IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY - Iqaluit Mayor Elisapee Sheutiapik was re-elected as president of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities at its annual general meeting Aug. 25 to 27 in Cambridge Bay.

Sheutiapik resigned from the presidency in 2008 to run for MLA of Iqaluit West in the territorial election.

Millie Kuliktana from Kugluktuk will serve as vice-president. An executive director is yet to be named.

"First priority is to hire our executive director then we'll move forward from there," Sheutiapik said. "Unfortunately, you go through hurdles and we certainly did this year, but I think we have an amazing board."

Three regional directors were also elected: Abraham Kublu from Pond Inlet will serve as the regional director for Baffin, Harry Tootoo from Chesterfield Inlet is the regional director for the Kivalliq and Joannie Sallerina from Gjoa Haven will serve as regional director for the Kitikmeot.

Sheutiapik said she originally declined her nomination for president because she is up for re-election in the fall as mayor of Iqaluit, but she eventually decided to accept. If Sheutiapik does not win the municipal election this fall, she will no longer be eligible to be president of the association.

The meeting ended with the discussion of almost a dozen resolutions, including getting municipalities more involved in capital planning processes and better monitoring of the progress of resolutions.

"In the past sometimes there might have been a response, but that didn't solve the problem," she said. "So how can we continue moving forward to make sure there's some action?"

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq participated in the meeting and discussed the Northern Economic Development Agency, as well as the government's plan for the second wave of swine flu expected this fall. Nunavut's chief medical officer Dr. Isaac Sobol also did a presentation, Sheutiapik said.

Other resolutions included the organization's support of a child advocacy office in Nunavut and lobbying the department of justice to develop better support systems for offenders who are released into communities.

"We realize that sometimes they don't go back into their home community, but they need support because we're only going to set them up to fail again if they're not given support to get back on their feet," she said.

Members also discussed the recent influx of southern airlines operating in the North, such as West Jet's new year-round Yellowknife to Edmonton route. Sheutiapik said, should the option be presented, NAM would not support southern airlines operating in Nunavut.

"NAM supports both the current long-term major air carriers and current regional carriers that are well established in the North," she said. "They (southern airlines) don't have infrastructure here and they might just disrupt the airline industry."

Sheutiapik said all 25 of Nunavut's communities are again members of the association, though representatives from Baker Lake and Arviat were unable to make it to the meeting.