk. (PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)

---

In the past, bodies were often stored in sheds or other buildings, but rising temperatures and new sensitivities are making this former method unpopular.

Bodies sent south for autopsies, which are shipped back to communities in Nunavik, present storage challenges in the region.

One delegate suggested the creation of a new subsidiary within Makivik that would buy mortuary freezers for the communities.

Makivik president Pita Aatami said this would be hard to justify within the corporation’s spending guidelines.

“It would seem like we have a lot of money but we don’t. Our operations are only based on the interests. We try to follow our rules and procedures,” he said.

Aatami suggested trying to find some funding with the health board, but the chair of the health board said the health board felt it was a municipal responsibility.

“Work with your municipality and make a proposal,” suggested health board chair Alacie Arngak to the delegates. “It’s not part of our responsibility.”

April 21, 2006

Housing wait lists a burden for youth

Only a handful of women were at Makivik Corporation’s recent annual general meeting, but they hold positions of power. From left to right: Maggie Emudluk, chair of the Kativik Regional Government, Martha Grieg, president of Pauktuutit, Alacie Arngak, chairperson of the regional health and social services board, and Alacie Nalukturuk, president of the Kativik School Board. (PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)

---

Willie Kumarluk of Umiujaq said many people in his community who are on waiting list for years have given up hope of ever getting a home and have moved to other communities.

“Youth have to live with their parents,” youth delegate Jonathan Epoo told the meeting. “Here we try to promote autonomy, but it seems as if we are contradicting the philosophy we are trying to preach.”

Billy Weetaltuk, an elder from Chisasibi, said Inuit in his community have a tough time getting and maintaining the houses Makivik built specifically for the 100 or so Inuit who live in Chisasibi.

Makivik president Pita Aatami said Makivik will continue “to construct houses and to try to find money to continue the [housing] program.”

However, he said that under the corporation’s agreement on social housing, Makivik’s role is building houses, not distributing them.

Makivik is building 30 new social housing duplexes in Nunavik in 2006 under its renewed, five-year $20-million housing agreement with the federal and provincial governments.

Makivik Construction will put up 13 duplexes in Inukjuak, 10 in Kangirsuk, three in Aupaluk and five in Ivujivik, including some units built for the Kativik Regional Police Force.

Candy and many other goodies dropped from the sky during a traditional “candy drop” held during the recent Makivik annual general meeting. (PHOTO BY BOB MESHER/MAKIVIK CORP)

---

April 21, 2006

U.S. landowners hold up offshore deal

Next September, a group of federal and Makivik officials will tour Nunavik communities for consultations on the region’s offshore agreement.

The Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement for offshore regions was signed by all the parties on Nov. 15, 2005.

The next step is for the deal to be ratified by Nunavimmiut. Then, the agreement needs 51 per cent approval by the region before getting final approval from the federal government.

Delegates at Makivik Corp.’s annual general meeting learned that the translation of the documents into Inuttitut is underway.

The agreement gives Nunavik:

• about $90 million in capital transfers and funds;
• ownership of 80 per cent of islands (although these will remain under Nunavut’s jurisdiction);
• major management for offshore areas;
• a wildlife compensation regime for loss or damage to wildlife harvested by Nunavimmiut;
• an implementation agreement;
• royalty revenue sharing in the offshore area;
• wildlife harvesting guarantees.

The vote is scheduled for October 2006.

Meanwhile, Nunavik is trying to straighten out ownership of islands off the coast near Inukjuak. Apparently, two Americans purchased a handful of islands in the early 1900s.

“One had two islands and the other had five islands, without ever informing the Inuit population,” said Makivik vice-president Johnny Peters. “We mandated the government to look further into it.”

The original owners are no longer alive, and their descendants are now interested in receiving payment to transfer title on the property they inherited.

“I can’t really say how this will be decided. We’re definitely not going to allow them to keep these islands as their private property,” he said.

At the same time, final overlap agreements are also in the works with the Cree and Nunatsiavut regions.

Makivik Governor George Koneak said it would be important to get out the vote to ratify the offshore agreement.

“How can we encourage them to go vote? Maybe by giving them beer? In the past, the whole population would show up. In the past people used to go to peoples’ houses, particularly the ones who couldn’t leave their houses. I think we have to find creative ways to entice our population to go and vote.”

April 21, 2006

Air Inuit reaps praise at AGM

With 120 flights criss-crossing Nunavik every day, Air Inuit, the regional airline owned by Makivik Corp., provides a service that many in Nunavut would envy.

On a single day during Makivik’s recent annual general meeting in Kangirsuk, Air Inuit managed to transport hockey players from the community to regional tournaments, package up Ivakkak dog teams, their owners and katomiks back to Puvirnituq, find a Twin Otter for a medevac and ship home delegates and visitors from the AGM — and all this in deteriorating weather conditions.

At the AGM, George Berthe, Makivik’s corporate secretary and the head of Air Inuit, gave a run-down of what Air Inuit offers Nunavimmiut, which includes:

• trilingual reservation service;
• Web booking at www.airinuit.com;
• compassionate discounts;
• a free trip for honeymooners;
• two annual discounts for round-trip tickets, which are issued to beneficiaries and provide large reductions when combined with a Quebec government rebate for airline travel;
• conference discounts;
• recreational discounts;
• reduced rates to ship country food;
• inter-community weekend specials.

“We have to revere Air Inuit because it’s very supportive of our language, our culture, our way of life,” said Charlie Arngak.

Delegates from Chisasibi said they want Air Inuit to stop in their mainly Cree community on the James Bay. Delegates from Puvirnituq said they are still lobbying for Air Inuit to provide jet service to Puvirnituq.

Air Inuit, which flies Dash-8s, 748s and a handful of Twin Otters and smaller aircraft, does not currently own or operate any jets.

Air Inuit’s report to the meeting noted the airline is becoming “very strict about the intoxicated passengers.”

April 21, 2006

Eff-you’s a sign of language loss

Alacie Arngak, the chairperson of Nunavik’s regional health and social services board, said if Inuit believe in their language, they should speak Inuttitut in the South, with interpreters, when meeting with government officials or other groups.

“This is something we must consider,” she said, at the recent Makivik Corp. annual general meeting. “We have to be inventive and make sure we promote our language.”

Makivik Governor George Koneak complained about the poor quality of language in Nunavik, particularly among children.

“It hurts when you hear ‘fuck you’,” Koneak said.

“Our children copy us — at three years old, they’re saying ‘fuck you.’ This is something we must stop. When you are conversing with someone, be aware that someone may be listening into your conversation.”

Minnie Grey, the chief Nunavik government negotiator, said Inuttitut needs to be the future regional government’s working language and she encouraged youth to stay and school and speak Inuttitut.

“Continue with your education, so you will be able to come back into your new government with your own language,” Grey said.

Her message reached Nunvimmiut who were listening to the meeting live on Taqramiut Nipingat Inc.’s broadcasts in the region.

TOP

Advertising
Specs, rates,
& maps
Multi-paper
buying services
About the market
E-mail ad dept

More Information