Same old, same old: incumbents win Makivvik elections

Incumbent Andy Moorhouse won a narrow victory over Sarah Airo to hang on the Makivvik corporate secretary job, taking 1,060 votes to Airo’s 993. Maggie Putulik finished third with 536 votes.

In Makivvik executive elections Jan. 17, incumbent Michael Gordon defeated challenger Adamie Alaku by a margin of 55 per cent to 45 per cent. (FILE PHOTO)

Incumbent Michael Gordon has been re-elected as Makivvik Corporation’s vice-president for economic development, and incumbent Andy Moorhouse as Makvik’s corporate secretary, both for another three-year term.

Gordon received 55 per cent of votes cast, winning 1,431 votes of a total 2,622.

Adamie Alaku, the only person to run against Gordon, received 45 per cent or 1,167 ballots.

Moorhouse had a close race with Sarah Airo, who received 38 per cent, or 993 votes, while Moorhouse won with 40 per cent – 1,060 votes.

Maggie Putulik received 20 per cent, winning 536 votes.

Only 37 per cent of eligible voters turned out.

A victorious Gordon said the campaign went well.

“I wasn’t too surprised, I came into the campaign with an open mind, but I don’t know if you can ever be ready, but I felt I was more ready this time around than the other time for either outcome,” he said.

He has a few things on his list to get done in coming months: hire a co-ordinator for the dog team race and work on a mining policy.

“We have to finalize and then bring it to our population, so that we can come out with a Nunavik-wide mining policy,” he said.

As the vice-president of economic development, there are many files Gordon will have to deal with.

“This can entail anything and everything almost,” he said.

Infrastructure development is a big part of economic development, as well as the creation of business for Makivvik.

Gordon would also like to work on the structure of Makivvik Corp. to “make it more effective for the executives and the elected members to fulfill our functions.”

He also wants to look into purchasing a new vessel for Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping to replace the aging MV Aivik.

Andy Moorhouse, re-elected as Makivik’s corporate secretary, agreed Makivvik must focus more on mining activity, but said the financial situation of the corporation is “of concern.”

The corporation must continue to increase revenues to cover expenses, or to limit expenses until everything can “balance out,” he said.

Moorhouse, who oversees administration for the corporation, from warehousing to staff issues, said that over the years, the position of corporate secretary been given a number of other responsibilities.

For Moorhouse, that means managing the education and health files, which he enjoys working with.

But mining development is still a top priority.

“My platform was to be prepared for the developments that are coming, the mining activities that are coming within Nunavik, and to make sure that we maximize our participation,” Moorhouse said.

He wants to see Nunavimmuit benefit from employment opportunities and other economic spin-offs from mining activity.

Moorhouse said the election results were close but “all in all it was a strong campaign by both of them.”

However, voter-turnout continues to be low.

“Again this time around the elections confirmed that the number of voters coming out to vote were a bit under what was expected,” he said.

But Moorhouse is anxious to start working with “everyone to make that we work towards the issues and achieve our goals within Nunavik.”

Some of the biggest issues surround youth services.

“We need to restructure our youth association, we need to provide that guidance to make sure that they get back on their feet,” he said.

Another issue is getting people “who are in detention to come back home to be able to access services [related to drugs and alcohol],” Moorhouse said.