NNSL (Jan 13/97) - Privately-owned Inuit businesses are continuing their efforts to get a piece of infrastructure development in Nunavut.

The group of nine Baffin business people who sent a letter to Jose Kusugak, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. in mid-December, said they have yet to receive a satisfactory response to the issue.

"We did receive a response, just nothing new came out of it," said Simon Merkosak, construction sector representative with the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce.

"We're not letting this die."

The business people are concerned about the coming construction and ownership of Nunavut infrastructure by the Nunavut Construction Corporation.

Last year Ottawa reached a deal with the Inuit birthright corporations -- Qikiqtaaluk, Sakku, Kitikmeot Development and Nunasi Corporation -- to build and own whatever infrastructure is required by the Nunavut government. The four organizations make up the Nunavut Construction Corp.

Kusugak wrote a reply to the business people through the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce.

"What they want is for (work) to be publicly tendered and a guarantee they'll get the contracts," Kusugak said. "We can't do that.

"We've been able to get a negotiated contract under our claim."

If the contracts were public there would be no guarantee anyone in the NWT would be awarded construction contracts, he added.

That wasn't enough for Merkosak.

"I'm going to respond to his letter," Merkosak said. "It seems he doesn't know where we're coming from or appreciate our point of view."

The group wants to know where the infrastructure money will be spent and how that will benefit the average Nunavut beneficiary.

"We're just trying to make sure they're going to do what they say they're going to do," Merkosak said.

"We're trying to get them to be more accountable to the beneficiaries."

The concerned business people are from Pond Inlet, Kimmirut, Clyde River, Iqaluit and Igloolik.