NUNAVUT - Residential school survivors in Nunavut say they are shocked by the decision to hold the only Northern national event of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Inuvik, NWT.

The decision was announced during a TRC press conference on April 8.

"I'm just shocked that Nunavut is out of the question," residential school survivor Joe Krimmerdjuar said.

"They give us hope that they're going to help us and then turn around and say, 'oh never mind Nunavut, we'll do NWT'. Is that help?"

The TRC will hold seven national events across Canada over the next five years, according to the TRC.

The events will allow survivors to make statements directly to the TRC about their experiences at residential school.

"The National Event, in our view, will be the largest oral history project by aboriginal people in our entire history," TRC chair Justice Murray Sinclair stated in a TRC newsletter. "It's an opportunity that is unlikely to ever come again, and through it, we can affect the course of our society."

"I encourage everyone to come and be a part of our national events."

The TRC will not assist with travel or accommodation costs to get to the events, the newsletter also stated.

Former Iglulik mayor and residential school survivor Paul Quassa said the high cost of travel will prevent many survivors from Nunavut from travelling to Inuvik.

"Even though a lot of us may have wanted to participate, transportation (costs) are so high that nobody can afford to travel anywhere up here," he said. "And there's no assistance."

Quassa said the national events give survivors the opportunity to tell their stories directly to members of the commission and gather with other survivors, which he said is crucial for healing.

"The strength of these things is to come in person and let them hear your voice, that's important," he said.

TRC commissioner Marie Wilson said statements from Inuit in Nunavut will still be gathered, though no official plans are in place yet.

"Certainly in Nunavut there is a need for people to gather and to bring forward their statements and to meet with us as a commission team, and that for sure will happen," she said.

Wilson also said TRC community events will occur in Nunavut in some form, but no national event will take place in the territory.

"There will be activities for sure, but there will not be a stand-alone national event in Nunavut," she said.

She said the decision to hold the event in Inuvik was partly based on a resolution passed by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.

"We were guided, in part, on our decision for Inuvik by the fact that we had a resolution from ITK which represents, as you know, all of the Inuit regions of Canada," Wilson said.

"They passed a motion last year at their annual meeting calling for a northern national event to be in Inuvik."

"So the Inuit leadership is completely on side with Inuvik being the location for that northern event."

ITK board member Nellie Cournoyea said she would not be available for comment until she received an official press release from the TRC regarding the event.

"I don't want to say anything until I see their press release and it's official in a press release that the decision has been made," she said.

ITK president Mary Simon was also not available until she received an official press release, an ITK staff member said.

Krimmerdjuar said he feels Inuit in Nunavut are being ignored by the TRC.

"How else can they ignore us? Is our pain less than theirs?" he said. "Are Inuit not vocal enough?"

"I'm appalled and I am hurt," he said.