IKAHUUK/SACHS HARBOUR - As Sachs Harbour's first senior administrative officer (SAO) in training, Kowesa Etitiq says his job deals with "a bit of everything."

Kowesa Etitiq is Sachs Harbour's first senior administrative officer (SAO) in training. - photo courtesy of Kowesa Etitiq

"You see it all when you work for the hamlet, but I love my job and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," Etitiq said. "Every day is interesting"

Etitiq was born in Iqaluit, but has a personal connection to Sachs Harbour.

"My wife is originally from here and she wanted to move back a few years ago, so, I said, 'Why not?' I did some research and found out that the School of Community Government was offering a program that would allow me to train as an SAO. I am the first ever trainee in the program, he said, adding, "It's worked well. The word has spread around and now some First Nations bands are participating in the program, too."

Etitiq and his wife moved to Sachs Harbour in October 2010.He says the biggest issue he has faced at the hamlet to date is meeting the demand for a consistent and safe water supply in the community.

"Water is a big deal here. You can't have life without it, and there has to be a lot of testing to ensure that the water is safe to drink" he said

Etitiq says a number of infrastructure issues with the hamlet's water plant have kept him busy this year, and one of his main jobs has been helping to ensure clean water is delivered to residents.

"Parts of the water plant need to be rebuilt; the weather is really hard on the buildings around here," he says.

The budding SAO spent from 2008-2010 getting his post secondary education in Ottawa at Carleton University where he worked on courses in sociology and indigenous studies.

"I also worked as a consultant for the federal government, teaching Inuit sensitivity training to workers, and I developed my own course that has been rated one of the top courses offered by Health Canada for workers," he said.

The one-day course, called "Inuit in Canada: From Dog Teams to the Internet, Resiliency and Change" is a way to teach people about Inuit culture and society, Etitiq says.

Etitiq says his experience working as an SAO in Sachs Harbour has been an invaluable part of his career development, and he sees a need to bridge communities in the North with those in the south by building understandings between people.

"It's an exciting time to be in the North right now, there are lots of opportunities and positive growth, he says, adding, "I would really love to help out communities in the North with resource development in the future."

Etitiq will become a full fledged SAO in 2012.

"I have to complete some on the job training still, and pass my exam, and then I'm ready," he said.

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