Puvirnituq says goodbye to long-time Nunavik leader

Aisara Kenuajuak is pictured here in February 2015, chairing a Kativik Regional Government council meeting in Kuujjuaq alongside KRG chair Maggie Emudluk. Kenuajuak died April 12. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

Kenuajuak was a big hockey fan, although the team he cheered for, the Quebec Nordiques, no longer plays in the NHL. (PHOTO COURTESY OF MARY PILURTUUT)

Puvirniturmiut have lost their long-time mayor and Kativik Regional Government councillor, Aisara Kenuajuak, who died April 12 after a long illness.

Although Kenuajuak battled cancer for several years, you wouldn’t have known it: the 67-year-old remained as busy as always, even during the final weeks of his life.

Kenuajuak announced in mid-March that he’d be stepping down as mayor — a job he’d held on and off since the 1970s, but the father of seven continued to head out on day trips with his wife and family, stopping into the municipal office because he said he felt “homesick” for his long-time workplace.

Kenuajuak even drove to the opening ceremony of Puvirnituq’s Snow Festival March 23, just to be there, although he wasn’t well enough to get out of the car.

“I’m just glad that I was able to be involved [in the] development of POV [Puvirnituq] more than half of my life,” Kenuajuak reflected in a recent Facebook post.

Most Nunavimmiut would agree.

“I have so many good memories of Aisara,” said Muncy Novalinga, a town councillor in Puvirnituq and long-time colleague of Kenuajuak. “He did a lot for the community.”

Novalinga said Kenuajuak worked to bring major infrastructure upgrades to the Hudson coast community of about 1,600 — including a major airport upgrade that brought jet service to Puvirnituq.

At the same time, Kenuajuak did not take development lightly, Novalinga said, always putting the best interests of the community first.

“He had a lot of wisdom, and he did not make decisions right away — he always took time to think about it,” Novalinga said. “When he talked to us [councillors], his priority was to have a good, happy and healthy family.

“He believed we had to have a healthy family in order to have a healthy community.”

In addition to serving as mayor, Kenuajuak served for years with the Canadian Rangers in Puvirnituq.

Kenuajuak also sat as the community’s regional councillor to the KRG. In more recent years, he sat on the council’s executive committee.

Fellow KRG councillor and committee member Mary Pilurtuut remembers meeting Kenuajuak for the first time at a municipal meeting in Puvirnituq, where she recalled finding him “intimidating” and even “scary” because he didn’t smile.

“As I got to know him more, I saw that he was very kind, charming, humorous, and yet strict and serious,” Pilurtuut said.

That was clear from his style of chairing KRG council meetings; Kenuajuak was always the only councillor who came to the meetings in a suit and tie, and he kept a tight rein on comments and presentations.

But he would also entertain the regional council with jokes and stories about his family.

“We didn’t always agree, but we always found a way to work things out,” Pilurtuut said.

“In our meetings, he’d tell a councillor ‘this is how you do it’ because some councillors don’t always know their roles and responsibilities,” she said. “Aisara always found an opportunity to pass on his knowledge and wisdom to younger and new councillors.”

“He led the council meetings in true Aisara fashion, with discipline, humour, telling stories of his youth, encouraging Nunavimmiut to stay involved and to take care of their minds and bodies,” said Eli Aullaluk, KRG councillor for Akulivik, in an April 15 release from the KRG. “He will always be remembered and we will strive to continue his life’s work.”

In the same release, the KRG offered its condolences to Kenuajuak’s family, friends and community.

Kenuajuak’s funeral and memorial service will be held at 4:00 p.m. April 15 at Puvirnituq’s community hall.