Nunavut MLA mourns sudden death of Baker Lake Mayor David Aksawnee

The late David Aksawnee, a respected mayor of Baker Lake who died suddenly this past weekend in his home community, in a photo taken in 2005. “David was a natural communicator, who was as comfortable negotiating with senior mining executives from Toronto as he was talking with an elder,” Baker Lake MLA Simeon Mikkungwak said. (FILE PHOTO)

Members of Nunavut’s Legislative Assembly expressed their condolences March 6 to the family of Baker Lake Mayor David Aksawnee after Baker Lake MLA Simeon Mikkungwak announced that Aksawnee had died in his home community this past weekend.

“It is with sorrow that I rise today to inform the house of the sudden passing this weekend of his worship, David Aksawnee, mayor of Baker Lake,” a visibly shaken Mikkungwak said in a member’s statement at the start of Monday’s sitting.

“Mr. Speaker, our thoughts and our prayers are with his family today. David Aksawnee was a well-respected leader in the community, and throughout the Kivalliq. David held many important responsibilities in his many years of public service.

“As a lifelong hunter, David’s knowledge and experience contributed greatly to the work of the community’s HTO [hunters and trappers organization], and a number of regional wildlife management bodies.”

Aksawnee’s leadership in Baker Lake “contributed greatly to the progress that we have accomplished in recent years,” Mikkungwak said.

“Mr. Speaker, David was a natural communicator who was as comfortable negotiating with senior mining executives from Toronto as he was talking with an elder,” Mikkungwak told the house. “His wisdom and experience will be greatly missed.”

The former Nunavut premier and veteran MLA, Paul Okalik of Iqaluit-Sinaa, said he came to know Aksawnee well during his work, and was proud of the community leader’s accomplishments as a representative of Baker Lake and of Inuit at large.

“He was very friendly every time I went to Baker Lake,” Okalik said.

George Kuksuk of Arviat North-Whale Cove, southeast of Baker Lake in the Kivalliq region, said he knew Aksawnee “very well.”

“He has many relatives in many communities so we feel for you, and we have you in our hearts,” Kuksuk said.

A funeral service for Aksawnee was scheduled for Tuesday, March 7 at the community centre in Baker Lake, according to announcements on the Baker Lake Community Events Facebook page.