.

Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

AUSUITTUQ/GRISE FIORD - On Dec. 11 and 12 community members in Grise Fiord met with their newly-elected Quttiktuq MLA Ron Elliot to address some of the issues they face living in Canada's most remote Northern community.

One of the most urgent needs in the community is a school counsellor, according to Geela Qaapik, vice-chair of Grise Fiord's District Education Authority. Grise Fiord's Ummimak school was supposed to get a counsellor in the summer of 2009, but the recent territorial election and changes in administration mean it's not clear if that position will be created.

Ron Elliot

Grise Fiord is also looking for a financial committment from the territorial government to expand or replace the school's gymnasium, which also doubles as a community centre.

The building is older than the school, having been built in the early 1990s, and is no longer adequate for the needs of space. Ottawa had set aside $750,000 for a new building or expansion if the GN matches it, but the new government won't start assembling its budget until January so that money is up in the air.

Qaapik said there are enough aspiring teachers in Grise Fiord to justify bringing a Northern Teachers' Education Program to the community. Arctic College holds NTEP programs in remote communities but requires there be at least 10 students to start the four-year program. If too many students drop out, the remainder will be encouraged to move to another NTEP location such as the permanent program in Iqaluit to finish their degree.

The Quttiktuq riding comprises Arctic Bay, Resolute and Grise Fiord.

Elliot owes his win to the two smaller communities, whose votes put him over the top against the incumbent Levi Barnabas. Arctic Bay's vote had been tight, but slightly against Elliot, while Resolute's was slightly in his favour. Grise Fiord, the smallest community of the three, tilted strongly towards Elliot and gave him the win.

Elliot said he heard Grise Fiord residents felt ignored by their previous MLAs, and felt more attention was paid to Arctic Bay as the riding's largest constituency. Elliot said he also heard similar complaints from Resolute.

Elliot said Grise Fiord's neglect by previous MLAs has created a "proactive" attitude in the community and a willingness to tackle their problems on their own. He said his most effective avenue as MLA may be to point his constituents in the right direction and let them call whoever needs calling to get what the community needs.

"You're teaching people about the process and how to get things done," he said.

He said he has encouraged the school principal and chair of the local district education authority to prepare letters explaining their needs so he can present them to Education Minister Hunter Tootoo.

Being at the distant end of the supply chain, Grise Fiord suffers from a high cost of living and often receives fruits and vegetables that are less than fresh. These were frequent complaints Elliot said he heard as he visited the community.

Elliot's approach to responding to such complaints is to call the relevant bureaucrats and ministers on behalf of his constituents, and to pass on contact information to his constituents, so his voice is not the only one the bureaucrats hear.

For complaints about produce, Elliot has been running down the phone numbers for people at the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs and Canada Post so Grise Fiord residents can call and raise their concerns.