NNSL (May 04/98) - NTI has shuffled its executive responsibilities following a meeting in Iqaluit last month.

President Jose Kusugak said the changes were made to bring in fresh approaches. "It's just a way of making sure everybody's earning their pay, and get some new ideas on some of the old portfolios," said Kusugak.

Kusugak has assumed responsibility for the Department of Communications, formerly overseen by second vice-president Raymond Ningeocheak, who has taken over responsibility for wildlife and the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board from first vice-president James Eetoolook.

Secretary-treasurer Bernadette Makpah was put in charge of the hunter support program and human resources, portfolios formerly handled by Ningeocheak.

Iqaluit accelerated

The Nunavut capital became the first community to be linked to the new high-speed digital network that will eventually span the North.

Project manager Roxane Hutcheson said technicians were just working out the last of the kinks in the Iqaluit system last week.

Technicians were to travel to the second community to hop onto the system, Kimmirut. Rankin Inlet will follow.

The network has been in the works for the last two years and is being developed by a consortium known as Ardicom. Once complete, it will link up government offices, health centres and schools in each community.

We're not the government

Speaking of government, NTI isn't it, noted Kusugak. "After all these years, I was surprised to hear people still think we're a government in waiting," said Kusugak.

"If the people of Nunavut are still a little mixed up about this, imagine how mixed up the people down south are," added the NTI president.

Kusugak said a national phone-in show to deal with the some of the misconceptions about Nunavut might be the answer. He was referring to questions asked of Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell and NTI executive director Alex Campbell during a phone-in TV news broadcast last week.