GN appoints new chair for Nunavut Housing Corp.

The Government of Nunavut appointed Bob Leonard, mayor of Arviat and founding member of the Nunavut Housing Corporation’s board of directors, as chair of the corporation on March 20. (FILE PHOTO)

The Government of Nunavut has appointed Bob Leonard, mayor of Arviat, as chair of the Nunavut Housing Corporation, effective March 20.

George Kuksuk, minister responsible for the Housing Corp. (NHC) announced the appointment March 24.

Leonard replaces Eugene Lysy of Thunder Bay Ont., whose term on the NHC board, set to expire in October 2014, was revoked with Leonard’s appointment.

Lysy was appointed to the board in 2011 and served as the first chair.

“We had a number of positions coming up at the same time in October, and the minister wanted to move forward with Bob Leonard in that position now, to be able to oversee the transition later on,” Tim Brown, the NHC’s manager of policy and planning, told Nunatsiaq News.

The government-owned corporation’s board members are recommended by the minister and appointed by cabinet. Directors are appointed for a three-year term, at the minister’s discretion, Brown said.

“Where possible, we feel that northern leadership is preferred on our public agencies,” Kuksuk said in a news release. “Mr. Leonard possesses the skills and experience necessary to lead the board of directors and is a long-term Nunavut resident and respected community leader.”

Leonard was among the first members of the NHC’s board of directors in 2011, when the board was created. The corporation re-appointed him to that position in 2013.

Leonard, who is now serving his third term as mayor of Arviat “has more than 30 years experience in the construction industry,” a Government of Nunavut press release said.

The new chair “has extensive knowledge of procurement, and has worked with municipalities and other business sectors through various private and public roles,” said the GN’s March 24 news release.

Established in 2000, after the creation of Nunavut in 1999, the NHC is owned by the territorial government. The corporation’s board serves an oversight function for the corporation, Brown said. Lori Kimball is the NHC’s interim president and chief executive officer.