QIA directs $46.8 million to projects in 4 communities

Inuit association approves funding projects in Iqaluit, Igloolik, Sanikiluaq and Pond Inlet at meeting Friday

Board members of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association vote in favour of a resolution approving $46.8 million in funding for five infrastructure projects at a general meeting in Iqaluit on Friday. (Photo by Meral Jamal)

By Meral Jamal

Qikiqtani Inuit Association plans to spend $46.8 million to fund five infrastructure projects across four communities over the next four years.

The organization is working with $79 million over four years that it received from the federal government’s Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund, which was part of the 2021 federal budget.

At QIA’s general membership meeting in Iqaluit Friday, its board approved the plan to fund the five following ongoing projects with that money:

  • $7 million for a renewable energy project focused on generating wind energy in Sanikiluaq;
  • $2.8 million for a microgrid project in Iqaluit that will power the Inuit-owned Aqsarniit Hotel and Conference Centre through solar energy;
  • $12 million to develop 40 acres of Inuit-owned land around the Aqsarniit hotel for affordable housing and social infrastructure projects;
  • $10 million for a regional training centre in Pond Inlet; and
  • $15 million to be spent on a multi-use facility in Igloolik to provide space for  the Aboriginal Head Start program and community wellness programs

The projects are at different stages of development and construction, and it all “just needs a bit of an influx of capital to be successful,” said QIA’s assistant executive director for infrastructure and development, Matthew Hamp.

For example, he said, the training centre in Pond Inlet has been in the works since 2018. Due to inflation, especially around construction costs during the pandemic, Hamp said it needed “some [more] money to make sure that we secure the project.”

Now that the spending was approved, Hamp said, construction on the training centre can begin later this year.

He said QIA is looking into infrastructure projects that can be funded with the approximately $30 million remaining, as part of its capital planning process.

It’s in the process of securing more funding in this year’s federal budget through the federal Indigenous fund, and has identified priority areas such as improvements in renewable energy, daycare and shelters, through a proposal it submitted in October.

“This is just the [initial amount] of money we received, so we identified projects that are currently ongoing,” Hamp told Nunatsiaq News.

As part of the 2021 federal budget, Minister of Northern Affairs Daniel Vandal announced $517.8 million for infrastructure projects across Inuit Nunangat as part of the government’s $4.3 billion Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund.

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the territorial organization for Nunavut Inuit, received $259 million from the $517.8 million. QIA’s $79 million came from the $259 million received by NTI.

 

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(23) Comments:

  1. Posted by Qikiqtaalumiuq on

    I am saddened that QIA is putting almost3 million to QC asset. I wish it went to a hunter warehouse/ workshop to work on hunting equipment etc…or even their vehicles.

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  2. Posted by Paul on

    Wow! That is very impressive, out of the three regional associations QIA seems to be ahead of the other regions.

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  3. Posted by Circus on

    That future training facility in Pond Inlet has been going on for almost 10 years.

    Baffinland used that for threats so many time. It was a political tool that kept giving without any results.

    Now the Federal funding is making it possible?

    I thought it was from IIBA that it would be built? Always something fishy with QIA. Do they ever fund anything straight from their own funds towards the people that they represent?
    Ladies and gentlemen I present to you the problem and you can see it in the picture, they are sitting in the front.

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  4. Posted by Way To Go QIA on

    I look forward to seeing the new Head Start and multi-use facility in Igloolik, the tiny building the daycare uses now must have a waiting list that can wrap around that building 3 times.

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  5. Posted by art thompson on

    There is really only one pot of money and thats the Federal Government tax dollars.
    There will never be any real economic activity here. The cash just slowly flows down to the various associations. There is nothing else happening.

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    • Posted by oh ima on

      It’s not tax dollars, and it’s land claims dollars from the Nunavut Agreement. There’s a big difference.
      With your attitude that there will never be any real economic development, just remember that a lot of multinationals take corporate welfare from the Government Of Canada, so if you have a problem with your so-called tax dollars, go after the giant corporation that gets huge tax breaks and government hand out while making record profits.

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      • Posted by facepalm on

        Federal Government Dollars = taxpayers money

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    • Posted by josywales on

      And where does all the billions go that are dug out Nunavut? All the stolen $$$$$ supports and built shiny new cities across the Atlantic and North America.

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      • Posted by facepalm on

        Ask QIA…

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  6. Posted by Bob Lee on

    $2.8 million to Aqsarniit hotel and only Sanikiluaq, Igloolik, Pond Inlet and Iqaluit out of 15 communities will benefit. On top of that, QC is trying to take away fisheries business from NFTC and NFTC provides funding to HTOs.

    Qikiqltaalummiut elected them or what’s worse, did not bother to vote so suffer the consequences of your actions/inactions.

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  7. Posted by Northern Guy on

    I love how they voted to fund a project for a hotel that the QIA owns! Does anyone else see the conflict of interest here?!?!

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    • Posted by oh ima on

      There is no conflict of interest! QIA owns QC, and part of its mission is to create economic and job opportunities for Inuit. If Nunavut didn’t have land claims, southern companies would go in and make as much money without creating jobs and opportunities. If you have a problem with Inuit trying to become economically independent, then move to another place.

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      • Posted by Northern Guy on

        I have a problem with an Inuit Organization receiving federal funding and then using that money to enrich themselves. There is absolutely no way that a QC owned enterprise should be considered for funding that is being allocated by the parent organization.

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        • Posted by Arctic guy on

          That’s your problem, still no conflict and perfectly fine with QIA and QC.

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          • Posted by Northern Guy on

            Because its “fine” with them doesn’t make it right or ethical. Way too much of this going on in Nunavut.

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        • Posted by Oh Ima on

          I’ll explain it to you how I would explain it to a six-year-old. There are no federal dollars, some of the funds come from the Nunavut Agreement, which is rightfully Inuit money, not the federal government. Some of the funds came from IIBA with various government and other resource development. The funds used are reinvested and the money stays in Nunavut instead of firms that take funds that were spent here and profit goes to companies outside of Nunavut. You still have a problem with that?

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          • Posted by Northern Guy on

            I think somebody needs to go back to school and learn how to read. The article clearly states that the funding comes from the Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund, which was part of the 2021 federal budget. THIS IS NOT LAND CLAIM IMPLEMENTATION MONEY. It is tax payer funded program dollars delivered through the annual budget.

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  8. Posted by In the meantime there is no daycares in some communities on

    There is sadly no leadership at this organization. Just figureheads provided with speaking notes read by the figureheads on the spot in most instances. No initiative to actually tackle the everyday problems faced in most communities. You get what you deserve for not showing up to vote on the popularity contest.

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    • Posted by Other problem too is on

      The other problem too is too many people holding their hands out looking for free money, free money for nothing. Just a lot of complaining with no solutions provided.
      Too much entitlement, not enough doers.
      If you want something you go out and work on it, just complaining holding your hand out will not do anything.

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    • Posted by GNer on

      Have you talked to your MLA?

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  9. Posted by Taxpayer on

    One of the reasons ordinary citizens are losing faith in our institutions is how many times announcements are made about the same money.

    The Feds first announced this in 2021. Then, NTI announced they had received it and allocated it last year to the RIAs. Now it gets down to individual projects with the recipient organization. In this case, the QIA.

    A casual observer over the past 2 years could easily be left with a strong impression there is triple the amount of money out there being spent. Each organization in turn wants the political credit for spending our hard earned dollars for us. And truly, there is very little credit due to an Org in accepting money on behalf of its members and deciding what to do with it.

    What they end up doing is muddying the waters. When it turns out there is a relatively small amount of money that is simply winding its way through the Nunavut bureaucracy, with nothing actually getting built yet, this creates cynicism and skepticism. We have seen this before many times on the housing front where the same $$ get announced several times.

    There should be some rules around funding announcements that support greater clarity for Nunavummuit in the future. This would go towards restoring credibility in our institutions.

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    • Posted by oh ima on

      no there isn’t triple the amount of money being spent. If a government announces funding, it’s not being paid three times. It’s a one-time federal funding announcement called tax dollar that will work for you.
      Nunavut Agreement was a signed deal that came with compensation that goes directly towards what is in agreement, money that is rightfully for Inuit of Nunavut for inherent rights that have not been properly defined yet. Instead of the Government of Canada working with Indigenous peoples to define inherent rights, they negotiate land claims (modern-day treaties). Get your facts straight before going off on how your tax dollars are wasted.

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    • Posted by New money on

      Maybe you are stuck with the Harper government, that government recycled so much old funding and paid more money with their Canada Action Plan commercials than the actual funding.

      All these new funds for the north are actually new funding, unlike what the cons did.

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