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IGLULIK - Iglulik residents received an apology from the territorial government on the way it handled the hunger crisis earlier this month.

Some Iglulik residents ran out of food earlier this month as the community freezer broke down and old-age security cheques were late due to the rotating postal strike and subsequent lockout. The community's social service worker had e-mailed the income support worker in Iglulik asking to access the emergency assistance fund, reporting nurses were seeing emaciated faces and hungry children. The income support worker forwarded the request to her boss in Pangnirtung.

The territory's regional supervisor of income support replied: "FYI, not our problem; people get emaciated after two weeks without food."

Irene Tanuyak, assistant deputy minister of Education, the department responsible for income support programs, said they will apologize to Iglulik.

"The Department of Education apologizes for the insensitive manner how it dealt with the request of income support regarding food shortages in Iglulik," she said. "The staff have been reminded of the appropriate manner in which to respond to any emergency request."

Iglulik's assistant senior administrative officer, Celestino Uyarak, said the mayor told council at its meeting on July 20 he had received a verbal apology.

"It was stated from our mayor we will be receiving an apology letter and they called our mayor to apologize to him," he said.

Tanuyak said a senior staff member was notified of the situation in Iglulik late in the afternoon of July 8, but as it was the end of the day and a Friday, not much could be done at the time.

"According to information I received, the federal pension cheques were late, the community freezer broke down," she said. "I am not sure how to put it into words but we do feel for the community at a time many people were hungry."

Most individuals who receive pension cheques from the federal government are not eligible for income support from the territorial government, she added. But emergency assistance may be provided to those who qualify after an assessment is done, said Tanuyak.

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