Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (May 18/98) - The owner of ValuPharm says the Nunavut Pharmacy Bursaries are a natural extension of the original goals he formed after moving North eight years ago.

"When we first came to Iqaluit, we set our mandate that eventually we would have enough local Inuit involved that they could take over as pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That eventually, they would have the meaningful jobs, the meaningful positions," says Terry Fernandes, a pharmacist for 25 years and ValuPharm's owner.

Fernandes says he noticed that he wasn't succeeding in reaching his goals at first so he came up with a better, more concrete plan.

"I will help provide the training and the financial backing so they can go to university or technical school," says Fernandes.

To remedy the situation, he set up a privately funded scholarship program that awards four Nunavut pharmacy-oriented students, three Inuit and one non-Inuit, with up to $1,000 a year for four consecutive years.

"The bursary provides a little extra. It basically helps pay for the books and living away from home. It's one way of putting back into the community what they give us."

Even though the program started just last year and Fernandes already has potential applicants, he says he would like to try to expand his efforts and promote science at the high school level to students and their parents.

"We get people thinking about their children going to university. Jobs are available to them as soon as they graduate," says Fernandes who requires that the students who receive the scholarships come back to Iqaluit and work at ValuPharm for a period of time.

"We ask for a commitment to come back and serve their community and not go down south."

Fernandes also offers an on-the-job training program to help Nunavut residents learn more about the profession.

"There are three people that we're working with, that receive on-the-job training. We start with the ground roots level and basically encourage them to go further."

Since coming to work at ValuPharm, Mary Kootoo has decided to complete her GED and eventually go to school to become a pharmacy technician.

"I was working there at the front cash and helping out in the pharmacy and he asked me if I wanted to take the course and I said yeah," says Kootoo.

"I enjoy working there, the environment, the people. It's always busy, always something to do. I like to keep busy."