One new member elected to Tourism Association board

ODILE NELSON

David Annanack is the only new face on the Nunavik Tourism Association’s board of directors, after members returned six incumbents to the board’s seven elected positions at the organization’s annual general meeting last week.

The association’s board consists of nine members. Makivik Corporation appoints one, the Kativik Regional Government names another and the organization’s 57 constituents vote in the remaining seven board members on a bi-annual basis.

But this year, bad weather, the failure of the Quebec government to appear as expected and a trade show in the South caused light attendance at the Kuujjuaq meeting.

As a result, less than 20 members, including the outgoing board members, voted on the seven positions. Attendance at the association’s general meetings has typically hovered around 40 members.

Allen Gordon, executive director for the organization, said the association’s rules do not require a minimum turnout to elect the board.

“It was a low turnout but elections had to be held because the terms were up,” Gordon said. “There were members there.”

Tommy Cain Sr., Johnny May, and Junior May were all re-elected to their respective positions of president, vice-president and secretary/treasurer. Peter Duncan, Willie Etok and Bobby Snowball will also return as board members.

Only David Forrest, who served three previous terms on the board, was not re-elected.

Annanack, after losing to Cain in a bid for president and then to Johnny May in a run for vice-president, beat Forrest by one vote for the final board position.

Forrest said he was disappointed in the result but would seek re-election in two years.

“I was actually planning to cut down on some of the boards I was involved in but I wanted to stay on in this one because I enjoyed it and it was productive and I could see the movement with it,” Forrest said.

“I’m disappointed. I devoted a fair bit of energy to the board and I worked closely with the staff there. I’ll continue to support it and try again in a couple of years.”

Annanack has worked as a guide in Kangiqsualujjuaq since the mid-1990s. He now owns a hunting and fishing adventure camp on the Koroc River.

He said he would press the board to explore the Torngat Mountains for possible extreme skiing routes and to develop kayaking as an eco-tourism alternative across the region.

“I haven’t participated yet in NTA but I feel like I could do something to upgrade tourism in Nunavik,” Ananack said. “They’ve been concentrating on too many of the same areas [like the Ungava Coast]. Nunavik’s a very big area. They should look at [developing] other areas like Hudson Strait or Hudson Bay.”