NCC Investment Group Inc. quietly names new president
Juanie Pudluk listed on company website; interview request declined
Juanie Pudluk, seen here taking part in the Kinngait stop during a Nunavut Housing Corp. community tour in 2024, has been named the new president of NCC Investment Group Ltd. (File photo by Arty Sarkisian)
NCC Investment Group Inc. has quietly named a new president.
Juanie Pudluk’s name and photo now appear on the company website’s management page.
He steps into a job previously held by Clarence Synard, who announced his departure on LinkedIn last month.
No one from NCC Investment Group Inc. would publicly comment on Synard’s departure, despite numerous attempts by Nunatsiaq News.
Synard could not be reached for comment after making that announcement, despite numerous attempts.
Contacted by Nunatsiaq News on Wednesday, Pudluk declined to be interviewed about his new role.
“Juanie is the president of NCC Investment Group Inc. and has over 15 years of experience in Nunavut working with infrastructure, engineering, and project management,” says a biography linked to Pudluk’s name on the NCC website, noting he is a licenced engineer.
“Throughout his career, Juanie has led complex, high-impact projects from initial concept through to successful completion — delivering solutions that are not only technically sound but also human-centered.”
NCC Development Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of NCC Investment Group Inc., signed an agreement with Nunavut Housing Corp. in 2022 to build 2,000 homes across the territory as part of the Nunavut 3000 initiative.
That initiative seeks to build 3,000 new homes in Nunavut between 2022 and 2030, though it has faced delays and other setbacks.
So they oust Synard without any public comment and replace him with a NHC ADM who oversees the Nunavut 3000 project? Who would have awarded the millions to NCC through a sole source contract?
Every candidate running for MLA should run on a platform of a public investigation into NHC’s operations and the inappropriate relationship with its biggest contractor (NCC).
You are right on the mark “open your eyes”. Absolutely ridiculous. This “new” President worked with the NHC CEO, Devereaux at NHC before jumping over to NCCD. He also had previously before that, worked with Deveraux when Devereaux was ADM at CGS. The simple fact this cast of characters (NHC, NCC owners, past and seeking reelection Politicians, etc…) think that they can just do this stuff and no one notices or cares is mind boggling.
Anywhere else where $100’s of millions of dollars and eventually billions were being spent like this, there would be a massive public and media outcry and a demand for accountability. But no not here. No accountability, no responsibility, absolutely no concern for being held to account.
Every candidate presenting for election right now should be demanded on the record what their intent is to deal with the NHC-NCCD Sole Source Contract debacle should they get elected.
Oh, and by the way. Those homes promised for summer 2025 (which should have been delivered Oct 2024) by the past Minster and the current NHC CEO during this past spring sitting of the Legislature. Well look at that…. summer came and went….no additional units…. now the last nonsense from NHC (Final legislative sitting) …Those homes will now be ready this Fall of 2025…. Yup folks, out of 316 we are still at 18.
Only the Cabinet has the authority to authorize a sole source contract such as this.
Cabinet decisions are confidential. Information about them cannot be obtained through a Freedom of Information Act Request.
The current Cabinet Ministers could meet and agree to make the information public, but unless that happens, even an individual Cabinet Minister is required to keep meeting information confidential.
While cabinet minutes and briefing notes are confidential. Government contracts should only have sensitive commercial terms such as hourly rates redacted, the general terms and conditions should be disclosed. Reviewing the contracts issues should provide a good idea of what cabinet/ FMB and the NHC BOD authorized, even if the deliberations themselves are not disclosed.
Probably the next step in the OAG audit?
So true. new MLAs means NEW faces. Please do not re-elect those who have not accomplished much. We need NEW and work has yet to be seen today. Please share: a familiar name is not always the way to vote.
I’m sure it has to do with that gong show housing 3000, huge money pit and dysfunction at the GN, no one can work with GN and it drags you down, new mlas please review all the issues at the GN and please make changes too.
One problem across all industries is people who have expertise in their field are promoted to executive positions without highly developed management competencies.
How else would NCC’s contracts with the NHC balloon from$240 million to $270 million, and the NHC has not protected against potential contractor defaults?
This just doesn’t just spell a problem with the NCC – it also points to mismanagement within the NHC and the GN.
Ever been stuck in a revolving door and cannot seem to get out? Been doing something and you think, “I have done this before”. Been somewhere for the first time but swear you have, “already been there”. Seen a movie and though, “I have seen this story before”. YUP! Welcome to the Nunavut Housing Corporation and NCCD (NCC or whatever they call themselves) Nunavut 3000 disaster. Watching this whole thing play out over the last 3 years is like watching children play “pin the tale on the donkey”. Guess what Nunavummiut? We are the donkey…
It is election time. Time for action.
He dont look to happy.
you missed an o
Nunatsiaq News is showing it’s bias with such a poor picture, and now that’s an image that will stay with the others. I worked with Juanie Pudluk, I sat in his kitchen and I shared food with him and his his Dad, who, by the way, was the one who stood up in the NWT legislature and made the motion for Inuit to do their own thing with creating Nunavut and separating from the NWT. Juanie is from that lineage, he was the first Inuk Engineer, he is intelligent, hard-working, calm and focused. He is also educated and trained, and he is the only one with the courage to try to clean up the mess that the others left behind.
Well said!
Yep Good guy with a head on his shoulders Good man Juani
I think it is time to start asking out who authorized the project plan that led to this public sector contracting. At least for a lessons learned – as in the Nunavut housing trust days…..
President NCC is gone – he reported to the Board of NCC. Board should have reviewed such a large project.
The President of NHC reports to the Board of Directors as well as the Minister – who would likely have had to have Cabinet or Financial Management Board authorization to enter into sole source contracts that have non standard terms (apparently favourable to NCC – just not favourable enough for them to actually perform the contracts….).
Probably not best practice to have the Minister of Finance also oversee major expenditures of another department they are also responsible for.
Important figures in government, the private sector, and the general public have been given raw data that could expose the “structure” built by the architect of whatever “Open your eyes” was hinting at. Let’s see who has the integrity to share it with the public and reveal what was really set up to benefit just a handful of people
.
Yes – be really good to see the list of consultants and subcontractors as well, how they were selected, their contracts, and how much was delivered vs what was paid.
It is all public money.
Its like star trek..join the Borg
Or more like “Beam me up Scottie No sign of intelligent life here “
All the information is already in the public domain and has been for months. One only needs to look. It is everywhere, i.e. AG Report, media articles and social media postings, etc… All those politicians seeking reelection right now all had that very same information that anyone can now find and regardless of their role and obligation to the people of Nunavut did nothing with it. The only hope for the people of Nunavut is that some of the new candidates seeking their vote might actually take this whole NU 3000 dumpster fire seriously and commit to a full and complete investigation that provides clear answers to the people of Nunavut. A process which ultimately holds those responsible for the failures responsible and pushes forward for a complete restructuring of the Housing program in Nunavut.
Anything less than this will just be the same old foolishness.
Good point made by “Boards” above regarding the disingenuity of having the Finance Minister (Kusugak) to also be Minister of a high capital spending agency/department like NHC. The temptation to convince his or her cabinet colleagues to approve dodgy spending decisions becomes too high. Ideally the Finance Minister should focus on Finance and be the watch dog. They could be additional roles such as Minister responsible for smaller agencies like NBCC and other non-line departments.
So, ncc is building hundreds of houses for 700/square ft. Albeit behind schedule but getting there. That is so much better than the potato companies like pilatak and kudlik who built 50 houses a year for 1500 per square ft. No one complained. But an inuk company does it for a lot less and build a lot more and that’s not good. Even after increase costs, it’s still a lot less. But not good enough. Go figure
First of all good luck to you. Anyone who can make an effort to get the mess back on track should be supported.. NCC and NHC does not have the human resources at present to manage this project. It was known from the start and as the situation deteriorated those remaining lost hope. As it further deteriorated any efforts to recruit skilled or experienced staff failed simply from fear of being linked to a project destined to fail. I know dozens of tallented people who were approached but declined an offer because they did not want to be part of this failing project. Hope someone can figure it out but it has gone way to far to salvage. Attemp to recover unspent funds, reconcile and inventory all landed material, update status of all site progress. Go to public tender. DONT EVER REPEAT THIS STYLE OF PROJECT DELIVERY.
Many of inuit like my self we were trained n to become red seal with the first agreement in year of 2000, we were dropped n many inuit were mishandle to become red sealed carpenters ext. We need his in all 100% inuit employee now we been in low blowed under nothing no red seals… NCC SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN
PJ tried to do the right thing, GN hit the pause button finish the current units that are under construction try to get an accurate cost, and try to make a rational decision after this to move forward.
PJ has always been for himself, a career politician that’s full of smoke and mirrors, making things look good and saying things to make it look better than what they really are, a lot of us see through him now and would not vote for him.
I wasn’t surprised that he is not running again and it’s strategic, even if he got re-elected as mla he would not get the Premiership or even a minister role, he was banking on the Arctic ambassador position but they saw through him too, PJ actively worked against Inuit organization and companies which does not make any sense whatsoever, Im not sure what happened to him at the GN but he did a complete 180 and actively worked against Inuit all the while saying great things. The upcoming GN elections will show an all time low turnout, it’s such a mess and a toxic place to be in no one wants to be part of that. There is a big job to clean up the GN and to start addressing all the issues with the GN the next government had a huge job to clean up. Auditor general has outlined all the issues, it’s priority for the new mlas to address them before they can do anything new.