Kivalliq: 2011 - The Year in Review

January

Looking ahead

Housing, land use and water supply were among the top priorities facing the hamlets of Rankin Inlet and Baker Lake as 2011 began.

The priorities were identified by Baker Mayor David Aksawnee and Rankin Mayor Pujjuut Kusugak following their December 2010 election victories.

Hockey donation

The families of the Tavistock Court and Credit Valley Wolves Midget Blue Hockey Team donated a shipment of high-quality hockey equipment for minor hockey players in Rankin Inlet.

Top principal

Simon Alaittuq School principal Bev Hill of Rankin Inlet was one of 32 principals from across Canada to be named as one the country's most outstanding principals.

Walking against suicide

The community of Rankin Inlet came together to support a Walk Against Suicide on Jan. 7, organized by mental health worker Ujaralaaq Eno.

Bagged in Rankin

The Northern store in Rankin Inlet began charging 25 cents for plastic bags in January, stating all money collected for the bags would be put back into the community.

Worker injured

Francois Alain, 27, of Abitibi-Temiscamingue, Que., was paralysed from the waist down at the Meadowbank gold mine near Baker Lake when he fell while conducting routine maintenance in an ore processing facility.

Territory mourns

The entire territory of Nunavut and beyond joined Rankin Inlet in mourning the death of leader and lifelong advocate for Inuit, Jose Kusugak, who passed away on Jan. 19 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Kusugak was 60 years old at the time of his death.

Commission meets

Chesterfield Inlet and Rankin Inlet were among the communities elected to hold Northern hearings by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Pleads guilty

Bobby Suwarak, 40, of Baker Lake pleaded guilty on Jan. 11 to two counts of indecently interfering with human remains at the Baker cemetery.

Deep sea port

The Hamlet of Rankin Inlet issued a request for proposals for a feasibility study on a deep sea port facility for its community in January.

The facility would be one that goes with the tides in a heavy-duty, floating-dock style, as opposed to a solid piece of infrastructure constructed on the land.

February

The final game of the Jon Lindell Memorial hockey tournament that saw the Karetakers defeat Rankin Inlet 7-6 in a shootout will long be remembered as a Kivalliq classic.

The Karetakers squad was comprised of family members of the event's namesake and won the tourney in its first attempt.

Water worries

A leak in one of its reservoir cells had the Hamlet of Arviat looking for an alternative water supply before the community found itself facing a water shortage.

Joint venture

A joint venture between the Sakku Investments Corp. and First Air, named Sakku First Aviation Ltd., was announced in February.

The next step

The Arviat Community Eco-tourism Initiative took a major step forward with a successful test run in the community.

Creating awareness

About 75 people braved frigid temperatures to gather at the Baker Lake Community Hall for a kids' fashion show to create awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Teacher assaulted

A Kivalliq teacher, who was assaulted in his classroom by a student, received medical treatment for the injuries he received in the attack.

School exchange

A group of students at Inuglak School in Whale Cove took part in an exchange program with students from Bracebridge, Ont., in February.

Peewee champs

The Rankin Inlet Jets thumped the Iqaluit Blizzard 7-0 to claim the annual Powerful Peewees hockey championship in Rankin Inlet.

NTCL sets sail

Northern Transportation company Ltd. announced it had dropped the extension year of its contract with the Government of Nunavut, and would not provide services to the Kivalliq in 2011 after losing more than $500,000 in the region the previous year.

The company promised to completely revamp its business model and return to the Kivalliq in 2012 with vastly improved services.

Falcons soar

The Rankin Falcons defeated the Rankin Canucks 6-2 in front of a loud, sold-out crowd to claim the annual Polar Bear Plate juvenile hockey championship in Rankin Inlet.

March

A helping hand

Venture Health care Inc. of Winnipeg, Man., delivered hundreds of pounds of food staples and baby clothes to the Arviat food bank.

Venture, which places health professionals in remote communities, has donated more than 8,600 pounds of food and clothing to Nunavut communities as part of its Give Back initiative.

Military visits

The community of Arviat was alive with military activity when hundreds of personnel arrived from the 38 Canadian Brigade Group Arctic Response Company and the Canadian Rangers to take part in Exercise Northern Bison '11.

Stargazing

More than 100 people joined Grade 7 science teacher Frances Ross and her students on the ice at Baker Lake for an evening of looking at the heavens through a telescope.

Hockey champs

The Kivalliq Canucks overcame an early three-goal deficit and went on to defeat Team Iqaluit 9-3 to claim the Challenge Cup Junior C championship two games to none in Rankin Inlet.

Signed and delivered

A number of informative and educational signs were erected at the Fossil Creek drainage basin near Coral Harbour as part of a joint project between the Nunavut Department of Environment and Sakku School.

Iqaluit takes Cup

Team Iqaluit scored a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory over Team Rankin Inlet to capture the Nunavut Midget Territorial hockey championship in front of a sold-out arena in Rankin Inlet.

Special thanks

A group of Grade 9 students at Tusarvik School in Repulse Bay held a special feast at their school to thank their grandparents and elders for all they do for them.

Releasing the pain

Numerous Inuit in Rankin Inlet and Chesterfield Inlet had a chance to unburden themselves of some of the pain and anguish they've long been carrying inside when members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada visited the two communities.

Reclaiming their crown

The Rankin Inlet Miners defeated the Huka Inuks by a score of 6-1 to reclaim the First Air Avataq Cup senior men's hockey championship in Rankin Inlet.

Raising awareness

Fun and awareness were the themes behind a mocktail party hosted by the Baker Lake Prenatal Nutrition Project to raise awareness on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

April

On display in Paris

A group representing the Nunavut Development Corp. travelled to Paris, France, to put Inuit art and culture on display for three days.

Boeing lands

A large crowd came out to see First Air's mammoth Boeing 767 cargo plane land in Rankin Inlet.

Supporting Sakku

Sakku School in Coral Harbour received a $10,000 grant from the sport and recreation division (Sport Nunavut) of the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth to hold a daily activity program for students in kindergarten to Grade 12.

Whale of a fair

Mary Angidlik of Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik in Rankin Inlet took first place at the 18th annual Kivalliq Regional Science Fair at Inuglak School in Whale Cove.

True atom champs

Rankin Inlet's True Value scored an electrifying 3-2 overtime win over Iqaluit to capture the Arctic Atoms hockey title in front of a large crowd in Rankin.

Seeing it done

The Kivalliq was well represented in a group of 70 people who toured mining operations in Finland and Greenland courtesy of Agnico-Eagle Mines (AEM) Ltd.

AEM operates the Meadowbank gold project near Baker Lake and hopes to develop a second Kivalliq gold mine at Meliadine, near Rankin Inlet.

V-ball champs

The Repulse Bay men's team and the Rankin Inlet female V-Team continued their dominance at the Laura Gauthier Memorial volleyball tournament in Rankin by capturing the men's and women's crowns respectively.

Voices heard

There were numerous ideas and concerns expressed by Nunavut's leaders of tomorrow during a four-day youth forum in Arviat.

Arviat students shine

Arviat students from John Arnalukjuak High School brought home six medals from the sixth annual Skills Canada Nunavut Competition in Iqaluit.

Vayda Kaviok's gold medal in the baking class earned her the right to compete at the national championship in Quebec City.

Community constable

Adrian Pilakapsi of Rankin Inlet was among the members of the first troop of aboriginal community officers to graduate from the RCMP Academy in Regina, Sask.

Pilakapsi began his career as a community constable working in his home town shortly after graduating.

May

Students visit

A group of Quebec students had the time of their young lives while visiting Rankin Inlet.

The students, from Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures near Quebec City, were in Rankin for the second part of an exchange program with students from Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik.

Learning with elders

A large group of elders from across the Kivalliq travelled to Rankin Inlet to discuss ways to improve communication with the region's youth.

Bravo Challenge

Desmond Ukutak took top spot in the Men's Division of the eighth annual Bravo Challenge in Arviat, while Kristy Kablutsiak won the Women's Division and Pierre Ikakhik took the flag in the Master's Division.

Elder's breakfast

Rankin Inlet Mayor Pujjuut Kusugak and a number of hamlet councillors served a special elder's breakfast at the community hall as part of the Pakallak Tyme celebrations.

It's magic

Thousands of people across the Kivalliq came out for a night of magical entertainment in their community during a Kivalliq Air-sponsored tour of the region by Winnipeg magician Brian Glow.

Travelling to the capital

Arviat youth researchers Amy Owingayak, Curtis Konek, Jordan Konek and Patrick Pingashat were in the nation's capital to represent the Nanisiniq (journey of discovery) Arviat History Project.

The youth were joined in Ottawa by elder Martha Otokala.

Napayok Challenge

Brian Tanuyak of Chesterfield Inlet claimed the Senior Division flag in the annual Sam Napayok Memorial Challenge in Arviat, while Chester's Nathaniel Issaluk won the Junior Division.

Students vote

Students at Victor Sammurtok School in Chesterfield Inlet, Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik in Rankin Inlet and Sakku School in Coral Harbour studied the issues while taking part in the Student Vote program before the national election.

Student movie shown

Emily Carr University fine-arts-degree graduate Ippiksaut Friesen of Rankin Inlet had her animated film - The Dimming, Inuktitut/English animation - shown at the Toronto International Film Festival's Student Film Showcase.

Environmental award

The Kivalliq Inuit Association named the Kivalliq Energy Corp. as the winner of the Environmental Excellence Award at the annual Nunavut Mining Symposium in Iqaluit.

June

Science lovers

Grade 10 students Hope Makpah and Mary-Lou Angidlik of Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik in Rankin Inlet and Karen Aggark of Victor Sammurtok School in Chesterfield Inlet participated in the 2011 Canada-wide Science Fair at Seneca College in Toronto, Ont.

The students were accompanied by science teachers Katharine O'Connell of Rankin and Steve Penney of Whale Cove.

Close call

Good luck and the training received by two Canadian Rangers helped prevent a sad ending to the Coral Harbour Fishing Derby when Douglas Nakoolak plunged three metres over a cliff on his snowmobile while trying to reach the fishing camp in bad weather. He was airlifted from the camp to Coral and then sent to Winnipeg for treatment of a shoulder injury.

Young entrepreneurs

Grade 12 students Norman Nakoolak Jr. and Kayla Maclean of Sakku School in Coral harbour attended the Federal Development Bank's E-Spirit program in Moncton, N.B.

Charge dropped

The charge of possession of liquor without a permit against Baker Lake MLA Moses Aupaluktuq was withdrawn by the Crown.

Silent paddles

A popular kayak program at Victor Sammurtok School in Chesterfield Inlet went on hiatus when program founder Glen Brocklebank left the school to become adult educator for Nunavut Arctic College in the community.

Acting against suicide

The John Arnalukjuak High School Drama Club received rave reviews for its rendition of the anti-suicide play, The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note.

Sharing culture

A group of students from John Arnalukjuak High School in Arviat participated in an exchange program with students from Avery School in Lloydminster, Alta./Sask.

Unhappy in Whale Cove

A number of Whale Cove residents expressed their unhappiness over the proposed electoral boundaries, which would lead to the community being joined with Arviat.

Award winners

Brandon Ipkarnerk of Victor Sammurtok School in Chesterfield Inlet and Kayla Bruce of Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik in Rankin Inlet were named the 2011 male and female science students of the year by the Kivalliq Science Educator's Community.

Science winner

Katharine O'Connell of Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik in Rankin Inlet won the 2011 Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists' Science Teaching Award.

July

Named to the Order

The late Jose Kusugak of Rankin Inlet and the late Mark Kalluak of Arviat were two of the first three people appointed to the Order of Nunavut.

Anglican minister Rev. Michael Gardener of Iqaluit was also appointed.

Vicious assault

A 43-year-old man from Coral Harbour had to be medevaced to Winnipeg for treatment of the injuries he received during a vicious assault in Coral.

A 17-year-old was charged with assault causing bodily harm as a result of the attack.

Dolls on display

Arts co-ordinator Theresie Tungilik of Rankin Inlet and doll maker Lizzie Angootealuk of Coral Harbour were among six delegates from Canada's three territories to showcase Inuit and First Nations dolls at the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

Oustanding alumni

Karen Aglukark of Arviat was named the recipient of the Northern Youth Program's fifth annual Outstanding Alumni Award.

Charge in fatal crash

Idlout Korgak, 32, of Rankin Inlet was charged with second-degree murder and failure to remain at the scene following a fatal hit-and-run accident in Rankin.

Tootoo helps launch rink

Hundreds of people came out to watch a special game to launch a new ball hockey rink in Rankin Inlet that featured Rankin's own Jordin Tootoo of the Nashville Predators.

Summer training

Kivalliq youths from Coral Harbour, Chesterfield Inlet and Whale Cove were among 193 Junior Canadian Rangers to attend a basic enhanced training session in Whitehorse, Yukon.

Four decades

Great food and even better prizes were the order of the day in Rankin Inlet as Keewatin Air celebrated its 40th anniversary of doing business in the Kivalliq.

Youth volunteers

Students Kristen St. John and Katrina Kablutsiak of Arviat left for the Dominican Republic with adult supervisor Lori Karetak to spend a month working with the Orphanage Outreach Program.

Controversial decision

A controversial decision by the Nunavut Impact Review Board to include the Meliadine Road in Agnico-Eagle Mines' mine proposal was seen by many as possibly delaying further development of the Meliadine gold project for up to two years.

August

Science camps

Youth aged seven to 12 took part in a number of Actua science, engineering and technology camps across the Kivalliq, which had them doing everything from scraping teeth with real dentistry tools to studying the anatomy of a whale.

New diamond

People in Baker Lake came out to celebrate the grand opening of a new ball diamond in their community, which represented a huge upgrade over Baker's previous field.

New business

The Rankin Inlet-based Nunavut Connections, a majority Inuit-owned company hoping to make the Port of Churchill a major supplier of freight for the Kivalliq, began operations.

Firefighters train

A total 15 volunteer firefighters from across the Kivalliq gathered in Rankin Inlet for 10 days of training to obtain their Level 1 firefighter's certification.

Fighting suicide

Rankin Inlet youths Kayylynn Kusugak, Kandace Kusugak, Tara Green and Randy Kataluk organized the Kivalliq Suicide Prevention Walk and Camp, as well as the anti-suicide Yellow Ribbon Campaign while working for the summer with Kivalliq Counselling and Support Services.

Big visit to the Bay

Gov. Gen. David Johnston met with elders, took part in the Terry Fox Run and had lunch with Tusarvik School students in grades nine to 12 during his one-day stop in Repulse Bay as part of his first official visit to Nunavut.

Healing meeting

A large group of men from across the Kivalliq were in Coral Harbour to attend the third annual Angutiit Makigiangninga (Men Rising Up) men's group gathering

Plane crash

The Kivalliq region was in shock over the news 12 people were dead following the crash of a First Air 737 while attempting to land at Resolute. Three others survived the crash.

Golf tourney

The annual Al Burrill Memorial Golf Tournament raised $5,600 for the Rankin Inlet RCMP Christmas Hamper fund.

Slo-pitch champs

The Rankin Inlet Juggernauts demolished M&T Enterprises 18-4 in the championship game to claim the 2011 Calm Air Cup mixed slo-pitch title in Rankin.

September

Student forced to move

The parents of a 17-year-old student in Rankin Inlet felt they had to give up legal guardianship of their son and send him to live with his grandfather in Winnipeg so he could graduate with an academic diploma.

The parents made the decision after learning their son could only register for two academic classes in Rankin for his Grade 12 year.

Search called off

The search for fisher Joseph Hart, 51, was called off on Sept. 1, two weeks after he went missing while fishing alone in an area called the Inukshuk near Baker Lake.

Animal house call

The Canadian Animal Assistance Team made its annual visit to Baker Lake, while an animal health team from the Winnipeg-based Tuxedo Animal Hospital made its annual trip to Rankin Inlet.

A first for Whale

The Hamlet of Whale Cove hosted its first Community Economic Development Day on Sept. 15.

Title winners

Team Rankin Inlet captured the men's recreational title at the SPN Manitoba

Provincial Championship in Winnipeg.

Digging science

A total of 31 students and seven teachers from across the region were in Rankin Inlet to attend the annual science camp sponsored by the Kivalliq Science Educators Community.

Spotlight on film

The work of the Nanisiniq Arviat History Project was featured during the first Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Film Festival in Arviat.

Level Two training

Volunteer firefighters from across Nunavut were in Rankin Inlet to take their Level Two training program.

Whale of a job

The Hamlet of Whale Cove was looking for a way to extend the youth co-ordinator's position, after seeing the outstanding work being done by Jeofrey Okalik during the pilot project funded by Health Canada's Youth Anti-Drug and Leadership Strategy Program.

Camping fun

Five teenage girls spent four days at a fun retreat and overnight camp on the land near Baker Lake run by the non-profit Mianiqsijit Project in that community.

October

Sparkling careers

A total of 12 eager students began specialized training to earn a career in the growing exploration industry in the Kivalliq with the launch of the Arviat Diamond Driller's Training Program.

Mayors meet

Continuing to speak with a single, unified voice and the opportunities through mining and exploration were the hot topics of discussion during the annual Kivalliq mayors' conference in Rankin Inlet.

Killer sentenced

Sam Kinak of Arviat was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter in the 2008 death of Lisa Malla in her home.

In the spotlight

Children of all ages were treated to an evening of theatre in Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet when the Missoula Children's Theatre visited the two communities to help local students produce a rousing rendition of Cinderella.

Recycling success

More than three million recyclable beverage containers collected in Rankin Inlet during a Government of Nunavut pilot project were finally shipped south through a new project introduced by the Arctic Co-operatives Ltd.

Combining knowledge

A group of students at Tusarvik School in Repulse Bay mixed modern science with traditional learning during a special science 25 program delivered

at the school by science teacher Jennifer Perry.

Awareness walk

More than 30 participants braved cold and blustery conditions to take to the streets of Coral Harbour to draw attention to breast cancer, one of the nation's deadliest diseases.

Land retreat

A group of students and teachers from John Arnalukjuak High School in Arviat teamed with a number of elders to spend three days and two nights on the land as part of the school's first attempt at a grad leadership retreat.

Ready to rock

The Rankin Inlet Minor Hockey Association unveiled the new jerseys and jackets of the Rankin Rock, which unified the name and colours of hockey teams representing the community from novice to midget, as well as female hockey.

Plans halted in Rankin

Outrage and disappointment swept through Rankin Inlet after regular members of the legislative assembly carried a motion to drop $500,000 from the Government of Nunavut's capital plan for the planning and design of a new community complex in Rankin.

November

Home-grown teachers

Morris Manilak, Kayylynn Kusugak, Laura Merritt and Blandina Airut of Rankin Inlet and Ellen Rumbolt of Baker Lake were nearing graduation in the final year of their Nunavut Teacher Education Program training in Rankin.

Talking with Suzuki

A group of students at Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik in Rankin Inlet took part in a nationwide video conference with environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki.

Australians visit

Countless hours of intense training began to pay benefits when the Arviat Eco-tourism Initiative welcomed a group of eight Australian tourists to the community.

MLAs added

A number of Kivalliq electoral boundaries were ready to change after the Government of Nunavut announced three MLAs were being added to the legislative assembly in 2013.

Repulse Bay joins Coral Harbour in one new riding, while Chesterfield Inlet will become part of Rankin Inlet North and Whale Cove will join Arviat North.

Airport improvements

The federal and territorial governments teamed up to provide the Rankin Inlet airport with $27 million in improvements to better handle the approximately 55,000 passengers who use its services annually.

Trade show

Movers and shakers in the business world came from far and wide to make the second annual Kivalliq Trade Show a resounding success in Rankin Inlet.

Arts support

The Kivalliq Inuit Association announced its donation of $200,000 to the Inuit Broadcasting Corp. for the construction of the Nunavut Media Arts Centre.

Curley resigns

The Kivalliq was shocked by Rankin Inlet North MLA Tagak Curley giving up his cabinet seat and relinquishing responsibility for Health and Social Services, the Nunavut Housing Corp., homelessness and the Worker's safety and Compensation Commission.

Mapping artifacts

A group of Nunavut Arctic College students in Chesterfield Inlet were being led by adult educator Glen Brocklebank in mapping Inuit artifacts and historic sites around the community.

Commission visits

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) visited Baker Lake to record a number of statements from residential school survivors in the community.

The TRC visit was organized by Martin Kreelak and chaired by former Nunavut commissioner Peter Irniq.

December

Arena woes

Arviat and Rankin Inlet suffered equipment problems that negatively affected their arenas' ability to make ice in December.

The problem in Rankin was rectified within a few weeks, but Arviat is still dealing with its ice woes.

Junior Rangers

December saw more than 100 young males and females officially became Junior Rangers in Arviat.

Baker takes banner

The Baker Lake Blizzard withstood a furious comeback by Chesterfield Inlet to capture the Nunavut boys 18 and under territorial basketball championship by a score of 7268 in overtime in Baker.

Cambridge Bay defeated Rankin Inlet to claim bronze at the event.

Rocks in Rankin

The Rankin Inlet Curling Club launched a new season with an 11team bonspiel.

Top spot at the event was claimed by skip Bev Ford, husbandandwife duo Steve and Kim Faulkner and Moses Aupilardjuk.

Mining course

Supplying the mining industry with talented young workers took a positive step forward when Molly Aggark, Ben Angoshadluk, Jamila Gordon, Jacob McLeod, Douglas Gordon and Arsene Niakrok completed a Youth in Mining training program in Rankin Inlet.

Jail birds

Members of the Rankin Inlet detachment of the RCMP had a busy day taking people to a mock jail as part of a fundraiser for the Rankin Rock bantam hockey team.

Order of Nunavut

December saw Nunavut Commissioner Edna Elias officially present Nellie Kusugak with the Order of Nunavut posthumously bestowed upon her late husband, Jose Kusugak, in Rankin Inlet.

Jose had been named as an Order of Nunavut recipient in the legislative assembly in June of 2011.

Baker wins again

The Baker Lake Blizzard fought back from a 10point deficit to beat Iqaluit 3425 and capture the Nunavut 18 and under female territorial basketball crown in Baker.

The girl's victory came just a week after the Blizzard captured the boy's championship banner.

Course graduates

The first 11 trainees graduated from the Arviat Diamond Driller's Program in December.

Christmas feast

The 10th annual Calm Air Kivalliq Christmas Feast touched down in Baker Lake in December.

It was the second time Baker hosted the feast, which rotates among Kivalliq communities from year to year.