Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Aug 10/98) - For Simeonie Akpalialuk, it's all about community empowerment.

So, between juggling business plans for potential ventures and developing a community-based plan for growth, the new community economic development officer (CEDO) in Pangnirtung has his hands full.

"As part of community empowerment, this office has been contracted out and is now under municipal government," Akpalialuk said.

Prior to the transfer of responsibility to the hamlet, it was felt that the economic development officers around the Baffin were people who came into communities from the outside and made decisions that weren't necessarily in the best interests of the residents.

Akpalialuk has worked hard to change that trend. He said his job is "mainly to develop economics in the community whether it be sustainable or business oriented" and to bring the decision-making and the development ideas back to the community.

To further add to his workload, the market for new businesses in Pangnirtung is ripe with opportunity with Nunavut just around the corner.

"Our main clients are people who want to start small businesses and existing businesses that want to expand. In the last few months there's been several," Akpalialuk said, referring to the volume of clients who have come to him for assistance in developing business plans to secure funding from territorial or federal agencies.

He explained that the main business sectors being developed in Pangnirtung were those revolving around tourism, arts and crafts and fisheries.

Akpalialuk said the new rush on business creation is all part of the larger idea of developing a community-based plan, the essence of which is to create a community that has been designed with community input.

"The direction is coming from the community. We take the needs and what the community wants into consideration," Akpalialuk said.

While the plan is still in the beginning stages, preliminary work has been completed and Akpalialuk expects to have a draft ready by the fall.

"It's going to do a lot for this community. It will create more employment and more programming and will allow the community to be more healthy and more active and productive."

Drawing on direction from all residents, Akpalialuk said the finished plan would be in action next year.