RANKIN INLET/KIVALLIQ
The re-elected president of the Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) is rolling up his sleeves to continue meeting the demands of his position for another four-year term.

David Ningeongan defeated challenger Pujjuut Kusugak to be re-elected as president of the Kivalliq Inuit Association for a second term in Rankin Inlet. - photo courtesy of Gabriel Karlik

David Ningeongan defeated Pujjuut Kusugak to maintain his presidency earlier this month.

Ningeongan said he's excited over his win and he's ready for another four years.

He said the KIA continues to listen to the people on the needs of the region, and he's looking forward to planning what the organization can do for each Kivalliq community.

"We have a lot of expectations in this region when it comes to seeing how our Inuit organization represents the people," said Ningeongan.

"People want to see benefits coming into the Inuit organization being put back into programs that will benefit our communities.

"During the past four years, we've been planning and managing how we're going to allow these royalties to be distributed to the communities by way of programming.

"The royalties are slowing starting to come in but they're not as big as we would have hoped for."

Ningeongan, 41, said the communities think the KIA has millions in royalties.

He said nothing could be further from the truth.

"The KIA doesn't have much because the Inuit Impact Benefit Agreement (IIBA) for the Meadowbank gold mine wasn't, if I may be blunt, the best agreement for royalties.

"Now we're trying to make it so we get more royalties than we've ever had with our new IIBAs.

"I've told our beneficiaries not to expect money going into their pockets because that's not how we're fixed as an organization, but we will certainly look at getting more programs into the communities.

"Getting that message out was one of the big challenges I faced during my first term as KIA president."

Ningeongan said the KIA is in a better position now because the dividends coming in from Sakku and Nunasi are being put into a separate bank account, and will be distributed into the communities through programming.

He said in the past, those dividends were put into a general administration account and never put back into the communities.

"We've been able to negotiate an IIBA with Agnico Eagle Mines on the Meliadine gold project that will see a 1.2 percent net-smelter royalty every time it pours gold.

"That's much better than the Meadowbank agreement, which only sees us receive a royalty after Agnico Eagle has paid all its expenses.

"That's one of the biggest changes we've made with the KIA, and it means we're going to start seeing real dollars coming in quicker than how it was in the past.

"That's been my challenge in trying to get real benefits going for the region."

Ningeongan said he is happy with the new agreement the KIA signed with Calm Air, which will see country food shipped in the region at no cost to the beneficiary.

He said the deal was made to try and cut down on regional food-insecurity issues.

"We're trying to get as many benefits going for the Kivalliq beneficiary as we can but it's been a lot slower than I had hoped.

"We're not as well off as I hoped we would be, with royalties coming in to allow programs to get going in our communities, but I've been pushing the hydro plan in the region and we've worked with the Nunavut government to try and start on the road projects between communities in the region.

"I also indicated I'd have cultural centres up and ready to go in our region during my first term, and that has not been the case, but I will continue to work at getting one in each community for cultural programming.

"I'm talking about sewing classes for women - a place where they can work on seal, bear and caribou skins or whatever - and areas for men to make traditional tools and elders to council youths who may not have parents to guide them.

"These will be multi-use facilities and I want to see them happen during my second term as president of KIA."

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