Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 28/04) - Rankin Inlet's new senior administrative officer (SAO) is looking forward to some exciting times in his job.

John Hodgson moved to Rankin from Temagami, Ont., where he had spent the past 11 years as that community's chief administrative officer. Although new to Nunavut, this is not Hodgson's first tour of duty in the North.

He spent nine years with the GNWT in Yellowknife and was in Hay River from 1979-1989.

Hodgson says he and his wife, Jannet, decided the timing was right to move back to the North because their three children had moved out on their own.

He says after 11 years in Temagami, he was ready for some new challenges.

"I was also a little intrigued because I knew Rankin Inlet was an up-and-coming community with things happening here, so why not try the North again?" says Hodgson.

"The timing was just right for us, so, here we are."

The new SAO was on the job by March 1 and his wife moved to Rankin about two weeks ago.

Hodgson says he has always been a student of local government.

He says he looked at the Rankin position as an opportunity, of sorts, to get in on the ground floor of changes within Nunavut's municipal governance with a new territorial government in place.

"That was something I felt would be different and interesting.

"Ontario's Municipal Act has been in place for about 150 years, so things just sort of roll along in the same type of manner.

"I was looking for change and, in the seven weeks I've been here, I'd have to say I've found it."

Opportunity awaits

Hodgson says his new job is a lot busier than he expected, with a lot of what he describes as hands-on work.

He says fiscally the municipality is fairly sound, but there isn't much flexibility with its revenue.

"Rankin's future is to go to being a tax-based community.

"I know it's been brought up before, and not received all that well, but I would like the opportunity to explore the issue and talk to council about the benefits of going tax based.

"But, in the meantime, I have plenty to keep me busy until that opportunity presents itself."