Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Rankin Inlet (Nov 01/00) - Operators of the Taparti Centre want a Nunavut-based group to take control of the facility.
The Yellowknife Association for Community Living has run the Rankin Inlet centre since being awarded the contract by the Keewatin Regional Health and Social Services Board, Jan. 1, 1996.
The centre provides programs for 14 adults with disabilities. It's open to those in the community and in the group home.
"We'd like to see it in local hands, but it might be best for a year of transition," says Lani Cooke, executive director of the Yellowknife association.
"We will probably continue on with the contract from April 1, 2001, to March 31, 2002. We could use that year to work in partnership with a local board on community development to help get it up and running and registered as a non-profit organization."
Cooke says a transitional year would also allow for strategic planning and allow the current operators to ascertain what training a local group would require to take over the Taparti Centre.
"I mentioned during a recent workshop we conducted in Rankin Inlet that we were thinking about relinquishing the contract, just to see how the resources are in Rankin and what sort of response we'd get to the idea.
"I had a number of people tell me they didn't think the local Saikak (to stand together) Community Awareness Committee for the Disabled is ready to operate a project like this quite yet."
Cooke has talked to the Canadian Association for Community Living and the Yellowknife board about the idea.
She says she still has to officially approach Saikak board members, although she did speak to number of them during the workshop.
"There would be a lot of groundwork to put in place, including developing a code of ethics for board members, doing some training on program delivery and what the role of the board would be in managing a manager.
"Eventually, however, I think it would be best for everyone concerned if a Nunavut-based group took over operational control."
