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Partnership dissolved

Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (May 16/05) - The Department of Economic Development and Tourism has ended its partnership with Kivalliq Partners in Development (KPID) in the delivery of two high-profile funding programs in the Kivalliq region.

KPID had been responsible for allocating funding from both the Community Incentive program (CIP) funding and the Contributions to Business Development program (CBDP).

The CIP has a $700,000 budget for the current fiscal year, with each Kivalliq community having access to $100,000 until Sept. 15. After that date, residual funds are rolled into a Nunavut-wide fund.

The CBDP has a $225,000 budget for the fiscal year, available to medium- and small-sized businesses.

Kivalliq mayors passed a resolution at their annual meeting recently saying the delivery system was not meeting their needs,

A departmental review has shown funding programs to be badly outdated, prompting the department to take over program delivery at this time, Economic Development spokesperson Robert Connelly said.

"This solution was a response to that and, as our program review is completed over the next several months, we will determine the best system of program delivery and how it can be implemented in all three regions."

Rankin Inlet Mayor Lorne Kusugak said there were many too many inconsistencies in the distribution of CIP funds during the past few years.

"KPID was trying to find ways for proposals not to work, instead of the other way around," said Kusugak. "Ideally, you would think those in charge of funding would look at a good proposal and try to find ways to help make it fit program criteria."