Baffin mayors get sympathy, no promises from minister

Lorne Kusugak, Nunavut’s minister of Community Government and Services, offered sympathy, but no easy money when he met with the Baffin mayors March 1 in Iqaluit. (PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)

It wasn’t hard for Baffin mayors to recite long lists of demands when they met March 1 with Lorne Kusugak, the Nunavut minister of Community Government and Services, at their annual mayors’ meeting in Iqaluit.

But Kusugak was unable to offer the mayors much more than sympathy.

Kusugak, a former mayor of Rankin Inlet, told the mayors he knows the pressures they face, but that he couldn’t promise speedy action on most of their demands, which require more studies, official resolutions and more government money.

In fact, Kusugak joked that “throwing dice” might be as good a way as any other of finding cash for the many projects that hamlets want to take on to improve living standards and services in their communities.

Dumps, water sources and a lack of infrastructure were among the major concerns cited by the Baffin mayors.

Ludy Pudluk of Resolute Bay, for example, said his hamlet needs a new dump.

Right now, the community dump in Resolute lies so close to a collection of renovated Thule sod qammaqs that visitors think people are smoking in them when they visit the site, Pudluk said.

“We’d like to give tourists the chance to see the beautiful land we have, instead of seeing a dump,” he said.

Moving the local dump is also a priority for Pangnirtung, said the community’s deputy mayor, Davidee Kooneeliusie.

When trash is burned at Pangnirtung’s dump, smoke often settles on houses and leads to foggy conditions.

“It’s our priority right now to move it,” Kooneeliusie said.

Jamesie Kootoo of Kimmirut said his hamlet needs a new office, a garage and to move the community’s water source away from the airport.

Joe Arragutainaq of Sanikiluaq said his community needs a new swimming pool and a new community hall.

Kids in Sanikiluaq have nothing to do and usually end up playing outside, even in blizzards, Arragutainaq said.

The people of Sanikiluaq couldn’t even use their hockey arena this winter, he said, because the community has no artificial ice-making equipment.

The same goes Cape Dorset, where the aging community hall is too small. Cape Dorst Mayor Carry Merritt said ice-making equipment is essential.

Kusugak replied by saying the Government of Nunavut has commissioned a study on the growing need for ice-making equipment in the territory.

While there’s not much money available, hamlets may soon receive block funding from the GN to make their own decisions about where to spend money on recreational needs, just as they did this year for rolling stock and other heavy equipment.

All Baffin communities, with the exception of Iqaluit, received $62,500 to purchase rolling stock this year.

However, this isn’t enough to cover the needs of hamlets for costly equipment, such as new rock crushers.

These, Kusugak suggested, could possibly be shared among the hamlets.