Nunavik group shortlisted for $1 million prize questions lack of support

The Qarmaapik Family House opened last March in Kangiqsualujjuaq to help children at risk of being put in youth protection and to offer counselling to parents and caregivers. (FILE PHOTO)

KUUJJUAQ—A Nunavik group shortlisted for this year’s Arctic Inspiration Prize wants to know why one of its major funders wouldn’t support its bid for the lucrative prize.

Qarmaapik house is a community-fun family resource centre that opened in Kangiqsualujjuaq earlier this year.

The new facility offers a number of resources to the community, but aims specifically to support families in crisis before the department of youth protection is called to intervene.

But, when the organizers behind Qarmaapik house, including Kangiqsualujjuaq’s mayor, Hilda Snowball, went looking for letters of support to include in their application, the Kativik Regional Government declined to write one.

“Organizations have to write a letter to say they’re in support of this,” Snowball told KRG regional councillors last week in Kuujjuaq. “The question I have is: why didn’t KRG produce a letter saying they’re in support of this?

“I don’t want you to turn your backs on communities who are working hard.”

The $1-million Arctic Inspiration Prize describes letters of support as “a crucial element of nomination packages.” Nominations should include letters from stakeholders and major partners contributing to the project, to a maximize of 15 letters.

KRG chair Jennifer Munick said there was a “misunderstanding” on her part when the Qarmaapik group approached the organization for a letter.

The KRG’s executive committee is in support in Qarmaapik, Munick said; the regional government provided funding for renovation of the facility.

But two different Nunavik projects were shortlisted for the prize this year, the second a youth cross-country skiing program called Jeunes Karibus.

“For the two who are vying for the prize, we didn’t want to accept one and not the other,” Munick said. “So we decided not to sign [the letter].”

“We are proud of you still,” she added.

KRG director general Michael Gordon said he believed that the project didn’t require KRG’s support to be shortlisted.

“I didn’t want to leave out the other projects,” he said. “So I didn’t want to sign it as well.”

Qarmaapik House received support from other regional organizations such as Makivik Corp., the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services and the Kativik School Board.

That support was enough to get Qarmaapik shortlisted; project leaders will travel to Winnipeg for the award gala Dec. 8, where this year’s winners will be announced.

“We’re trying to come up with a policy with youth protection where we would be taking in these cases first,” Snowball said of Qarmaapik.

“We wanted this to benefit the community, and more funding is needed.”

The Arctic Inspiration Prize is a $1 million fund targeting wellness projects across Canada’s North.

The cash is awarded by the S. and A. Inspiration Foundation, a fund started by Sima Sharifi and Arnold Witzig of Vancouver, through Université Laval’s ArcticNet program.

Past winners have included the Iqaluit-based Qaggiq arts project and the Northwest Territories-based Fostering Open eXpression among Youth (FOXY). This is the first time Nunavik organizations have made the short list.