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Q&A with Tony Romito

Life is sweet for Tony Romito. At the tender age of twentysomething, he's already attained his biggest life goal -- to have a happy family. His partner is about to give birth to their second child and he's finding that Iqaluit has a lot to offer.

Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (July 30/01) - Tony Romito moved from resolute Bay to Iqaluit last fall. He likes the change, but misses the lifestyle he had in the High Arctic.


Tony Romito


News/North: How long ago did you move to Iqaluit from Resolute?

Tony Romito: I moved just before Christmas, in October.

N/N: Why did you leave the High Arctic?

TR: For a number of different reasons. I guess the main one was I felt I needed a change. I'd been in Resolute for three years and I wanted to broaden my horizons and see a little bit more of the North. Another one of the reasons was my girlfriend was going away to school in Ottawa and I wanted to be a bit closer to her so I decided to move to Iqaluit.

N/N: Are you doing the long-distance relationship thing?

TR: It worked out because we found out Celina was pregnant so I decided to take a four-month leave from my job in the winter and went down and spent some time with her. We weren't really apart for much time. The school year is over and she came back. She's due in nine days.

N/N: That must be pretty exciting.

TR: Everything is new. We're starting in a new place, we have a new child coming. Everything is pretty exciting

for us.

N/N: This isn't your first child, though.

TR: No, Celina had a child before I showed up on the scene. She's great to have around and we're including her in all the plans with the new baby and making sure she knows she's going to have a hand in raising her.

N/N: Is there any fear associated with becoming a father?

TR: I wouldn't say fear. A lot of people ask me that question. I'm more excited than anything. I wanted kids for a long, long time. I'm ready for them. When I met Jazlin, we hit it off really well. I love to play with her. I'm just more excited than anything. It's going to be a great experience.

N/N: What else is new in your life?

TR: The biggest thing is the change of jobs in the last year. I was the wildlife officer in Resolute Bay for three years. That was an eye-opening experience -- it was one of those here's your keys and ticket, get on the plane. I went and opened my new office and found a truck waiting for me, a four-wheeler, a boat, a skidoo. I didn't have a place to stay, but I had all the good stuff.

Moving from that job and a lot of land-based activity, working with the community to coming here and interacting within the department and not having a lot of community experience, that's the biggest change.

N/N: Do you miss that interaction with the community?

TR: I really do. It's hard to get started here because it seems like there's so much to do here compared to a place where there is only 200 people. It's very easy to get into the community back in Resolute. It's that or nothing. I miss that aspect of it -- walking down the street in Resolute and all the kids come running out and say "Tony, Tony," and give you a big hug. I miss that.

N/N: Have you been back to Resolute since you've been here?

TR: I was back on business once for a couple of days. I ran around visiting the whole time when I wasn't in meetings.

N/N: Did it make you sad?

TR: Definitely. I wanted to go back to my office and open it up, but there was someone else there. I miss doing what I was doing before, but I'm into something new now. It's just as challenging, but very different.

N/N: What are some of the challenges being a desk jockey presents?

TR: I still work for the wildlife service, but I'm in conservation and education now. I work specifically with publications so I do a lot of graphic design and layout on the computer. I stare at a computer screen all day and I don't get out on the land. It's very different. The challenge in the new job is taking over where the Northwest Territories left off.

We've only been a territory for two years now and there's a lot of stuff that has to be changed over from the NWT. Posters and all that sort of thing have to be Nunavutized. We're starting from scratch. I'm going crazy because everybody wants posters. That's a challenge. And setting ourselves up with infrastructure and training to keep up with all the technology.

N/N: Have you gone out hunting or camping since you've been in Iqaluit?

TR: I haven't. I think the big stumbling block is having a pregnant girlfriend and not wanting to go too far. I've done a little scrambling around on the rocks. I love it here. It's beautiful. There's vegetation here. There's a lot of bugs. Big ones, too. I'd love to get out on the land more. I really miss that. I left all my toys behind so I don't have my skidoo or four-wheeler. I ride my bike around.

N/N: Do you want to acquire all those toys again?

TR: I'd love to. It's just not financially in the cards for us right now. We need to get things like cribs and diapers before I get to buy toys.

N/N: Have you been going to garage sales to find all that stuff?

TR: Yes, I was surprised how big of a deal garage sales are here. It's a little bit like a cult. People go crazy. There's a lot of diehards. We saw one poster that said the sale started at 9 a.m. We got there at 9 a.m. and people had been there at 7 a.m. waiting. Now we know.

N/N: Are you going to garage sales tomorrow?

TR: No, Celina is starting to feel like she's ready to have a child. We're sticking pretty close to home. She can't get around much and her bladder is about the size of a pea.

N/N: Will you be with Celina when she gives birth?

TR: Yes. We've done a lot to make sure we're together for the birth.

N/N: What do you hope for your children?

TR: I'm excited for the kid. We plan to be in Nunavut for a while and the opportunities that are available for young people are amazing -- things I didn't have available in Edmonton growing up. Things like travel, exchanges, getting involved with youth programs. It's fantastic here. And there's access to funding for college.

N/N: What scares you about what your children may have to experience?

TR: I worry about the pressures from peers. There's a lot of that to think about.

N/N: What's your life goal?

TR: I've always wanted to have a happy family and be involved with the kids and have a great time and not to be tied down to a job or a place. It sounds corny, but take life as it comes.

N/N: You must feel good then because you have that now.

TR: Absolutely. It's great. I'm excited for Celina because she was one of the first high school graduates from Resolute Bay to go on and finish her college program. She's a throat-singer and an artist and there are so many opportunities for her here. She's already been offered a few things. We're going to have fun here.