Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Apr 28/04) - Ray Mercer of Rankin Inlet has seen a lot of progress during his time with the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce (KCC).

Mercer announced at the end of the 2003 KCC annual general meeting (AGM) that he would not be carrying on as president when his term expired in 2004.

True to his word, he stepped down during the 2004 AGM in Rankin this past month, making way for Ellie Camsfield to take over the role.

The KCC was formed in 1979 and Mercer has been on its executive, in one capacity or another, since 1982.

Mercer spent almost 14 years as president, and has also held the positions of secretary/treasurer, vice-president and past-president.

"I gave the membership a full year's notice that I was stepping down to become past-president and they would need a new president," says Mercer.

"I felt the KCC needed new energy and a stronger drive than I have now.

"I'm slowing down and want to get younger people involved with the chamber."

When Mercer first came North in 1963, settlements didn't even have runways.

Transportation and communication were major issues, and remain so today.

Housing, however, has taken over as the number one area of importance during the past five years due to population growth.

"We used to talk about health and education, but a lot of our most pressing issues stem from people having no place to live.

"So, there's no doubt it has become the most important issue now for the chamber."

Mercer says the chamber is proud of the government's NNI policy (assistance to Nunavummiut who own their own business), which the KCC originally wrote for the GNWT in the early 1980s.

At that time it was called a Northern Preference Policy.

"The new government adopted what later became the GNWT's Business Incentive Policy and, between the GN and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI), they wrote what is now the NNI.

"The input of organizations outside of government, like NTI, has made it a better policy."

Hard work leads to success

Mercer says the KCC has been heavily involved in the push for housing during the past three years.

He says Nunavut has seen steady progress as a result of that push, with $20 million coming from the federal government this year, which the Nunavut government will match.

"In our efforts of meeting and lobbying federal ministers for more housing, I'd like to think the chamber played a significant part in getting that money from the federal government.

"It's nice to see some success come out of the hard work done by so many people.

"We still have a way to go, but I've seen a lot of progress since becoming the first settlement secretary in Gjoa Haven and getting its original council up and running in 1973."