Cambridge Bay mayor Angulalik Pedersen resigns
Council to decide whether to vote on new mayor or hold byelection; deputy-mayor filling in on interim basis
Angulilak Pedersen, seen in this 2021 file photo, resigned as mayor of Cambridge Bay Monday. (File photo by Mélanie Ritchot)
Angulalik Pedersen, the mayor of Cambridge Bay, has resigned.
Jim MacEachern, the hamlet’s chief administrative officer, confirmed in a phone call that Pedersen submitted his resignation Monday.
MacEachern said that Pedersen did not want to be absent as a mayor while fulfilling his fatherly commitments to his newborn son.
Pedersen could not be reached Tuesday afternoon to elaborate on his resignation.
Pedersen was appointed as mayor, nearly a year ago, on Nov. 4, 2021 after his predecessor, Pamela Gross, was elected as an MLA in the 2021 territorial election and was later named Nunavut’s education minister.
Last year, Cambridge Bay council was forced to defend its decision to appoint Pedersen despite calls from some community members to hold a byelection.
For now, deputy mayor Derek Elias will serve as acting mayor until council decides between two options on how to go forward, MacEachern said. A special council meeting is scheduled for later in the week, he said.
Under Nunavut law, when a municipality faces a vacancy in the mayor’s office, council can vote to either appoint a new mayor or hold a byelection.
“I’ve also reached out to Elections Nunavut to get a sense of the timeframe of when the earliest possible byelection could be, should council decide to go that way,” MacEachern said.
“I think council will weigh both options equally, but also keeping in mind that the next general election is in October [2023].”
Although this played out as expected, and I believe Angut made the right decisions given his current life circumstances, I take issue with the need for Nunatsiaq to be the breaking news on this story.
Why was there no announcement from the Hamlet when this happened yesterday?
With Cambridge Bay running an overwhelming budget deficit because of the mismanagement of the arena project, the constant question of legal decisions and quorum that plague all bylaw processes and the fluidity of the staff attendance, you would think it would be important to know who the mayor might be?
This should not have been a phone call from the press to the SAO.
How many councils across Nunavut are now working with appointed representatives rather than elected ones?
Be safe Angut.
Let’s not forget the former mayor was just as incompetent, at least give the community a chance to vote in a mayor. I don’t know what’s worst, having elias as the mayor or angulalik being a mayor. The community needs to stand up and use their voice, demand to vote in their new mayor!
YCO, you shouldn’t be writing on any panels about people or communities, without having a hard look at yours first! Coppermine used to be a great place to live, it’s gone down hill so much from what a great community it once was, first the problems there first before wining about others.
yzf i lived in cambay before so i know everyone there. all communities have their issues kug is controlled so were all kept in line
Well not surprising this is welcome news.
A lot has happened over the last year and none of it too flattering. The new arena is a huge debacle that the former hamlet employee who everyone knows shit the bed on the project. The amount of incompetence there is staggering. The home he dug could almost fit the deficit he placed the hamlet in.
Absentee Council Members who zoom call in from Gjoa Haven? Embarrassing they let that go on so long. He has moved to Gjoa. Sees the writing on the wall listing the airport contract soon.
The council has not posted any council meetings since December nor made any announcements to publicize council dates. The Hsmlet Facebook page no longer works. The decisions are made by business interests in town based on their assumption that no one will care snd they will do what is best for them, being best for the community, And after the refusal of council to pay attention to the electorate last December, they are probably right. Refuse to let people know what you are doing, feel confident Cgs won’t force any compliance to any regulations, and you can run a private fiefdom.
Sadly, it will be hard to convince anyone to vote or engage in 2023 so they might as well appoint Derrick Elias for life.
It would seem that the only original councillors left in the last two years are the business owners and operators and they are NOT maintaining their seats to benefit the residents; just their pockets or some personal agendas. It was too bad our resigning mayor was caught up in that process. I wish him luck moving forward. Perhaps the GN must rethink the four year terms at the community level. Just ask yourself who is left that was voted in by the people. Do we not deserve a say???
I suppose doing what you committed to do and stay on Council is a bad thing. at least according to some folks. There are actually four originals from last election. Maybe the GN shouldn’t have shoved 4 year terms down the throat of Nunavumuit. They could have imposed a shorter term but someone in Ottawa figured better. People that want to crab and complain should put there name forward and be prepared to stick things out even when the going gets tough. Angu do well and see you sometime again. all the best.
Well, that is nice to know. Given the organizational and financial mess the Hamlet is in at least we can say that these four created and sustained this mess. They have done nothing, it would appear, to make it better or improve the relationship and communication with the people who voted them in…
So, to be clear, are you suggesting that Iqaluit did not decide to extend the municipal elections to four years, Ottawa did? How is that possible? I am also frustrated with the thought that those four councillors must be responsible for what is happening at the hamlet. Which four are they? How often have they attended? How have they allowed the financial irregularities to go unchecked? How will they fix it? How will they let their voting public know? It would be hard to be a part of the process if you never know if there is a process to be a part of!
There has been no communication from our municipality for a while. It’s even hard to get any response from the office. Does anyone go to work or even work there anymore? Hmm
Alternatively, if the operations of the hamlet are as bad as you all describe, then perhaps CGS should move in and takeover.
Can you remember the last time CGS made that type of move? I cannot…
Thanks for your service, Angulalik. Wishing you all the best in the next journey in your life. Welcome Mr Elias, as interim Mayor.
We are looking forward to the next hamlet election. Our council needs an overhaul! It seems, as of late, that board members in the Kitikmeot do not understand their roles so overstep, micromanage, or are unaccountable to those they represent.
First your ED of KIA is let go, your President of KIA steps down and retires early now your mayor quits, what is going on over there?
don’t forget the former exec dir of the heritage society was fired & that was hush hush too. sounds like their all finally getting caught with their hands in the cookie jar. where are all the honest people????? half the council sits on council to benefit their own agendas, what have they all contributed to their community?????