NUNAVUT - The GN Report Card project conducted by Sky North Consulting could not to conduct public consultations in Arctic Bay, Coral Harbour, Grise Fiord or Kugaaruk, and those communities are concerned their evaluations of the government won't be heard.

Weather conditions kept the team out of Grise Fiord, and unexpected aircraft mechanical difficulties prevented the visit to Arctic Bay. Kugaaruk and Coral Harbour had deaths in the communities at the same time as the consultation teams' visits, so the public meetings were cancelled so people could attend the funerals.

"We asked them to come back," said Grise Fiord's mayor Meeka Kiguktak. "They were requesting if we can give them a call or anything like that. It was a teleconference they want to set up but we refused them. We want to see them in person in a community meeting."

The project's leader, Piers MacDonald, said nothing was more desirable than face-to-face meetings in the communities and that his company was proposing to make more community visits in August, a time of year when many people have returned to their communities and public meetings would likely have high turnouts.

"Out preference would of course be to be there," MacDonald said. "But it is an expensive proposition for sure."

The decision is up to the GN, which would have to absorb the cost of sending a team to the four communities.

MacDonald speculated that if the government decides against sending a full two-person consultation team to the four communities, other possible scenarios might include sending only one team member or hiring a local person to carry out the consultations under the company's guidelines.

According to a statement from Paul Suvega, the assistant deputy minister of Nunavut's Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs," Options are currently being looked at for the four missed communities. But everyone should know that Nunavummiut can still voice their opinions by visiting the website or calling the toll-free number or e-mail."

Kiguktak said actual community meetings are the best way to get the real opinions of Nunavummiut. She said many people who don't normally voice their opinions often speak up at meetings when they hear other people speak and be heard.

She also said the consultation team would understand Grise Fiord better if they actually saw it for themselves.

Kiguktak and her staff had been under the impression that a visit from the full GN Report Card team was a sure thing. She was disappointed to learn there's no guarantee of such an in-person consultation in Grise Fiord. While speaking to Nunavut News/North by phone, she called to the hamlet's senior administrator Janice Anderson and asked her to get in touch with the GN and find out if in fact the consultation team was going to visit.

Quttiktuq MLA Ron Elliot, who represents Grise Fiord and Resolute, said it was ironic that the team couldn't get into Grise Fiord. He said the issue of travel accessibility in and out of Grise was doubtless one of the issues residents would have raised if the team had visited.

Elliot said it was essential for any real Nunavut-wide consultation to include the communities.

"Most of the government workers are based in Iqaluit so you won't really have the community perspective," he said. "Now is the time for the people in the communities to speak up and say what they really feel about the government."

Akulliq MLA John Ningark, who represents Kugaaruk, said every community has to be consulted for the project to mean anything. He said expectations were high, but questioned what long-term impact the project might have. The lengthy election process in Ningark's riding meant he was not a member of the legislature when the Report Card was proposed.

"What will the Report Card accomplish in the end?" he asked. "That's what I would want to know. The government is going through this consultation, but in the end what will the Report Card accomplish? Will things be better after the government has consulted with the people of Nunavut? It's a good idea if it will accomplish something. But if it's just one of those surveys, I don't know."