Gas subsidy helps hunters hunt
Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (Feb 26/01) - The high cost of fuel has kept hunter Mosesee Joamie's Ski-Doo parked since last fall.
"I haven't worked for the last year-and-a-half and have been living on welfare," he said. "It's hard to get money for gas and oil and spare parts for the Ski-Doo."
The silver lining for Joamie, who is from Iqaluit, is that a hunt organized last fall by the Amarok Hunters and Trappers Association in Iqaluit means he has some meat for the winter.
But he is hoping to get to Allen Island this spring and bring home some fish. The chance of that happening is now even greater thanks to a new gas subsidy.
On Feb. 12, the territorial Department of Sustainable Development and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. announced a $320,000 fund would be used to give a $300 gas subsidy to eligible hunters.
Since last November, the price of gas has risen 12.7 per cent, which prompted the GN and NTI to give the subsidy to "full-time, intensive harvesters."
"It will help, definitely, but it's not enough for a full-time hunter," said Cape Dorset hunter Timoon Alariaq.
The GN and NTI are considering low-income people -- possibly those making less than $40,000 per year -- but Dean said the criteria has not yet been set.
"A lot of it will depend on when we get applications in and evaluate them all," explained director of the wildlife department for NTI Bert Dean. "We don't have the numbers and stats or who our target clientele is."
"We haven't finalized a set number ... because we want to see what kind of response we get," he said. "We're hoping for pretty wide coverage."
Hunters said it costs about $30 to fill a snowmachine. On long hunts, a return trip to Allen Lake for example, costs about $120 there and back.
Applications for the subsidy, which should be available in March, are available at local wildlife offices and regional offices of sustainable development.
