Kativik School Board gives up legal fight

This week in Kangirsuk, the Kativik School Board decided to back away from its legal wranglings with Makivik Corporation, Quebec and Canada over the Nunavik Political Accord and the negotiations on a new form of government for Nunavik.

Sarah Aloupa, president of the KSB commissioners, said the school board had decided back in February not to pursue its appeal, and since then, communication had improved.

“We see we’re able to work with them now,” Aloupa said Wednesday in an interview from Kangirsuk.

In a press release, the KSB invited all Nunavik organizations to support six changes the school board would like to see made to the draft agreement-in-principle on self-government that were sent to Makivik’s president, Pita Aatami, earlier this month.

Among other things, the school board would like to:

* maintain an elected body to oversee the interests of education in the region;
* maintain community education committees;
* continue promoting the use of English in Nunavik with Inuttitut as the primary language.

The KSB commissioners say they took this “positive action” to show their good will towards other Nunavik organizations and to “contribute to Nunavik solidarity through better communication.”

“I am very happy to hear that,” Aatami said, in a telephone interview.

Aatami said negotiations will decide whether the changes the KSB wants can be met in the AIP.