Two key Nunavut agencies get new bosses

Jamie Flaherty becomes acting president of Qulliq Energy Corp., while Rebecca Mearns is confirmed acting president of Nunavut Arctic College

Educator Rebecca Mearns will serve as acting president of Nunavut Arctic College, replacing Pauloosie Suvega, who will now serve as chief devolution negotiator for the Government of Nunavut, Premier Joe Savikataaq has announced. (File photo)

By Nunatsiaq News

Nunavut Premier Joe Savikataaq has named acting heads for two of the Government of Nunavut’s most important agencies: the Qulliq Energy Corp. and Nunavut Arctic College.

Jamie Flaherty, a veteran manager at the QEC who has most recently served as vice-president, is now the power utility’s acting president, Savikataaq announced on Friday, Sept. 4.

Flaherty replaces Bruno Pereira, who has served as QEC president since July of 2016.

The premier’s news release did not state why Pereira, who had previously worked for a power utility in Ontario, is departing the QEC.

Also, Savikataaq confirmed that educator Rebecca Mearns will serve as acting president of Nunavut Arctic College, replacing Pauloosie Suvega, who will now serve as chief devolution negotiator for the GN.

Suvega replaces veteran civil servant Simon Awa, who was appointed devolution negotiator by former premier Peter Taptuna.

“As we balance fighting the global COVID-19 pandemic with the long-term goals of the Turaaqtavut mandate, we have decided to re-focus efforts in some of our agencies,” Savikataaq said in the news release.

“We are committed to the on-going need for strong skills and post-secondary opportunities in-territory, as well as the work to finalize our devolution agreement and ensure Nunavut’s unique energy needs are met,” Savikataaq said.

Share This Story

(28) Comments:

  1. Posted by Name withheld on

    Please focus on the meeting the mandate required with the Article 23 and stick to your budget. With the amount of spending on contracts right now is not focusing in the future spending, Covid-19 prove that. Fill in those position by training Inuit right now

    • Posted by We Don’t Produce Enough on

      Difficult when Nunavut doesn’t even come close to producing enough educated people to staff NAC. The college will continue to need to hire out-of-territory for decades to come.

    • Posted by Jenni from the Block on

      Inuit need to be given the same bennefits as those from the south. Far too often I see friends hiring friends or family from the south. Peel back the cover and this is just the start. Nobody should be above the rules but what happens when nobody is there to enfore them.

      • Posted by Not Adequate on

        Sadly, we don’t produce anywhere near enough people with adequate education and experience to fully staff the college. Many positions are empty, and many others, from top to bottom, are filled with the not fully qualified.

        It is holding Nunavut back, but no one is willing to tackle it and raise standards as it would lower the number of Inuit employees.

    • Posted by Get Educated on

      If someone is not qualified for a job and not willing to get qualified, with every advantage Inuit have to get educated for free, then the job goes to someone who can get it done.

      • Posted by Dig Dig on

        The key word is if they can get it done. No sense having a southern hire around if they still can’t get the job done regardless of qualifications.
        If projects are still delayed and infrastructure costs increasing then why bother hire a southerner. They have to be motivated by something other than ligning their pocket and building their resume.

        • Posted by No Sense on

          No sense having any hire, northern, southern, beneficiary or non if they can’t get it done.

          If the projects aren’t getting done heads should roll, regardless of ethnicity.

          I’ve seen southern executives unceremoniously fired. I’ve never seen a beneficiary fired. Weak beneficiaries mostly get shunted to other jobs.

          Sometimes it works, sometimes they just do damage in a different place.

          • Posted by Thomas R on

            In response to No Sense:

            By fired do you mean let go with a sweet package?
            It’s not just weak beneficiaries mostly that get shunted to other jobs. I can think of plenty of non Inuit who were “demoted” to another department.

            You say in talking about Inuit “Sometimes it works, sometimes they just do damage in a different place”.

            Southerners who should be fired but are thanked for their service also do damage else where whether it is in Nunavut or another aborginal community. Most of the time the public just don’t hear about it.

            Thank you.

      • Posted by eskimo joe on

        This is a standard procedures for not hiring inuit; not qualilifed, not educated, an excuse. a way to hire from gn director’s province or relatives. this is going to be a permanent fixture because all the right ppl are now in right places to do this scheme…shame on you gn, this is a largest fleecing of gn so the right ppls of right part of Canada could benefit in everything and anything gn has to offer. screw the health and education of the ppl who call this territory a home, what sad part is that hiring is tilted to favour friends and relatives, they are now doing this with blinking an eye, so good, so smooth, looking so innocent.

  2. Posted by Kakee on

    Key agencies? Where was everyone when these were getting ugly? How bad does it have to get.

    Way to go Becky!

    • Posted by Ugly Fish on

      If you leave a piece of meat long enough in the sun it will start to fester until you can’t bear the smell. It will attract all sorts of rodents. Even when you toss the meat the smell is still there and then you still have a rodent problem.

      That’s what happens when things go neglected. You can’t just toss the meat and wash your hands of it.

      • Posted by Good luck Jamie on

        Roll up your sleeves my boy. It is time to get the scrub brush out and peraphs a new coat of paint.

        • Posted by Poka on

          Welcome back Jamie! You did the a fantastic job before when you were made CEO. I believe staff morale was an all time high. We look forward to the changes you make to improve the culture. Please don’t take duties lightly.

          My only question is why are the changes so sudden that only acting staff can be put in place?

          As this government wraps up the end of its mandate it would be nice to see increased transparency.

          • Posted by Ugly Fish on

            That’s what I would like to know. Why the sudden change with only an acting person put in place.
            I look forward to our fantastic local MLAs following up with some much needed questions in the fall sitting.

            • Posted by Asking for a friend on

              Do anyone know if a Minister shakeup usually comes with a major change like this? Or would that be announced separately?

              • Posted by #metoo on

                I look forward to the long overdue session so we can see our leaders stand and defend their actions. If anyone wants to break out from the pack and stand out before the next election now would be the time to do it.

    • Posted by Our People on

      If you’re the person in charge and have been turning a blind eye you are the problem.

      What does it say when Inuit refuse to speak out for themselves? It says they feel powerless.

      Why are those being paid to represent us silent? Because we allow it.

      This is why we continue to have the same conversations year after after. Get out and vote, join a demonstration or write a letter. Better yet, run in an election. There are young and progressive leaders pushing out the old and making poistive changes. They are not afraid to speak out and neither should you. We only need to look at the Inuit organizations to see where change is really happening.

  3. Posted by okay on

    The government can do for more for these roving executives because they must have some impressive education, amazing experiences; and sold accomplishments. These people are always called to fix problems but never giving the proper respect by a decent introduction to the public and to their new subordinates. There are many examples of how to do professional HR announcements. Something like – we are please to announce the appointment of such and such, such and such comes highly qualified and accomplished with…. degrees…designations…experiences…accomplishments and achievements, etc. Please give them some credits, so other people can aspire to be like them.

    • Posted by Depends, Doesn’t It? on

      Yes, if the accomplishments exist. If the resumes are thin on the other hand, then you wouldn’t take the approach that you suggested.

    • Posted by Okay? on

      Amazing experiences and a fancy resume is important but none of that matters if they treat their employees terrible.

      At the end of the day we count on the linecrew who are called out in all sorts of conditions to ensure we have lights and a warm home. Let’s give some recognition to the mechanic crew that fly out a moments notice leaving their own familiy obligations behind to repair an engine in Resolute. Think of the customer service staff who miss their children’s first day of school so that you can pay your bill or transfer your account. The staff who use their lunch breaks to run bank deposits.
      Let’s give the workers some credit and ensure they have the support of the senior staff to do their jobs effectively and with respect and appreciation.

      • Posted by I see you. on

        You raise an excellent point about the treatment of staff.

        Thank you QEC staff for all your dedicated years of service in all sorts of rough and challenging conditions.

  4. Posted by Amen to this! on

    My previous boss use to give a speech about ensuring that the decisions and actions you make in goverment or in any job should be done in such a way that you would not feel ashamed to have them show up on the front page of paper.

    Many years later, in a world where everyone has a cell phone with a camera and information travels fast on social media his words are louder than ever.

  5. Posted by Christina on

    Let’s hope that the HR department at QEC is next for a makeover.

    • Posted by Name withheld on

      I like to see the same for NAC HR,

      I think the GN has to budge in and see if the QEC, NAC and NHC are living up to their standards

      • Posted by Pot calling the kettle black on

        Someone needs to look at the GN new HR Department too! They are the most dysfunctional of all. The blind leading the blind.

        • Posted by Action over words on

          You can have all the right words but if the action is not there the words mean absolutely nothing.

    • Posted by Reply to Christina on

      I hope the next CEO is up to task for all the changes that need to be made and will make a huge difference.

      • Posted by Billy on

        Ppl are mad about treatment at the plant, boarding home, now the dental office. We just sit around and talk about it and nobody helps. I would like to see more folks get unvolved to change these here things.

Comments are closed.