To the bottom and back

Just two years ago, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association hit bottom.

That year, QIA, the largest regional Inuit association in Nunavut, had lost its president, its executive director, and numerous other employees. At around the same time, its business arm, the Qikiqtaaluk Corp., suffered the sudden departure of several key employees, and a variety of internal disputes that spilled into the public domain.

But that was then, and this is now.

At its annual general meeting in Apex this week, QIA showed that it is now a totally different kind of organization – open, professional and stable. It’s now a strong, credible organization that Baffin region beneficiaries can be proud of.

They are now fully staffed and financially stable, producing a tiny deficit of only $51,000 on revenues of about $5.6 million a year.

QIA’s president, Thomasie Alikatuktuk, and its executive director, Terry Audla, along with several other key employees, deserve a lot of credit for leading the way toward QIA’s transformation.

They’ve done it by instituting a new board governance policy, recruiting new staff to fill all vacant positions, creating a new social development department, and adopting an attitude of openness and accountability to beneficiaries.

At this week’s meeting, the organization’s officials provided full reports on QIA’s finances and activities, and made them available for anyone to see.

This is the kind of model that other, more troubled organizations ought to follow. If QIA can do it, so can everyone else.
JB