Quassa in Yelowknife
Maria Canton
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jan 15/01) - Most of Yellowknife's 150 Inuit beneficiaries are waiting to see if NTI President Paul Quassa will be successful in his fourth attempt to meet with them.
"I've been waiting a long time for this meeting," said Jeannie Evalik, who works at the Kitikmeot Boarding Home and is originally from Cambridge Bay.
Similarly, Jeanie Kalluk, formerly of Pangnirtung, said she is also looking forward to the meeting.
"I'm interested in hearing what they have to say," said Kalluk, who has lived in Yellowknife for five years.
"It is difficult to get information about NTI when you live over here."
Quassa and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. executive members are scheduled to host an evening meeting Monday night in Yellowknife at the Boarding Home as part of the president's community tour schedule.
Three previously scheduled meetings were cancelled -- twice because of poor weather conditions in the Eastern Arctic and once because Quassa was suspended for spending irregularities with the corporate credit card.
The meetings are an opportunity for beneficiaries of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement to air concerns and ask questions.
"What I find most of the people want to talk about is basic information in the Land Claim.
What rights and benefits they get because of it," said NTI Director of Communications Alan Vigoda.
"Most importantly these community meetings maintain the ability of the executive of (NTI) to communicate with beneficiaries and that is something our executive is very concerned about."
