Former opponents face off again in Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield Inlet
There are races in 20 of Nunavut’s 22 ridings in the Oct. 27 territorial election
Alexander Sammurtok, and Cathy Q. Towtongie are both running to represent the people of Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield in Nunavut’s territorial election. (Photos courtesy of Alexander Sammurtok and Cathy Q. Towtongie)
Nunatsiaq News is publishing riding profiles ahead of the Oct. 27 territorial election. Keep your eye on our website to learn more about who is running in your area.
Two former adversaries are facing off again for votes in Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield Inlet in the Oct. 27 territorial election.
“I am committed to Nunavut,” said Cathy Q. Towtongie, who is running against incumbent MLA Alexander Sammurtok.
Towtongie’s main priorities are access to food, education, economic development and the environment.
“Nunavut needs to keep up with the rest of the world. We do need development, but it needs to be balanced development with our environment,” she said.
“Mining development in our region is important — it creates jobs. But it has to be in balance with caribou management.”
Towtongie is a political veteran, having served the as the MLA for Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield Inlet from 2017 to 2021. Prior to her work in the legislature, Towtongie was three-term president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. from 2001 to 2004 and from 2010 to 2016.
She ran again in 2024 for the presidency of the Inuit beneficiary organization, but lost to Jeremy Tunraluk.
Towtongie is married to longtime Rankin Inlet Mayor Harry Towtongie and has two adult sons, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
“I want them to envision their future as being positive,” she said of her family.
Incumbent Sammurtok has a few ideas of his own, but said he is primarily looking to his constituents for what they want.
“Let me know what actions the Nunavut government needs to take to improve and strengthen communities,” he said.
“The ideas won’t be mine. They will be what the voters want. I am listening to what the voters want me to pursue.”
Sammurtok called the federal government’s plan to build 700 homes in Nunavut an opportunity. That announcement, made last month, is Nunavut’s share of a part of Ottawa’s $13-billion goal to build 4,000 homes across the country.
These homes will be included in the territorial government’s ongoing Nunavut 3000 project, which aims to see 3,000 housing units built by 2030.
Small communities have been ignored when it came to housing, he said.
“I’ll be advocating to make sure that the smaller communities get a fair share of houses, including Chesterfield Inlet,” he said.
The community is slated to get 14 public housing units as part of Nunavut 3000.
Sammurtok also renewed calls for a medical boarding home in Rankin Inlet, an issue he and other MLAs have brought up multiple times in the legislative assembly. It’s not uncommon for people to be stranded in the community without a place to sleep when travel delays to the south occur.
“Sometimes [people] are stuck for days on end,” he said.
The Health Department is currently doing a feasibility study for this project.
Sammurtok was the riding’s MLA from 2014 to 2017 and was elected again in 2021. He has also served as mayor for Whale Cove, “years and years and years ago,” he said.
One of the goals he has seen to fruition is Rankin Inlet’s long-term care facility, which opened in May, he said
Before he was an MLA, he worked for the territory’s Community and Government Services Department.
Sammurtok has been married since 1972. He has five children, 13 grandchildren and four great-grand-children, he said.
HOUSING SHOULD DOMINATE THE ELECTION.
Same promises every election, same issues every election, same candidates every election.
What an utterly depressing selection
Quite a grim outlook when your only options on thr ballot are great grandparents
The outlook is grim, but the fact that these candidates are great grand parents not the problem here.
Wishes and dreams, but never a real plan how to do anything.
Alexander who?
Alexander Lannister. The Kingslayer.
The guy who beat both Lorne and Cathy.
The peoples Champion.
NY Elecrions: Rubber Stamp
Nothing new. Same ‘old.
Can’t NU come up with another group?
Getting a little dry over 25 Years. .. no wonder. Same pile Same positions and same people?
You would think that with all that has happened in the last 4 years (almost all of it bad) that these candidates would actually have something to say of substance…Like how they are going to address the Healthcare crisis or the NU 3000 Housing Disaster, etc, etc…….instead all we get is the same old talk… which is not a plan…or action…just talk… just telling everyone what we already know. Also note that one of the candidates was an MLA in the last disastrous government…. trying to convince you to vote for him AGAIN!
As one commentator already said, and is correct. This is depressing.
Where do I get my gift card for voting?🤪🤑🤘
Or is that only for NTI elections?
All we ever see is the older-out-of-touch generation running again and again. You wanna know why? Ask anyone under the age of 30 and you will get the same responses. Things aren’t changing… the topics spouted by people in politics are the exact same over and over every election. Lots of talk and no action. I asked my older kids if they would run for a position like this and straight up they say no cause their hands are tied and changes won’t happen, they grew up seeing politicians says “housing is coming”, “education is coming”, “better equality and access south is coming” and all they see is they can’t get housing, they need to leave for further specialized training, costs of travel and there are no links south .Our youth are moving south, remote work and consulting is they way of our territory now. Why would a youthful individual want to get caught up in a political system that really hasn’t done anything for them in the last 25 years.
There’s a discussion to be had about how much is due to “the system” and how much is due to a political class that is too horribly undereducated, underskilled and fundamentally lazy to move things forward.
Where are all the Young Educated people? Time to step Nunavut,
They’ve moved away, and no one can blame them