Kivalliq News - Dec. 14, 2022

Chesterfield Inlet airport terminal building

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AROUND Kivalliq

with Stewart Burnett

Kivalliq Wildlife Board secures additional funding

Kivalliq

Additional funding of $870,340 over three years for the next phase of the Kivalliq Wildlife Board’s community-based monitoring program has been approved, Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, who’s also the minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, announced last week.

The development of research projects that are run by Inuit is a big step in monitoring the effects of climate change in ways that Inuit see and feel it, said Stanley Adjuk, chair of the Kivalliq Wildlife Board (KWB), in a news release.

“The Kivalliq Wildlife Board is proud to lead projects that will monitor these effects so that our observations can be integrated into our plans in the future.”

The initiative is in partnership with ArctiConnexion and others to address linkages between climate, marine and terrestrial country food species and areas of concern identified by Kangiqliniq community members.

“The vitality of Northern and Arctic communities, as well as the Inuit way of life, is in jeopardy because of climate change and its devastating impacts on precious ecosystems,” stated Vandal. “In working to mitigate the effects of climate change, Canada is supporting traditional knowledge-holders and researchers so they can come together to identify the changes in country food species and explore solutions to adapt to our evolving climate.”

In phase two of the KWB project, the board will use Elders’ and hunters’ knowledge and scientific approaches to study climate change impacts on food chains, from microscopic marine organisms to changes in availability, quality and diet of country foods, such as Arctic char, ringed seal, bearded seal, beluga whales and polar bear. With this knowledge, the KWB aims to develop a plan to mitigate climate impacts on country food access.

The knowledge of residents in Kangiqliniq and Tikiraqjuaq (Whale Cove) of the local ecosystems will be key to guiding this work and identifying solutions to address the challenges, stated the news release.

In phase one of the project, Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) contributed $459,615 through the Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring Program, and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) provided $199,813 from 2019–2022 to support research to analyze connections between climate change, vegetation, caribou, water conditions and the marine food chain.

In phase two, CIRNAC will contribute an additional $465,520, while ISC will provide $404,820 from 2022–2025 to create an ecosystem-based vision of country foods to develop adaptation measures.

Toys for the North

A Royal Canadian Air Force C-130 Hercules brought toys to Iqaluit on Saturday, Dec. 3 as part of the annual Toys for the North initiative.

The toys in Iqaluit will subsequently be distributed to various communities around Nunavut.

Every year as part of the campaign, the Canadian Toy Association, RCMP and the Royal Canadian Air Force partner to help deliver toys to Nunavut communities. It total, $1 million worth of toys were delivered to Nunavut and the northern parts of Labrador, Manitoba and Ontario.

Factory to build modular units year-round in Arviat

Facility to employ 38, build 35 units per year and employ local Inuit

By Stewart Burnett Northern News Services Arviat Local Journalism Initiative

Work is underway to establish a factory in Arviat that will build modular homes year-round and employ local people in the process.

“Our plan right now is to open it by 2025,” said Guillaume Guida, vice-president of Sakku Investments Corporation.

The Kivalliq Inuit development corporation, through Sakku Innovative Building Solutions, has already cleared 300,000 square feet of space in Arviat for its eventual 42,000-squarefoot factory – the rest of the land being needed for all the units it will be building.

“The factory will produce housing units, but it can also do any type of unit,” said Guida, adding that once it’s up and running, Sakku anticipates the factory to produce 35 modular homes per year.

The main goal isn’t to tackle the housing crisis, necessarily, but to employ Inuit and develop their construction skills and certificates to build workforce capacity in the region.

It started with a request the Kivalliq Inuit Association’s board of directors made to Sakku in 2015. Since then, the Inuit development corporation partnered with RG Solutions in Quebec to build two prototype five-plexes, which both shipped to Arviat this summer.

The idea with the southern partnership was to use a similar factory to the one being erected in Arviat to build some pilot projects, like the five-plexes, and calculate the hours and material costs so Sakku could finalize its business case for the Arviat factory.

Guida said the cost to build the factory is about $30 million, but that number may be revised with inflation. It will employ 38 people, from managers and finance workers to construction and trades jobs. The goal is for it to not only build housing units, but build capacity in the Kivalliq construction industry.

“There are so few local people involved in the construction,” said Guida. “You have southern labour coming up, they come in, they build it and they leave. And there’s no training done, there’s no capacity being built.

“They just move, and it’s fair, but is there a way that we can improve the training side of it?”

Building credentials

Once the Arviat factory is operational, Guida envisions Kivalliq Inuit working there for a few years under mentorship to earn higher certifications, enabling them to move on if they want to and work other construction jobs in the region. It also allows Kivalliq Inuit who gain these skills to participate in a good employment opportunity close to home, year-round, in a heated, bright, modern facility.

“That’s the goal of the factory, I would say, even before building houses,” said Guida.

The two five-plexes built in the RG Solutions factory that

were shipped to Arviat are using 90 per cent Inuit employment to put the finishing touches on them, according to Guida, adding that that’s the goal of this initiative. The five-plexes were originally going to be for Sakku’s staff housing, but the Hamlet of Arviat purchased them instead, bolstering Sakku’s business case for the viability of these units.

The reason Sakku started with the five-plexes was to prove the facility could build units that meet Nunavut Housing Corporation’s needs. The development corporation is also planning two more pilot projects in Rankin Inlet next year – including a two-storey house and a six-plex – as it creates a portfolio of work that the factory will be able to produce before it’s up and running.

“There’s nothing (else) to the scale of what we want to do,” said Guida about the uniqueness of this project in Nunavut.

Though housing is much-needed in the territory, the mission of this initiative is to increase the quality of life and opportunities for Kivalliq Inuit, not necessarily take on the entire housing crisis, Guida emphasized.

“We’re not saying, ‘Oh this is the miracle solution and we’re going to save or tackle the housing crisis,’” he explained. “We’re just thinking an initiative like this is another tool that could help with some of the barriers and some of the problems that exist, and we’re just adding to what the government and other private sector (companies) are doing.”

Sanikiluaq

Preparatory work has taken place on the 300,000 square foot lot for the modular unit building facility in Arviat, with completion expected for 2025. Photo courtesy of Sakku Investments Corporation

A barge carries modular five-plexes on their way to Arviat from Quebec this past summer, built to Nunavut Housing Corporation specifications and proving the viability of the Arviat factory, due to open in 2025. Photo courtesy of Sakku Investments Corporation

Editor: Stewart Burnett Associate Editor: Ruth Kadlutsiak Box 657, Rankin Inlet, NU X0C 0G0

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Coral Harbour principal earns humanitarian award

Commissioner hands out other accolades for bravery, knowledge keepers, youth

By Stewart Burnett Northern News Services

Coral Harbour Local Journalism Initiative

Simone De Gannes, principal of Coral Harbour’s Sakku School, had mixed feelings when she heard she would be receiving a humanitarian award from Nunavut Commissioner Eva Qamaniq Aariak.

“Numb at first,” said De Gannes about her reaction, when the commissioner held a celebration for the awards in Coral Harbour Monday, Dec. 5.

“I heard my name being called several times. I knew it was my name, and a colleague smiled and said, ‘Yes, it’s you, Simone.’ Then came the foolish grin where my lips refused to close.”

When the host of the ceremony said it was time to present the humanitarian awards, De Gannes’s eyes filled with tears.

“I am simply doing my job to the best of my ability, knowledge and experience,” said the humble principal. “All I do is serve the students. In this journey called life, we live it or pass this way only once.”

Her work as principal has been recognized before, including earning the Rick Hansen Foundation School Program Difference Maker of the Year award earlier this year.

She started at Sakku School in 2020, with a mission to see and treat each child as if they were hers.

“This approach allows me to enter their world, journey with them, learn from and grow with them while helping mold each individual to their fullest potential,” said De Gannes.

“Supporting and pushing Inuit traditions, culture, language and way of life sprinkled with academics — we are building ‘holistic’ persons. This type of acknowledgement keeps me on my toes and simply shows there is something I am doing right; without it, I continue to be true to those I serve by giving my all.”

She expressed her gratitude to the community of Coral Harbour for the nomination and to the Commissioner’s office and team for bestowing the award.

“I can say we have only just begun,” said De Gannes, “because at Sakku School, Coral Harbour, we keep our feet on the ground as we continue reaching for the sky.”

Others received awards, too, including several for knowledge-keepers, bravery, youth and more.

Teacher Nellie Ell also received a humanitarian award, which describes her as working tirelessly “for many years to encourage the learning success of her students and develop strong relationships with her colleagues.”

Ayowna

David Saviakjuk, right, receives a commissioner’s award for bravery as fire chief of Coral Harbour from Eva Qamaniq Aariak, commissioner of Nunavut. Photo courtesy of Nikolas Telford

Sakku Investment Corporation’s plan for an Arviat factory that would employ Kivalliq Inuit and manufacture modular homes year-round seems so good it begs the question, why hasn’t it already been done?

The facility will be able to produce some 35 new units per year to support a rapidly growing community. Kivalliq Inuit will be able to earn certifications so they can move into private sector work, or contribute to the construction industry in their home community. It will offer stable, heated, comfortable and local employment to Arviat residents, and set Arviat itself up to reap the benefits that come with increased economic activity in town.

Sakku, through Sakku Innovative Building Solutions, is mak-

ing a big play here and doing extensive prep work. The company is even using an equivalent facility in the south to make sure it can produce units to Nunavut Housing Corporation standards.

The only foreseeable concern, which is always an issue in the construction business today, is the money.

Vice-president Guillaume Guida said the project was forecast to cost $30 million, but that could change with inflation, supply chain issues and the price of materials.

Although it’s an ambitious project that comes with a high development cost, Sakku isn’t looking to lose

money on the Arviat undertaking. The corporation is assembling its portfolio of products as the main facility is built and aims to capitalize on the government’s Nunavut 3,000 plan to produce a chunk of the new housing required in the territory.

If this facility is successful, it’s hard to imagine why it couldn’t be replicated in other Kivalliq communities. The ability to work in construction in a comfortable space and go home at 5 p.m. instead of two weeks on, two weeks off, or living out of town is a huge benefit for families.

Keeping skilled people at home

is great for the community.

It seems practically perfect, but critics can always find fault.

A Globe and Mail reporter travelled to Arviat this summer and covered Sakku’s initiative, and if you look at the comments on that story, you’ll find people have plenty to pick apart.

Some of it is southern ignorance, with readers honing in on a part of the story about a woman who has 10 kids, firing up discussions around the housing crisis and high Nunavummiut birth rates.

But while one progressive initiative may not be able to resolve a complex crisis, Sakku should simply be congratulated for pursuing this ambitious factory. The corporation’s first focus is to employ people and build skills.

We’ll have to wait until at least 2025 to see how it all turns out.

STEWART BURNETT

Sakku School principal Simone De Gannes, left, receives a humanitarian award from Eva Qamaniq Aariak, commissioner of Nunavut. Photo courtesy of Nikolas Telford

Emiktowt, left, receives a commissioner’s award for knowledge keepers from Eva Qamaniq Aariak, commissioner of Nunavut. Photo courtesy of Nikolas Telford

Cady Angootealuk, right, receives a commissioner’s award for youth recognition from Nunavut Commissioner Eva Qamaniq Aariak. Photo courtesy of Nikolas Telford

Christmas shopping sorted

Saturday, Dec. 10.

The community hall in Rankin Inlet was packed as customers browsed jewelry, fashion, baked goods and more.

Doors opened at 1 p.m. and were set to close at 4, but the big rush of holiday shoppers meant you had to get in early to get what you wanted at the annual Christmas craft fair hosted by the Ikurraq Food Bank

The food bank raised $925 through table rentals. Coordinator Sally Cormier-Ittinuar announced that EPLS/Home Hardware matched that fundraising, bringing the total raised to $1,850.

By Stewart Burnett Northern News Services

Alide Sanguin chats with a shopper. Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

Shawna Dias fills a bag for a happy customer. Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

Amy Kaludjak gives a look while holding an item for sale.

Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

Veronica Arnatsiak smiles during the Christmas craft fair. Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

Krizia Estranero smiles while browsing the tables.

Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

Chesterfield Inlet in ‘urgent need’ of new airport terminal building, MLA says

Tender challenges causing delay

By Stewart Burnett Northern News Services

Chesterfield Inlet Local Journalism Initiative

Chesterfield Inlet is in urgent need of a new airport terminal building, reported Rankin Inlet North–Chesterfield Inlet MLA Alexander Sammurtok in the legislative assembly this past fall sitting on Nov. 2.

He tabled photographs showing the poor condition of the building.

“Although the legislative assembly has previously approved millions of dollars in funding towards this project, the government has cancelled a number of tenders because of high bids,” he said. “Can the minister confirm when a new tender for the Chesterfield Inlet airport terminal building project will be issued?”

Minister of Economic Development and Transportation David Akeeagok responded that his department would continue working on this project, but he wasn’t sure when there would be a third tender for it.

This past spring, Sammurtok tabled a letter from the mayor of Chesterfield Inlet, who was requesting that the government issue a standalone tender for the airport terminal building rather than bundling it with tenders for other projects. Sammurtok asked Akeeagok if he would agree to that request.

“When we get to that stage where we are

tendering, that’s when the decision is going to be made,” replied Akeeagok. “If we’re in the Kivalliq, if we have those three projects doing the exact thing, it makes sense to try to tender them together. That is something that we tried; we tried it with all five, and then we tried with the three, and now we are left of what do we do. That portion and the discussions that we are having with Transport Canada are still there. So once we get to that stage then I’ll be able to know which way the tenders are going to go for these five air terminal projects.”

Aivilik MLA Solomon Malliki was on a similar track when he asked Akeeagok whether there would be a new tender for the Naujaat airport terminal project.

“The three communities – Naujaat, Chesterfield Inlet and Whale Cove – are bundled together and the tender is not currently open,” replied Akeeagok through interpretation. “We will reopen it.”

As of press time Dec. 12, there had been no new tenders issued by the Government of Nunavut for the air terminal buildings in Naujaat, Chesterfield Inlet and Whale Cove.

The tendering process has been dragging on for close to two years. In 2020, the GN earmarked $30 million for the five airports — Kugluktuk and Kimmirut being the other two — with the funding coming from the Government of Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund. However, no successful bids emerged.

David Akeeagok, minister of Economic Development and Transportation, said his department would continue working toward the Chesterfield Inlet air terminal building project. This photo shows the poor condition it’s in. Photo courtesy of Alexander Sammurtok

Photos tabled by Rankin Inlet North–Chesterfield Inlet MLA Alexander Sammurtok show the poor condition of the Chesterfield Inlet air terminal building. Photo courtesy of Alexander Sammurtok

Former

minister sentenced in historical sexual assault case

Three years probation, community work for David Simailak

By Stewart Burnett Northern News Services Baker Lake Local Journalism Initiative

mailak was a lifelong resident of Baker Lake. Both the victim and Mr. Simailak are Inuit. They did not know each other.”

Editor’s

This story

details that some readers may find disturbing.

The past caught up with Baker Lake’s David Simailak as a historical sexual assault case against the former Baker Lake mayor and government minister reached a conclusion in Iqaluit court last month.

In April, a jury in Baker Lake convicted Simailak of one count of rape, as the offence was termed at the time.

Simailak, 70, previously had no criminal record.

On Nov. 7, a judge imposed a suspended sentence with conditions that will have to be followed during three years of probation, including 250 hours of community work. Simailak was also required to provide a sample of his DNA to the local RCMP detachment.

“This decision deals with the thorny issue of what is a fit and appropriate sentence for this historical rape,” stated judge Chris Martin in an explanation of the case.

Four years ago, a woman, whose identity has been protected from publication, made a complaint to the police about Simailak assaulting her in 1973, when Simailak was 21 and the woman was 14. She said it happened on the floor of the radio station in Baker Lake.

In 1973, rape was defined by the court as a male having sexual intercourse with a female who is not his wife and is without her consent. The age at which a woman could legally consent to sexual intercourse at the time was 14 years old.

Since then, except for certain unique circumstances, the age of consent has increased to 16 years old. Simailak was tried according to the 1973 definition of rape, including the age of consent, but otherwise, all modern aspects of a sexual assault trial were in effect.

“Both were residents of Baker Lake,” stated Martin. “The victim moved there with her parents when her father, an Anglican minister, accepted a posting to Baker Lake. Mr. Si-

As part of a school program, the victim was at the local radio station to broadcast a show for the community. Simailak was the manager of the station, and after the show, only the two remained in the building.

“Mr. Simailak testified he went to her after the station closed and sex ‘just happened,’ stated Martin. “It started by him touching her, but not in the ‘privates.’ They then laid on the floor side-by-side, but with her more on her back. She did not resist, oppose or push back. They had a short kiss. He said he pulled out his penis and penetrated her. He does not remember how her pants came off because it was ‘50 years ago.’ He said they might have held each other. He did not ask her if she wanted to have sex, kiss or touch. In fact, nothing was said. He testified that he assumed from the way it happened – she did not resist – she was consenting. Afterward, they just both got up and left. Finally, as the victim clearly testified, she did not consent.”

Consequences of actions

Shortly thereafter, the victim told her mother, and her father found out as well. Independently, Simailak confessed the act to his wife, who quickly called a meeting of the victim’s parents, the victim and a local minister. Simailak’s wife said the meeting took place at their home the next day, which lasted about an hour. The victim’s father was upset and forbade his daughter from going to the radio station again. The victim has no memory of this meeting.

“Mr. Simailak has had suicidal ideation related to the stress and effect of the charge,” stated Martin about the impact to the former mayor, who for decades was seen as an icon of success.

“He has been stripped of community positions and suffered financially. Particularly biting to him was his suspension as an ordained deacon of the Anglican Church in 2019. On conviction, he was banned from all other volunteer church roles he had been performing for over 30 years. He has lost corporate board and business roles, and other volunteer roles. For example, for seven years until his conviction, he served as chair of the Baker Lake District Education Authority. The

reputational impact upon him, in the hamlet and territory, has been significant. He is no longer seen as a community pillar.” Martin noted some mitigating circumstances in this case.

“Notably, Mr. Simailak was a youthful first offender,” stated Martin. “While not an excuse in any way, it is clear that his view respecting consent was that of a 1970s inexperienced, immature young man – a ‘spoiled brat,’ as described by his wife. I accept his testimony that he did not think he was committing a criminal act, albeit he took no steps to confirm consent.”

The victim suffered emotional and psychological trauma following the unlawful encounter.

“She had difficulty grasping the impact until she was 25 years of age and she sought counselling,” stated Martin. “She felt shame, grief, depression, anxiety and embarrassment. Over the years, in angry moments, she even called Mr. Simailak or his wife to confront them. Over a long time, she gained the wherewithal to report it to the RCMP and take ‘the hardest trip’ back to Baker Lake for the trial, almost 50 years after she left. She no longer feels the assault defines her future.”

Martin said this case involves a crime that no sentence can heal.

David Simailak, former mayor of Baker Lake and territorial government minister, was sentenced last month for a sexual assault that happened in 1973 when he was 21 and the victim was 14. NNSL file photo

Gifts galore for Whale Cove children

By Stewart Burnett Northern News Services Whale Cove

Projects, plus approximately 45 pre-K envelopes supplied by the RCMP and more than 200 individual gifts for all kids ages two to 18 from the RCMP family.

The gifts are expected to be given out this Thursday, Dec. 15.

Charles and family will be on their way to the Northwest Territories next year, leaving Whale Cove.

RCMP Cpl. James Charles, Whale Cove’s detachment commander, stands with a load of notes and gifts from Cindy’s Northern Canada Projects.

It includes 163 envelopes for school-aged children supplied by Cindy’s Northern Canada

Renee Charles sits with items being packed for gifts.

Cpl. James Charles shows off the load of mail that came in through the online gift-organizing group Cindy’s Northern Canada Projects. Photos courtesy of Miranda Charles