Nunavut’s 2024: ‘Historic moment,’ July of spills and ‘Indigenous pretender’

On Nunavut’s 25th anniversary year, happenings in the territory often broke into the national and international news cycle.

From devolution to a potentially precedent-setting court sentencing, Nunavut kept itself in the headlines.

As 2024 comes to an end, here are some of the year’s biggest stories.

Devolution

Federal and territorial leaders across the board had many words to describe how big of a deal devolution was.

Premier P.J. Akeeagok called it a “historic moment.” Former Nunavut senator Dennis Patterson said it signals a “new era.” And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it’s “a lot of paper” that covers two million square kilometres.

The agreement signed in January by Akeeagok, Trudeau, federal Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk is the largest land transfer in Canadian history.

It takes effect in April 2027 and will transfer responsibility for Nunavut’s land, water and natural resources from the federal to the territorial government.

Nunavut was the last Canadian territory to sign such an agreement and, according to Patterson, got “the best deal in all respects” in comparison to similar agreements signed by Yukon and Northwest Territories.

No consensus in consensus government

Premier P.J. Akeeagok speaks with reporters at the legislative assembly after surviving a vote by MLAs to try to remove him as premier. (File photo by Arty Sarkisian)

Premier P.J. Akeeagok survived a vote of non-confidence in November initiated by Aivilik MLA Solomon Malliki.

Malliki, who is the chair of the regular members’ caucus, cited lack of transparency as the reason for the motion.

“We weren’t getting our answers,” he told Nunatsiaq News after tabling the motion.

The motion failed after MLAs Janet Pitsiulaaq Brewster, Bobby Anavilok and Adam Arreak Lightstone joined Akeeagok and six ministers voted to keep the premier in power.

After the vote, Malliki said “no comment” when asked for his reaction.

Violations at Nunavut water treatment plants

Seventeen out of 25 Nunavut water treatment plants didn’t pass inspections and had health or safety deficiencies, according to territorial government health inspection reports obtained by Nunavut’s access to information law.

In May, Nunatsiaq News published a two-part report on the safety violations and three water plants facing public health orders.

The reporting was brought up at both the territorial legislature and the federal parliament.

NDP MP Peter Julian called on the federal government to act “urgently” to ensure Nunavut communities have clean drinking water and Nunavut Community and Government Services Minister David Joanasie was questioned on water quality by MLAs.

Joanasie said that the Nunavut Government was set to spend $127 million in multiple communities on water treatment plants and the federal government committed a $2 million investment for upgrades.

Three years for Inuit identity fraud

Karima Manji, right, leaves the Iqaluit courthouse in handcuffs after the first day of her sentencing for Inuit identity fraud. Three days later, she would be handed a three-year prison sentence. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)

Karima Manji was sentenced in June to three years in federal prison.

Manji is an “Indigenous pretender” who committed a crime against Nunavut Inuit and whose case must be a “signal” to any future “fraudsters,” Justice Mia Manocchio said in her sentencing.

The sentencing marked the end of a case that drew international attention.

In 2016, Manji submitted an application to Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. on behalf of her daughters Nadya and Amira Gill that helped them receive $158,254.05 in scholarships from the Kakivak Association, which provides funding to Baffin Inuit, and Qikiqtani Inuit Association.

With that support, the twins paid for their education at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.

Questions about the twins’ heritage started appearing on social media in March 2023. Soon after, NTI revoked the family’s beneficiary status and RCMP launched an investigation.

July of spills

People in Sanikiluaq went out onto the land to get away from the hamlet after a gas leak forced them to evacuate in July. There were reports that some elderly residents in the hamlet of 1,000 people were evacuated by plane to neighbouring communities. (File photo by Christina Mulhern, special to Nunatsiaq News)

Within seven days in July, three Nunavut communities saw spills of thousands of litres of fuel.

On July 20, a 7,000-litre diesel spill was reported in Pond Inlet; two days later, 4,800 litres of gasoline spilled in Sanikiluaq; and on July 25, Qulliq Energy Corp. reported a 7,000-litre diesel spill in Rankin Inlet.

In all three cases, no danger to the public was reported, but the smallest of those spills caused a stir in Sanikiluaq, the hamlet of 1,000 people.

Even though no state of emergency was declared, hundreds of residents moved away from the hamlet’s core area with some evacuating to the Nunavik village of Kuujuaraapik.

The government of Nunavut didn’t issue an official release on the situation until five hours after the spill was reported.

Nunavut’s then-deputy environment minister Yvonne Niego later defended the government’s communication in an interview with CBC, saying that very early on staff determined the spill was “low risk.”

They went home for lunch, and upon returning saw the community had evacuated, Niego said.