New policy outlines needs for Nunavik’s elders

Nunavik Elders Committee members, from left, Benjamin Arreak and Bobby Snowball, present their new elders policy to KRG council Nov. 27 alongside Marie-Pierre Chevrier from Carrefour action municipale et famille, a Quebec organization that helped draft the plan. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

KUUJJUAQ—Elders in Nunavik want to ensure they have a seat at the table, along with more services tailored to their physical and cultural needs.

Since 2015, the Nunavik Elders’ Committee has travelled to each of the region’s 14 communities, gathering input on how Nunavimmiut elders believe they can live healthier and happier lives.

The committee brought the fruit of that labour to Kativik Regional Government meetings in Kuujjuaq on Monday, Nov. 27, where councillors voted to adopt an expansive new regional elders policy.

The policy contains more than 80 recommendations for different organizations or levels of government on how to adapt their own services, or develop new ones, with an elderly population in mind.

“The most important thing that elders want is to have more of a voice with elected representatives and a chance to give their input,” said Benjamin Arreak, a counsellor with the Nunavik Elders Committee.

Arreak said that too many municipal infrastructure projects, like roads and buildings, go forward without first consulting elders, only to require modification later.

That can mean adding ramps to buildings or lowering curbs, but it can also mean learning from an elder’s knowledge of history or the local climate.

An elder isn’t necessarily defined by age in Nunavik. Arreak describes an elder as a community member who has extensive knowledge and expertise in matters in their local community, within families and in Inuit culture.

But they also require support, he said.

Among some of the different actions outlined in the new policy, elders are asking for:

• Training on new media

• More resources available in Inuktitut, including a single emergency phone line

• A personal identity pouch containing an individual’s identity documents

• Support for financial literacy

• Public buildings and other infrastructure to be named after respected elders

• Standardization of the spelling of their names on all government-issued communications

With the policy now complete, the region becomes one of over 100 with the designation of an “Age-Friendly Municipality,” or Municipalité Amies des Aînés—a network of communities across Quebec that have similar plans to prioritize the well-being of local seniors.

Nunavik’s plan will now be submitted to Quebec’s seniors secretariat for another round of approval, at which point the region’s elders’ committee can then apply for funding to implement its action plan.

The Nunavik Elders Committee already receives some operational funding through the KRG, though the committee doesn’t provide services.

Committee counsellor Bobby Snowball recently made a presentation to Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard during the premier’s October visit to Kuujjuaq.

Snowball highlighted a lack of services available for Nunavik elders, asking for funding for programming and more Inuktitut-language communications.