Nunavik and Nunavut find $150,000 for tsunami relief

People throughout Nunavut and Nunavik continue to raise money, in whatever way they can, for the international tsunami relief effort in Southeast Asia.

So far, the amount raised by residents in both regions is at least $150,000, or more than $3 per person, and that doesn’t include government or business donations.

Yesterday’s cabinet meeting approved a donation of $30,000 from the Government of Nunavut, ending speculation over whether the GN would officially contribute to the relief effort, like the two other northern territories and Quebec. The Government of Yukon is giving $25,000 and the Government of the Northwest Territories is giving $50,000.

The GN had sent out a news release on Jan. 5 saying it will work with hamlets to collect donations, after many had already gone ahead with independent fundraising activities.

Last Friday night in Iqaluit, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. held a raffle sale with donations including dog food and a lawn chair in the colours of the Nunavut flag. The event raised more than $13,400.

“Inuit, when they know somebody needs help, it is their normal instinct to assist whoever’s in hardship — that’s the culture,” said NTI president Paul Kaludjak.

Across the Eastern Arctic, people rallied to help the thousands who were caught off guard by the Dec. 26 tsunami:

* a Kangiqsualujjuaq woman knitted mittens and a hat to contribute as a bingo prize;
* in Salluit, residents made bread, sandwiches and pies for a sale at the community centre;
* a benefit concert in Arviat featured at least 20 different types of performances, including traditional Inuit music, country, gospel, drum dancing, and throat-singing as well as door prizes and a bake table.

In many communities, collection cans were set up and accounts opened at local stores to receive donations — this helped Salluit raise $12,975 for the Red Cross between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Meanwhile, businesses continued donating money to relief efforts, with Iqaluit’s Astro Theatre giving $1 from every movie ticket sale to Oxfam.

Clerks at the Arctic Ventures store stapled a coupon to every receipt saying “Thank you! You have just donated $1.00 to the South East Asian Tsunami Relief Fund” — a gesture adding up to thousands of dollars for the Canadian Red Cross Asia Earthquake and Tsunamis Relief Fund.

Northwestel said the company will match “dollar-for-dollar” the amount contributed by its 600 employees between Dec. 26 and Jan. 31 to the Red Cross.

On Jan. 9, Canadian North started a week-long campaign to donate a percentage of its daily ticket sales, raising $5,000 in one day, while First Air and Air Inuit donated many airline tickets for community bingos.

A garage sale, where items sold for $1 each, jump-started Inukjuak’s ambitious fundraising campaign.

“A little bit of something can become a lot from many,” said Andy Moorhouse, the mayor of Inukjuak.

Moorhouse said his community has the highest levels of unemployment and welfare in Nunavik, but it’s just “warming up” fundraising efforts and hopes to raise at least $15,000.

The tsunami, Moorhouse said, is a wake-up call for everyone.

“It takes an event like that to see that we should be prepared,” he said.

A bingo in Kangiqsualujjuaq, where an avalanche hit the community’s school on New Year’s Eve in 1999, netted $15,180 for the Red Cross.

Maggie Emudluk, who was mayor of Kangiqsualujjuaq at the time, said survivors of that holiday disaster didn’t talk about much about the avalanche as they watched the damage from the recent tsunami unfold.

“But, of course we understand how it feels when there’s a disaster or tragedy,” Emudluk said.