The family of the late Geoffrey Bill would like to extend our thanks to all our friends, neighbours and co-workers who were in attendance at the visitation and funeral service for our son and brother Geoffrey, who passed away June 27, 2000.
Special thanks to the Iqaluit Pentecostal Church, the Department of Finance and Powell Arctic. Many thanks for all of the prayers, food, cards, flowers and phone calls during this time. They were very much appreciated and were a comfort to us.
Even though we are suffering from great sadness at this time, we feel we are rich and truly blessed by our friends, who have showed us such great support. Words cannot express our thanks adequately, but we very much appreciate your love and friendship.
Greg and Kay Bill,
Kathryn, Michael, Steven
In response to your recent article and editorial on Nunavut daycares, I would like to offer several points of clarification, which were absent from your commentary.
First, daycares in Nunavut are not accessing all the current funding that is available to them. The question the Department of Education asked is, if there is a shortage of funding as daycares report, why is the funding going unspent? The answer is a complex one and touches on policies, procedures, daycare operation and management, the relationships between funding agencies and the criteria for funding.
Daycare subsidies are already integrated with the income support program and Student Financial Assistance. In addition, full user subsidies are available to any child referred to day or early childcare programs by Health and Social Services. The interim report indicated a need to review the process involved with subsidy applications. Like most of our systems, this one was inherited from the GNWT and does not necessarily fit the needs of Nunavut communities.
Second, daycare subsidies have always been needs assessed and high-income families do not qualify. Low-income single and two parent families receive the subsidy, based on income and needs. However, every daycare space is subsidized in Nunavut by our department. The review is looking at whether those subsidies need to be increased or whether funding formulas should be changed to ensure that money is going to daycares and not being lapsed as it was this year.
Regular income support clients accessing training are not required to have a needs assessment completed. This encourages participation in the labour market, training and education related programs.
Third, operating funds for daycare centers are available from a number of sources, including territorial and federal governments as well as other organizations. Non-profit daycares are sponsored by societies. They must run according to the Society’s Act and like a business. We recognize there have been weaknesses in the management of some daycares. Daycares must request funding from the various funding branches and meet the specific funding criteria. Coordination of this funding is an important issue and the Government of Nunavut is working with its various partners to streamline the processes. We cannot change the way other funding agencies operate, but we are trying to help daycares understand the processes.
Fourth, The Department of Education agrees that training for daycare workers is required. The Department of Education sponsored daycare worker training this past year for individuals in Iqaluit and there will be recommendations for further training initiatives in the final report. Areas with high employment face the problem of sustaining a workforce. Many trained daycare workers are quickly lured away to other jobs. We must address these issues together with a comprehensive plan.
Daycares serve 10 per cent of children six years of age and under in Nunavut. I have a responsibility to provide quality programs for the 90 per cent of our young children and their families who do not presently benefit from programs.
Applied research into current issues provides management with the justification and information to make relevant changes. It can validate assumptions and encourages all of us, elected officials and public servants alike, to rethink assumptions and develop responsive solutions; this is a responsible practice and one that I will continue to encourage.
In the 15 months that the Department of Education has been in existence, it has begun tackling many issues that had not been resolved prior to April 1, 1999. Improving services to the public is important and we will continue to do so.
Hon James Arvaluk
Minister of Education
For the past couple of weeks all Nunavummiut have gone through a very difficult period.
Sometimes I like to remind myself about the stories my father used to tell me. I can still recall him telling me: "Annakturniaqmijugut" — "we shall survive." This way of thinking made it possible for all of us to be here today. Our ancestors proved to us on many occasions that they were survivors and true leaders; this was the Inuit way then, as it should be the Inuit way today.
We were taught at a very young age how to survive and how to lead, but it seems to me that somewhere, somehow we got confused or detoured. Nowadays, we have everything we need to survive: warm shelter, food, medical care, warm clothing, tools, and so on. So why is it that we have forgotten some of our cherished values and customs or how to believe in ourselves, the Inuit ways, and our very own spirituality? Could we have lost more than these?
I think the time has come for us to realize that we have to take the better of two worlds; we must carry into our hearts the values of our ancestors and marry them with today’s way of living. Technology is valuable, but does not necessarily bring the strength and happiness we need.
Our youth are caught between two sets of values and it makes it difficult for them to choose which way to go. When I was a young boy, my father told me that there were hardly any suicides, except for a few very old people. They only committed suicide when they felt useless to the family members, not being able provide food. And they committed suicide so that the youth could have more than they had. The suicides were infrequent.
These last couple of week’s sad occurrences may have brought more confusion to these young minds. We must come to realize that we should try to pass on to our children the very same values our elders held close to their hearts: as observers, we looked forward to the beautiful sunny days so that we will be able to hunt caribou and fish for Arctic char. These are very simple things that we must learn to appreciate again.
We have come a very long way since our ancestors’ days. At the example of the elders, let us continue to stand up and carry on with the hope for a better future for all Nunavummiut, be they Inuit and non-Inuit alike.
We are all human beings, we all walk under the same sun and we are all drinking the same water. We are all God’s children, so let us care for one another, let us journey together as brothers and sisters and build a strong and friendly Nunavut, which was envisioned by our leaders and elders.
Peter Irniq
Commissioner of Nunavut
This is the first year since 1969 that I have not been in either Northwest Territories or Nunavut. How glad I am for the convenience of keeping up my news of the north by reading your newspaper on-line! I especially appreciate the columns of John Amagoalik and Rachel Qitsualik, the letters to the editor, and Jim Bell’s editorials.
But how shocked I was to learn about the recent deaths of Enooya Enook and Sam Pitsiulak. I stayed with Enooya one Christmas in Pond Inlet and I will always remember her warm cheerful personality, the laughs we shared, her thoughtfulness one night in bringing home a plate of qallunaat food from the nursing station when she thought I might tire of raw seal and frozen fish, her slight perplexity when I presented her with a turkey to roast.
And Sam, another cheerful warm personality, who loved his ultralights with a passion, took me hiking in the hills of Kimmirut for serpentine, and let me camp and carve beside him while Sedna and her entourage were being carved at Andrew Gordon Bay.
Sam, I will never forget your enthusiasm, your mind brimming with new ideas, your love for life and your teasing. I share your family’s grief. Hugs and love from:
Lyn Hancock,
Lantzville, B.C.
After walking around town, I would not characterize the town clean-up a "success" as reported by your paper two weeks ago. I would applaud the people who made the effort to get out and start attacking the piles of garbage strewn around town.
I also do see some transformations in those areas and it really is nice to see.
Rather than say that the official spring clean up is over, I would encourage people to just keep on going. It will be a success when we see a lot more people cleaning up and an even bigger success when people start disposing garbage properly... and then we won’t need these clean-ups!
Elise Maltin
Iqaluit
In a short period of time we have experienced more tragedy than we would normally expect to bear. It is not pleasant and what is nasty about this state of affairs is that with so much grieving and mourning our spirits plummet, sometimes resulting in further grief.
For the sake of our relatively small community (and I mean community in the broadest sense — not just Iqaluit) we must recharge our spirits, our hopes and our dreams. Grieve yes, mourn yes, but then place the misery and the hurt aside and dwell only on the happy memories, on the humor, on the good deeds and on all the positive things that were done and said by those now departed. Then rejoice. Rejoice with all our hearts and souls in the fact that we are alive and able to live a happy and fulfilling life if we work at it. If we do not benefit from those who have gone before us then we have failed them.
Frank Pearce
Iqaluit
In loving memory of Linda Mark, dear mother of Isabelle, dear daughter of Laisa and Manasie Mark, dear sister of Jamie, Robert and Joanasie, sister of Carmen and Mary. We spend part of our adult life preparing for death, but we never think about losing the life of a child. Linda was 23 years old, but she was still our baby. Our hearts may never heal, but one thing that has kept us going are the prayers and support of all Linda's friends and relatives, and the help that has come from all over Nunavut, Nunavik and southern Canada, and all the transportation that was available for us.
We would like to name them all but God knows who they are, the same with all who brought us beautiful flowers and food. We will never forget our daughter Linda and we will never forget the support and kindness you have shared with us.
Forever grateful,
Manasie, Laisa, and family
I have a comment on the article that was written in this week's Nunatsiaq News. (June 30, 2000). The article was on the Nunavut government's inability to act on a generous offer from the Gates foundation.
It is one thing to be surprised by their offer to help and not have any ideas drawn up. However, when the deadline to apply has been extended and still the government has no ambition to forward a proposal of any sort, I have to wonder about what kind of people we have elected into office.
Are they the best choice if the needs of the children are not addressed as a priority? If the educational system were not a priority, then I would like to know what the main goal of the Nunavut legislature is.
If I found out that some organization was willing to give me a large sum of money and I just had to submit a proposal, I think I would have done it as soon as I possibly could and not wait 15 months, as the government did.
Jeff MacMunn
Cape Dorset
Now, when we go out on the land, we show the young ones where we used to camp for the summer. There is a tent ring to show. Walking across the tundra, we might run into some old rifle shells. We find meat caches and fox traps. These things tell a story of the old days. But imagine 150 years from now. Our grandchildren will be telling their children a different story.
I hear them tell this story: "Remember your great-grandfather (or grandmother)? This is where he used to camp. See, his diapers are all over the place. This is their garbage. Oh, no, no, no, no, don't touch that. It's toilet paper."
After camping, we must bring our garbage back to our communities. We have developed a disgusting habit of dumping things where we stand. Sure, this might have worked in the old days when all we dropped was organic. Leaving a caribou head or fish-guts is fine. These things feed the sea-gulls and foxes. But nothing eats plastic. Nothing eats cans. Nothing eats diapers. Nothing eats toilet paper.
Decomposition is not an excuse. We have shorter, cooler summers than where studies were completed. So a piece of garbage in the North takes longer to decompose than in the South. When things do not decompose, they add up. Every piece adds up: diapers, pop cans, cigarette and gum wrappers, plastic bags.
Burning your garbage is not an excuse either. We all know what burns. Cans don't burn. Put your cigarette wrappers in your pocket and take them home. Keep a garbage bag in your tent and bring it home.
We have all seen the garbage on the tundra. We have all contributed. Now is the time to stop.
Remember, this is Nunavut: Our Land. Now we must take care of it.
Karen Kabloona
Baker Lake
The June 23 Nunatsiaq News reported (p. 2) that "NTI unsuccessfully sued the federal government over the assignment of turbot quotas in Davis Strait."
In fact, the lengthy saga of this litigation is more complex. In June 1997, the federal court ruled in NTI's favor, overturning the minister of fisheries' 1997 turbot allocations.
In July 1998, the court of appeals dismissed DFO's appeal on the ground that the minister could not show he gave special consideration to Inuit fishers living adjacent to the resource, as required by the land claim.
NTI then challenged the minister's 1998-2002 allocations, which flouted these two decisions by giving Nunavut roughly the same quota, for the next five years.
This time the lower court found for the minister, based on his broad discretion to favour those who had developed the fishery — in his view, principally southern fishers.
NTI has appealed this decision on the grounds, among others, that Nunavut fishers have been prevented from effectively developing the resource by a long history of unfair quotas. The appeal will be heard October 17.
Laurie Pelly,
Director of Legal Services, NTI
Cambridge Bay, Nunavut
I am writing you regarding your article of June 23, 2000 entitled "ACL jumps into sea-lift business with joint venture."
In your article, you stated that Crosbie Shipping of Montreal has long been Coast Guard's "preferred shipper."
I must clarify that the Canadian Coast Guard Arctic Sealift, through a tendering process, awards contracts to shippers who offer the lowest rates. This is a fair, open and competitive process, and one in which all shipping companies doing business in Nunavut are encouraged to compete.
This practice ensures that all sealift customers receive the lowest possible rates when shipping their cargo. In 1997, Crosbie Shipping submitted the lowest tender for nine of the 14 Baffin region communities, and therefore the contracts were awarded to them.
The Coast Guard Arctic Sealift is now working with the government of Nunavut to ensure the orderly transfer of the sealift service beginning with the 2001 shipping season.
Stephen Stringer
A/Director
Coast Guard Arctic Office/Sealift
Ottawa
Since the municipality is keen on purchasing a pricey home with a view for our new SAO, and since there is not mention of what kind of view would be appropriate for him, may I suggest the botched seven million dollar waste treatment facility?
Though a kind of "shitty" view, I believe it is appropriate, especially when the shit hits the fan!
Bryan Hellwig
Retired Town Councillor
Iqaluit
In response to last week's front-page article regarding the Gates Foundation tour of Nunavut, I would like to offer several points of clarification.
The Department of Education is pleased that the Gates Foundation was able to travel to Nunavut for a tour and discussion on its potential support of public libraries in our territory. These were exploratory meetings and were never intended to be the only stage in the process. The Gates Foundation offered no specific financial support; therefore none was refused, as was suggested in the article.
The Department of Education is confident that an agreement will be reached similar to that received by Canada's other northern territories. The Department of Education and the Gates Foundation have agreed to continue discussions over the next several months to determine how the foundation could assist Nunavut as we begin our journey to strengthen our public libraries. The Department of Education has always looked for partners who may assist it in achieving its goals and it will continue to do so in the future.
The creation of Nunavut took more than twenty years of negotiation. The Government of Nunavut has been in existence for fifteen short and exciting months. We have established a new beginning in the eastern Arctic and achieved much progress in a very short period.
The government is optimistic that the future of Nunavut is bright and it will continue to move forward on the many challenges that face Nunavummiut. Improving our public libraries is one of many important objectives that we have begun to address, and we believe success will be achieved.
Hon. James Arvaluk
Minister of Education
On behalf of the students and staff of Aqsarniit Ilinniarvik in Iqaluit, I would like to thank all those people who generously contrlbuted to the suceess of our Inuuqatigiit Land Program.
The program was made possible by grants from the National Crime Prevention Centre, World Wildlife Fund, Qikiqtaaluk Corporation and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.
It beneflted greatly from the support of community volunteers Jerry Ell, Leesee Papatsie, Mat Nuqingaq, Gideon Nuqingaq, Mike Twerdin and John Vander Velde.
Contributions to instructional planning and and guidance were provided by Shannon Hessian, Chris and Eva Eetuk-Groves (Eetuk Outfitters), Johnny Nowdlak, Arnaq Etuangat, Adamie Ipeelie, Eric Rose, Enoosiq Aningmiuq, Ullu Pishuktle, Darlene Nuqingaq, Paul Meggs and Shirley Tagalik of the Nunavut education department.
Contributions to instruction related to violence-prevention were made by Catherine Brien, Arnaq Etuangat, Rosie Ellsworth, Johnny Nowdlak, Mary-Lou Sutton-Fennell, Susan Inuaraq, and Wil Vander Velde.
The students were chaperoned on camping trips by Sebastien Labbe, Peter Geikie, Heather McQuaig, Debbie Mitchell, Jill Mitchell, Amber Simpson, Courtney Seguin, Phyllis CotÈ, Sheena Bailey, Andrew Cole ond Susan Guatto.
Many thanks for the superb team-work that made the program so successful to the Iqaluit District Education Authority for sponsoring the program, and to our MP, Nancy Karetak-Lindell, and our minister of Justice, Jack Anawak, for their support and representation.
Charlotte Borg
Program Support Teacher
Aqsarniit Ilinniarvik
Iqaluit