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NUNAVUT
The Kivalliq Mine Training Society (KMTS) in Baker Lake is planning to meet with Leona Aglukkaq, minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson about the organization's expiring federal funding, after Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited the region last month with no funding renewal announcement.

"In a region noted for its crippling rate of unemployment and limited pool of skilled labour, KMTS represents hope for our youth, and the opportunity to develop real skills, meaningful opportunities and lifelong careers in communities where all three are in short supply," Geoffrey Kusugak, mine training society chairperson, said in a written release.

"We know the federal government and our representatives recognize the importance of a trained workforce for this important sector, and we look forward to a renewal of this critical investment in our future."

The organization's executive director Kevin Bussey said he was "extremely disappointed" after the prime minister left Baker Lake during his tour of the North without announcing federal funds to continue mine training in the territory.

The Kivalliq Mine Training Society was created in January 2010 by the Government of Nunavut, the Kivalliq Inuit Association and Agnico-Eagle, at which time it received $2.5 million in funding through the federal government's Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership Program.

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