Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

RANKIN INLET (Mar 03/99) - A total of 13 residents from four Keewatin communities graduated from a heavy equipment training course in Morrisburg, Ontario this past Monday and are now licensed to operate heavy equipment anywhere in Canada.

The graduating class included people from Rankin Inlet, Arviat, Whale Cove and Chesterfield Inlet. The seven-week, Class 1 (unrestricted) course was taught at CTI (Construction

Transportation Industrial Skills Training Services Ltd.). Page Burt of Outcrop Nunavut said the participants were selected from 32 people interviewed, based on their aptitude for the type of work, general work record and amount of pertinent training or qualification.

"This is an important development for the Kivalliq Region, people fully qualified to operate heavy equipment are rare in Nunavut as the training is difficult to obtain and requires a high degree of dedication and confidence to meet the standards required for competence in highway driving," said Burt.

"Many people in the course have participated in Mining Readiness courses run by Kivalliq Community Mobilization in the past and have experience in the mining and exploration industries.

Others have operated heavy equipment, yet have never had the opportunity for intense training."

The CEO of CTI, Kingsley Cole, spoke very highly of the Keewatin graduates. He said in all the school's years of operation, it has never had a group work so intensely and co-operate so well with each other to ensure everyone's success.

"In fact, the spirit of co-operation shown by the Kivalliq group has spread and affected other groups in training at the same time," said Cole. "We are now seeing this co-operation instead of competition among our other students."

Jim Bernard is the logistics co-ordinator for WMC International Ltd. and was with the Kivalliq group throughout the course. He said the group worked incredibly hard and was totally focused.

"Driving a 32-wheeler in a southern city is no joke," said Bernard. "They had to learn about not only how the truck works, but also about traffic, signs and pedestrians. They have done really well."

While in Ontario, the group stayed at the McIntosh Country Inn where they quickly established a reputation as being unofficial Nunavut ambassadors.

"What a group of true gentlemen," said innkeeper Tom Morrow. "They have been unfailingly polite and helpful to our staff, even going so far as to help us move some furniture around within the hotel. No group has ever done that before."

The course was jointly sponsored by Kivalliq Community Mobilization, WMC International Ltd., CTI and Outcrop Nunavut. Funding was provided by Kivalliq Partners in Development through the Aboriginal Training Fund and Human Resource Development Canada.

Other contributors included Skyward Aviation, First Air, the Royal Bank Rankin Inlet, Maani Ulujuk school Rankin Inlet and the McIntosh Country Inn.

The Kivalliq group consisted of Gunner Tugak, Jason Owlijoot, Larry Ittinaur, Michael Akilak, Willie Adams Jr., Larry White, Hamish Tatty, Zachery Nilaulak, Dennis Manernaluk, William Tootoo, Raymond Mercer, Tommy Sharp and Jason Mackenzie.