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TUKTOYAKTUK
Expanding job opportunities, infrastructure and training are all top priorities for mayoral candidates in Tuktoyaktuk. Residents will head to the polls on Dec. 12 to decide who is best fit for the job.

Incumbent Mayor Merven Gruben will face off against John Noksana Jr., John Steen Jr. and hamlet councillor Darrel Nasogaluak.

In addition to the mayoral race, nine residents will be competing for four council seats.

Incumbent councillors Georgina Jacobson-Masuzumi, James Pokiak and John Stuart Jr. will try to defend their seats against challengers Eddie Dillon, Erwin Duane Elias, Billy Emaghok, Charles Pokiak, Lucille Pokiak and Jim Stevens.

Mayor Merven Gruben, who is hoping to be re-elected to his third straight term, said his hard work, dedication and ability to network make him the best choice for the hamlet.

"It was a dream of ours to get the (Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk) road happening. I think in the short-term I got that done," he said.

The two-term mayor said that by forging relationships with local officials, aboriginal leaders, GNWT representatives and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, he has moved the project forward substantially.

Being elected to a third term would bring more consistency to Tuktoyaktuk, Gruben said, and allow him to push forward projects like the expansion of Mangilaluk School and the construction of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline.

John Noksana Jr., a current member of the Tuktoyaktuk Hunters and Trappers Committee, said that, if elected, he would work to provide more training opportunities for local people.

"We're going to be the first responders (when offshore drilling begins), so I think we need to train our people," he said. "If there is an oil spill, the way of life as we know it today is gone tomorrow."

Instead of bringing in workers from the south, Northerners need to be the ones working on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline and the oil rigs, he said.

Noksana also committed to expanding infrastructure, like a curling rink, so that young people in the hamlet have things to do in their spare time.

Mayoral candidate John Steen Jr. said that, if elected, he would capitalize on his knowledge of the

town and its issues.

"They need somebody here, somebody they can talk to on a day-by-day basis instead of the way it is now. The current mayor isn't here half the time," he said.

If elected, Steen said he would take the time for a program and policy review, and have open discussions on how to make things better in Tuktoyaktuk.

"Let's take the drug and alcohol policy, for example," he said. "Is the rationing of alcohol really working? Do we have to revisit that, or do we have to stiffen it up? How is it affecting the young people?"

Steen agreed that the community has to start preparing itself for the development of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, and the possibility of offshore drilling.

"When the time comes, the whole town has to benefit from the work. Small businesses should be utilized to the maximum," he said.

There will be an advance poll at Kitti Hall from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Dec. 5 and the general election will be held on Dec. 12 at the same time and location.

Government-issued identification is required to vote.

Darrel Nasogaluak, who is currently a hamlet councillor in Tuktoyaktuk, could not be reached for comment by press deadline.

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