Here are the highlights of the handouts

Where the money goes

By JANE GEORGE

At last week's Katimajiit meeting on social and economic development in Kuujjuaq, Quebec handed out millions of dollars to improve the quality of life in the region and support Inuit language and culture. Here are some highlights.

For housing and infrastructure:

  • $53 million over four years for major renovations to Nunavik's 2,000 social housing units;
  • $25 million for the construction of 50 new social housing units by 2010 – in addition to the 161 units already slated to be built over the next three years;
  • $595,000 over five years to adapt regional services and buildings to the needs of elders;
  • $600,000 over three years for maintenance of Nunavik's dock infrastructure;

For education:

  • $375,000 to the Kativik School Board to develop an Inuttitut curriculum for students in grades 4, 5 and 6 so the percentage of time students spend in Inuttitut-language classes will increase to 50 per cent in Grade 4, 30 per cent in Grade 5 and 20 per cent in Grade 6;
  • $345,000 for a parenting course in 2008-09;
  • $130,000 to develop an Arctic survival course;
  • $100,000 for a pilot public library project in Kuujjuaq;
  • $50,000 for a study on more curriculum development (but not the separate facility for a new teaching material production unit which the school board wanted);
  • $150,000 over three years for a study of college-level education (but not the Nunavik-based college similar to the CEGEPs in southern Quebec which the school board wanted);

For language and culture:

  • $100,000 over two years for the Avataq cultural institute's three-year $2.9 million Inuktitturniup Saturtaugasuarninga project to revitalize Inuttitut and draft an official language policy for Nunavik (an amount which fell short of what Avataq had hoped for);
  • $195,000 towards a project for Avataq to properly store its collections.

And:

  • increased support for sports projects;
  • a new youth employment centre, Carrefour jeunesse emploi, to help youth stay in school and enter the work force;
  • additional study on the impact of climate change and melting permafrost in Salluit and the creation of new working committee to study the community's growth.
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