Adams wins third KRG term by acclamation

MIRIAM HILL

Johnny Adams will head the Kativik Regional Government for one more year.

At this week’s meeting of the regional council, composed of councillors representing every community in Nunavik, Adams was acclaimed chairman for two years, but he agreed to serve for only one more year.

“It’s because next November there will be regional municipal council elections and I’d like the new council to elect a chairman in November,” he said. “So I said I would give in my resignation and then they will have an election.”

This is Adams’ third term as chairman. He has been with the KRG since 1989 and said things have moved forward over the years.

“We’ve been able, in the last couple of terms, to triple our budget pretty well,” he said. “So we’re administering more than $100 million a year this fiscal year and that’s mostly projects for the community. When you look at the overall financial situation, it speaks for itself.”

In 1998, Adams said he hoped to be the last elected chair of the KRG, a body stemming out of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. It is mandated to look after the region’s municipal and regional affairs.

Last May, constituents went to the polls and voted to accept a partnership agreement on economic and community development in Nunavik, signed with Quebec in early April.

It’s this partnership agreement that Adams said will present the most challenges in the upcoming years.

“It’s to make sure that our partnership agreement is implemented to the letter and that the commitments that the government has made are implemented to the letter of the agreement,” he said. “We’ve got many challenges ahead of us and many big files we’re going to be discussing on a regional basis.”

One is deciding on a location for a new 40-bed detention facility in the region.

Adams was also appointed, along with Kuujjuaq Mayor Michael Gordon, to the advisory committee that will be working directly with the negotiators representing the KRG in forming a Nunavik government.

“We all hope that within 10 years we can see an assembly in operation that will represent all of Nunavimmiut, not just the individual organizations,” he said. “And to have one vision as a region instead of different visions coming from different organizations that are conflicting.”

Adams said he’s optimistic the plan will come to fruition as it’s the closest its been in 30 years.

“The opportunity is there and ultimately it will be the people that are at home that will decide if we should go forward or not,” he said. “It will be their final decision, not any organization. It will be Nunavimmiut deciding if they should forge ahead or not.”

Adams said it was humbling to receive such overwhelming support from the councillors, but he was ready to step down if someone else had thrown their hat into the ring for the chairmanship.

“You never know what the future holds, but for me I’d like to maybe step back and pursue other personal interests in the near future,” he said.

Adams began his career in aviation and hopes to end up back in that sector soon.