QIA funds $15M wellness centre in Igloolik
Hamlet leader says the building will be positive for the community
The Qikiqtani Inuit Association has announced $15 million to fund Igloolik’s future Saviruut Building, a drawing for which is seen here. Hamlet senior administrative officer John Ivey said the designs are “very impressive.” (Illustration courtesy of Qikiqtani Inuit Association)
A wellness centre planned for Igloolik’s core will be a positive addition to the community, says a hamlet leader.
Last week, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association announced $15 million for the Saviruut Building, which will house hamlet wellness initiatives and a federally funded early childhood development program.
“It’s good to see that we’re getting more infrastructure, because the need is there,” senior administrative officer John Ivey said in an interview with Nunatsiaq News.
The hamlet asked QIA to fund a wellness centre a few years before Ivey joined its administration.
The regional organization, responsible for just over 51 per cent of Nunavut’s Inuit population, allocated the money from its Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund.
QIA selected Arctic Fresh Projects Inc. as the contractor and expects materials to ship to the hamlet next year, said a news release issued last week by the Inuit organization.
Once built, the facility will support “initiatives that promote healing and the transfer of Inuit traditional knowledge and worldview to future generations,” said QIA spokesperson Markoosie Qaunirq.
It will also be home to the Aboriginal Head Start early childhood program, to which the Public Health Agency of Canada provided $3.2 million.
Ivey said he’s unsure when Arctic Fresh plans to complete the building.
“The blueprints are very, very impressive,” he added.
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