IQALUIT
Poor weather may have prevented or stalled some delegates from arriving in Iqaluit for Nunavut Tourism's annual general meeting last week, but it didn't interfere with the board elections.

Nunavut Tourism board members Levi Kaunak, left, Graham Dickson and Cheri Kemp-Long meet at the annual general meeting in Iqaluit held Oct. 22. - Miranda Scotland/NNSL photo

The territory's tourism industry organization had territorial funding to fly members to the capital from various communities, but a few were grounded at home due to fog and snow, according to CEO Colleen Dupuis.

Delegates from Iglulik, Hall Beach, Pangnirtung, Arctic Bay and Taloyoak were weathered in, but delegates from all but Taloyoak managed to make it after several tries.

Kugluktuk, Kimmirut and Iqaluit, as well as operators from the south, were also represented among the 42 members who managed to attend the Oct. 22 meeting.

"The weather didn't completely co-operate with us and we lost people coming in from various communities, but it's Nunavut, right, in the fall," she said. "The AGM happened and it went absolutely marvellously, and it was very quick."

All incumbent members of the board were re-elected, but not during the meeting. For the past two years, the organization has held online elections using a system provided by BigPulse, an international web technology company with a Toronto office. The service costs under $300 per election.

"It has worked very well. It allows all members to participate in the voting and it can be done secretly, but they don't have to physically be there," Dupuis said. "If you hold an election at your AGM and it's only the people that attend who can vote, well in the North that's not always big numbers. This way, everybody can exercise their franchise to vote."

The board elections attracted more than 50 per cent voter turnout from among Nunavut Tourism's 142 members, including a second round of voting to break a tie. More than two thirds of the membership live in Nunavut.

The organization had to change its bylaws to accommodate the process, according to which the call for nominations opens 45 days prior to the AGM and close after 30 days, after which a voting window of longer than one week opens, allowing organizers to send daily reminders encouraging members to vote.

"There's a bit of labour that goes into it, but by the fact that everybody has an opportunity to vote, we think it's worth it," Dupuis said.

In addition to the AGM, the organization presented its Business of the Year Award to Ontario-based tourism operator Black Feather Wild Adventures In Ont., which partnered with Polar Sea Adventures in Pond Inlet earlier this summer to bring 1,400 person nights to the territory. The board also presented its new Outstanding Service Award to Adventure Canada.

In 2009, Nunavut Tourism had 42 members, which included 19 members representing the Inns North hotels. Most of the membership growth in the past four years has been based in Nunavut, Dupuis said.

The newly re-elected directors are scheduled to meet again in January to discuss proposed changes to the board structure.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.