Nathan VanderKlippe
Northern News Services

Cambridge Bay (Nov 19/01) - Federal Human Resources Minister Jane Stewart flew to Cambridge Bay last week, bearing gifts for the region's literacy and training champions.

Human Resources Minister Jane Stewart cuts the ribbon on her department's new office in Cambridge Bay. With her is Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell. - Navalik Tologanak/NNSL photo

She awarded a series of grants while there, including one to a partnership between Nunavut Arctic College and Carleton University in Ottawa, and another to Kitikmeot Employment and Training Partners.

"Literacy is a foundation that everyone should have if they want to continue on to further education in order to be able to be confident enough to take on further training," said Nancy Karetak-Lindell, MP for Nunavut.

Karetak-Lindell joined Stewart and Cambridge, Ont., MP Janko Peric in Cambridge Bay. "It's fundamental to further advancing the people of Nunavut," she said.

Stewart also officially opening her department's new office in Cambridge Bay.

Among the grants are:

$119,200 for the Nunavut Literacy Council's family and community literacy development project.

"They go to communities and find the right methods of encouraging families to read to their children in the very early years of life, and find ways of increasing the literacy capacity of parents as well," said Stewart.

$124,976 to Nunavut Arctic College for a project that combines literacy initiatives with practical skills training.

"They dovetail basic adult learning -- the foundational skills -- with practical technical skills, whether it be jewelry-making, cabinetry or community health programs," said Stewart.

Kitikmeot Employment and Training Partners was awarded $60,000 for a program that works with 33 industry partners to pinpoint employment needs and then develop training programs to meet those needs.

"The goal is within a couple of years, when the Bathurst road to port happens, we want to be sitting here with 300 to 400 trained Inuit in the mining-related industry," said KETP manager Sean Peterson. "We don't want to be sitting when this thing happens and they go to the south to get skilled workers."

Nunavut Arctic College was awarded $149,030 for the development and delivery of an Internet-based course relevant to northern indigenous peoples.

"New technologies give us the opportunity to enter into partnerships with individual citizens in the area of learning and lifelong learning," said Stewart.

In addition, the new Human Resources and Development office will offer a full range of services that were previously available only through a toll-free telephone line. Its staff of two includes one Innuinaqtun specialist.

"Minister Stewart listened when I told her about the serious situation our residents and the Kitikmeot faced without a store-front HRCC office," said Cambridge Bay Mayor Keith Peterson in a press release.

"Now our residents have access to HRDC staff that will assist them with their needs."