New medical boarding centre opens in Winnipeg
New facility has 139 rooms
Health Minister John Main, left, Sakku Investments Corp. chairman Dino Bruce, and Kivalliq Inuit Association president Kono Tattuinee cut the ribbon Wednesday to officially open a new medical boarding facility in Winnipeg. (Photo courtesy of Sakku Investments)
A new health boarding facility for Kivalliq medical travellers opened in Winnipeg this week.
“Today is an important day to celebrate this new facility for our people,” said Dino Bruce, chairman of the board for Sakku Investments Corp., Thursday in a news release.
Sakku owns the Uquutaq Centre Medical Boarding Home.
“The name Uquutaq, in Inuktitut, means shelter, a place to rest and stay warm,” Bruce said in the release.
Health Minister John Main and Kivalliq Inuit Association president Kono Tattuinee joined Bruce Wednesday to cut the ribbon to officially open the centre.
More than 200 people came out to celebrate the occasion.
The building is at the former site of the Clarion Hotel, which Sakku Investments bought in May.
The hotel was converted to house medical patients, support staff and amenities all under one roof.
It will include services such as airport pick-up, meals, cultural spaces and transportations to medical appointments.
The former boarding facility, Kivalliq Inuit Centre, had been in operation for 20 years. It was experiencing an overflow of travellers which meant some were forced to stay at hotels all over the city.
The new location has 139 rooms and 40,000 square feet of commercial office space and events areas.
“Travelling for medical services is a challenging and stressful time for families and this wonderful facility will better meet the needs of Kivallirmiut,” Tattuinee said in the release.
My question is this:
I have seen first nations indigenous people staying there, being picked up and dropped off by their own medical travel vehicles, while Inuit are put into hotels like the Super 8. What is the point of this place if they are going to continue putting Inuit medical travellers in other hotels?
It’s called a free vacation
I am extremely happy for the Nunavut territory. thank you so much to all of those who made it possible buy the building for nunavummiut. Thank you to all the friendly staff who help accommodate all the incoming individuals. Thanks again for helping inuit!
They are to full all the time that’s why free vaccinations for 70% go for free vaccinations
all we see are negative comments, i tried complimenting those who made it possible to purchase the building to help inuit, but thanks nunatsiaq, you didnt post it, it seems like you like to post only negative comments, which is very tiring reading nothing but negativity coming from inuit.
IKR??!! It’s similar to….”Qallunaaq crab traps barely caught any. Native crab traps were over flowing with no trap door. Feds were like….”HOW?!!”
Aboriginal response was….”Easy!! Each time an Aboriginal crab Try making it up and out? We drag them down for tryna being Qallunaaq. Thinks he knows everything.”
Awesome job on the grand opening, Sakku, KIA good job. Hoping that all the kinks get worked out though, ie enforcing no booze and no drugs while on medical travel. I heard that it is fairly lax over there with these issues.
Glad that all the Inuit guests can be in one place together, as they should be. No Inuk should ever be left alone as this is not their way.
Congratulations Sakku Investment Corporation, job well done.
If there is an issue with drunks there, all they have to do is call the police for removal. End of story.
My wife and I were evacuated to Edmonton while we were in YK for medical appts.
Stayed at the new Edmonton Larga for over a week before chartering back to Kugluktuk.
One female (with a baby on her back) showed up in the lobby drunk and raising hell for some unknown reason. No problem – police were called and she and her baby were removed.
The only time there was a problem.
Well done Larga for a professional place to be for medical patients.
More free vacation trips for KIA.
You call going to Winnipeg a vacation?!!! Even NHL players are surprised Winnipeg has Internet and sidewalks.🤪
I am extremely proud of the hard work to make this happen for medical travel patients to be in a comfortable place. Thank you sakku!!
But why is the big welcome sign only in English when you are serving a majority Inuit group? So disappointed for not taking our language and clients seriously. Your clients are Inuit who have a right to be welcomed in their language. Poor service to Inuit from an Inuit company.
What about the drunks, are they going to be kicked out and moved to a Hotel?