Baker Lake council to decide on mayor’s replacement in January
Former mayor Kevin Iksiktaaryuk resigned Tuesday
Baker Lake council will decide in January whether to appoint a new mayor from within or hold a byelection following the resignation of former mayor Kevin Iksiktaaryuk. (File photo)
Baker Lake councillors haven’t decided yet whether to appoint a new mayor from the current council or hold a byelection to replace former mayor Kevin Iksiktaaryuk, who resigned Dec. 10.
The decision will be made at the council’s first meeting in January, said Sheldon Dorey, Baker Lake’s senior administrative officer.
In the interim, deputy Mayor Trevor Attungala is leading council.
Iksiktaaryuk gave notice on Tuesday that he had resigned from the mayoral position, citing “ongoing responsibilities, high expectations, and stress” as reasons for stepping down.
He was in his first term as mayor and previously served as a hamlet councillor.
Under Nunavut’s election law, council has two options when a mayor resigns. It can either appoint one of its own members to the mayoral seat, or it can schedule a byelection.
Better start a by-election, remember the craziness that happened when the Cambridge Bay Mayor resigned? Folks here went nuts screaming for democracy…
Craziness, there are 8 elected hamlet. Councillors, Deputy mayor is still there, and Sao, finance clerk, push the panic button before Christmas,
This is such an important decision for Baker Lake, and I really hope the council thinks about what’s best for the community in the long run. Nunavut is so different from the rest of Canada—our isolation, the lack of roads, and how expensive it is just to travel to other parts of the country make life here incredibly challenging. Because of this, we need leaders who truly understand our struggles and are fully committed to making positive changes for our community.
Appointing someone already on the council might feel like the easier option, but it’s not necessarily the right one. We need a mayor who is ready to step up, lead by example, and inspire others—especially the younger generation—to believe in and work toward a better future. Leadership isn’t just about filling a seat; it’s about creating a sense of hope and progress for everyone.
Having a byelection would give the people of Baker Lake the chance to choose someone who they feel can handle this responsibility and represent their voices. It’s about transparency and making sure the community has a say in who leads them forward. I really hope the council considers this carefully and chooses a path that puts the needs of the people first.
LOL 😂
Democracy in a small town in Nunavut?🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Someone spelled… “Nepotism” incorrectly.😝🤯
Appoint the Deputy Mayor (assuming he wants it) and call up the ninth place councilor. We do not need elections every two minutes.
Council may also want to review what responsibilities are resting directly with the Mayor. This is a part time position. Most significant responsibilities should be either be with the SAO or with all of council.
The problem is that if you actually get a Mayor who tries and cares then they see how useless most of other Councilors are (not necessarily referring to Baker). And if the mayor truly cares it would be hard for them to watch projects not happen just because the other council members do want to put in the effort of doing anything.