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 The people of the Kitikmeot spoke at a Feb. 12 meeting, and James Eetookook and Cathy Towtongie of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated and Charlie Evalik of Kitikmeot Inuit Association were listening to their concerns. - Margaret McKay/NNSL photo |
This was one of several messages Cathy Towtongie, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, collected on her tour of the region earlier this month.
Contaminated water, housing and the price of food were other issues on the minds of people gathered in Kugluktuk to speak their minds to a panel of top NTI executives on Feb. 12.
Other members of the panel included: Charlie Evalik, president of Kitikmeot Inuit Association; James Eetoolook, NTI first vice-president; and Paul Kaludjak, NTI finance vice-president.
Towtongie agrees that more hiring needs to be done.
"The Nunavut government should be monitoring this more closely to see that Inuit are hired as seasonal construction workers."
Government can put its strongest pressure where it has awarded contracts for construction work, Towtongie says.
In a related topic, people were asking NTI to see if it can pressure mining companies to provide more training that would ultimately mean more mining jobs.
This might lead to a scenario where Inuit work on construction projects in the summer, then head for the mines for winter work, Towtongie says.
People are also talking about the high cost of even the most basic food staples, such as tea, flour, milk, oatmeal and sugar.
"We have to work with the executives of (Northern retail companies) to see how costs can be lowered," Towtongie agrees.
Kugluktuk residents also discussed the quality of water.
"Elders are telling us that the water used to be crystal clear, but now it seems muddy," Towtongie says of mining activity that may be affecting water purity.
Private or public, housing is always an issue. "We talked about how living in private housing, it's difficult to keep up with the costs," Towtongie says.
Another concern in the Kitikmeot is that not enough general information is in Inuinnaqtun dialect.
"Unilingual Inuit feel like foreigners in their own land," Towtongie says.
This was Towtongie's first visit to the Kitikmeot and fulfills a pledge she made to be accountable to NTI's beneficiaries.
"This visit has had a real impact on me. It's important to keep in touch with the grassroots," she says.
Another NTI trip in the spring will go to part of Baffin Island and the Keewatin region.
