High-speed internet, youth centres in Nunavik part of $2.6B Northern action plan
Quebec government announces new 5-year program for sustained development
Maïté Blanchette Vézina, Quebec’s minister of natural resources and forests and minister responsible for the Northern Plan Society, speaks to media Tuesday in Baie-Comeau, Que. about the province’s new 5-year, $2.6-billion Northern Action Plan. (Screenshot via Zoom)
Nearly $2.6 billion will be spent on sustainable development of Nunavik and Quebec’s northern regions over the next five years, the provincial government announced Tuesday.
Its Northern Action Plan for 2023-2028 includes 45 new projects such as finalizing access to high-speed internet in Nunavik, building youth centres across the North, and building new housing in communities.
The plan was announced by Maïté Blanchette Vézina, Quebec’s Natural Resources and Forests minister and minister responsible for the Northern Plan Society, in a statement to media in Baie-Comeau, Que.
The new five-year plan, which Vézina called “ambitious,” is the result of a collaboration between more than 25 departments and agencies and northern Indigenous groups.
The plan organizes the 45 actions into four categories: Increasing connectivity to the territory, building on northern economic strengths, stimulating community vitality, and preserving the unique environment.
Projects for Nunavik include boosting high-speed internet services through deployment of fibre optics and improving the reliability of a northern network.
That’s expected to make it possible to offer more services remotely including health, justice and education.
The plan also includes a commitment to build youth centres across the north, clean up hazardous waste from northern communities, and increase access to justice services.
Working with Makivvik Corp., the Kativik Regional Government and the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, the justice ministry will provide court service employees with better working accommodations and telecommunications technologies in each northern village.
The plan also aims to improve access to justice services closer to home, such as confidential face-to-face meetings and remote testimony or hearings.
“Thanks to the sums invested, First Nations and Inuit communities will have the financial tools to benefit from significant improvements in education and entrepreneurship,” said Ian Lafrenière, Quebec’s minister responsible for relations with the First Nations and the Inuit.
Added Denis Lamothe, the MNA for Ungava: “It’s important to make our northern territory more attractive and encourage its sustainable development.”
This is the third action plan development for Quebec’s northern regions. The previous plan, for 2020-2023, wrapped up March 31.
LOL as if 2.6 billion will make a difference. The government gives money, but nothing happens. Where does the money go?
Hmm.. let’s look at the parties the executive committees have, the millions of meetings, and the bonuses. Then we’ll see just where all this money is going to disappear to
Its amazing , the amount of money that is doled out to nunavik ,yet nothing seem to get better.
Having resided in both rural off the beaten track in Ontario’s Abitibi and Quebec’s Abitibi the difference between the two is boldly written and understood. In Ontario the urban areas get the province’s attention, in Quebec Abitibi there is investment and a local pride in the population and government resources are invested. The boarded up down-towns tell the story. Complaining and not adding constructive input is a habit which can be overcome with attention and practice.
Her sign should he in inuktitut English and Cree too because most aboriginal people of quebec don’t speak French
Mmm, and what steps are they taking to improve that situation?
You expect that government of a province that only has one official language to put others on a sign at an official event? Seriously?
Whether that is the way it should be is a different conversation, but a government official at an official event will follow government policy.
Maybe the people in the north are taking the same steps to learn French as the French are taking to learn Inuktitut and Cree.
Interesting comment when the event is taking place in Nitassinan, an Innu region and an Indigenous people who have French as their main language… Furthermore, the Charter of French Language does also protect Indigenous languages, including in the recent amendments of Bill 96. If there’s a language that should have appeared on the sign is Innuaimun.
A recent piece in Macleans, the magazine, has the immigrant’s worker response to the Level 5 in a 3 year period to learn la langue Francais requirement. Factors such as the rapidly increased inflation/cost of living, the long hours, a lack of a support in the studies and the vulnerable status with employers and the province should there be any problems with their work/living circumstances paint a dark picture. The province ought to legislate that the employers allow several hours per week study time for the hard working migrants. The farmers are struggling in Quebec and could use the help (in another article I read this week). Farm work does not allow time for a break for personal matters with many farmers, deaths, births, illness, etc. On Quebec’s farms the immigrant workers could be invaluable support to farms, farmers and their families.
Hey, can somebody tell this lady that theres something called starlink now.. last time I checked its not 2.5b in cost geez somebody gotta give her Internet to see this stuff.
I want what shes smoking!
The infrastructure in Nunavik is paid out of public purse, and the workers doing the work and being paid is from southern Quebec. Big buildings project going on in kuujjuaq, don’t see locals working there. As a matter of fact locals are not showing up to work at most of the jobs, I’ll say any money being used is development for south to move in, since locals are are participating. Kuujjuaq soon be a community of mainly southern influencers gone to a new level, I think it’s a good investment of the Quebec government, if they’re seeing the way into Nunavik take over, by developing kuujjuaq and getting on board. Next thing , it’s enough southerners, mainly French speakers who will take over the municipality, and look out Nunavik, see bill 101 is alive.
My fellow inuks will have only themselfs to blame , when they take over , nobody wants to work.
Kinda funny that the article is about the North and Indigenous people not about temporary foreign workers… Yet, these workers mainly speak Spanish, no English , and many Quebec farmers have a basic knowledge of Spanish and the province is making learning French more accessible to these workers. You should also know that French and Spanish are part of the same linguistic family and easier to learn for each other,.
The same way English has taken over the rest of Northern Canada? Same colonial approach? Yet, Bill 101 and the latest Bill 96 do protect Indigenous languages and this comment it’s quite demeaning for the Nunavimmiut. As a matter of fact, Inuktitut is alive and well in Nunavik and hopefully better living conditions will make life easier in Nunavik, whether it’s in Inuktitut, French or English, both latter languages being colonial.