Special memorial to honour vision of a united Nunavut
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Rankin Inlet (Apr 18/01) - Louis Pilakapsi had a vision a Nunavut that included unity and strength.
To honour the Rankin Inlet man, who perished at sea in the Avataq tragedy last year, a special tribute will be held at the annual general meeting of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities (NAM).
Chief executive officer David General says this year's meeting is entitled, No Boundaries -- A Dedication to Louis Pilakapsi.
"As we said earlier in announcing our AGM, Louis (Pilakapsi) subscribed to the concept that Nunavut should be one unified territory and regional boundaries should not play a role in its development," says General.
With six Nunavut Government ministers already confirmed to attend the gathering of Nunavut's top municipal leaders -- along with a number of leading representatives from Inuit beneficiary organizations -- it is expected the territory's municipalities will press hard for more input into capital planning and other issues which directly affect them.
No matter what direction the overall tone of the meetings take, General says the Pilakapsi memorial will be a special event in which he expects many to participate.
He says the memorial will be highlighted by the unveiling and presentation of a number of special dedications to Pilakapsi and his vision of Nunavut.
"We'll be holding the memorial at the MUI (Maani Ulujuk middle school) gymnasium and I think, in all probability, it will be an emotional event.
"We will be presenting a memorial plaque honouring Louis's vision of Nunavut and Jim Shirley of Rankin Inlet has been commissioned to produce that piece. We're expecting a large crowd to help us honour the memory of a man dedicated to the development of a strong, united Nunavut."
Annual Pakallak Tyme hamlet celebrations will also be held in the hamlet during the AGM.
