Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
The road will be coming, maybe in our lifetime! (Maclean's/Toronto)
Quebec considers building a road to the isolated Inuit region
For the 12,000 residents of Nunavik, the Inuit region that spans the northern third of Quebec, getting out of town is a major undertaking. With no roads linking the 500,000-sq.-km territory to the rest of the province, a trip south requires a plane ride, which can cost upward of $2,000. But that could change: Quebec is considering extending the provincial road network to several Nunavik communities—a move that would “have a drastic impact socially,” says Raymond Mickpegak, mayor of Kuujjuaraapik, an Inuit village on Hudson’s Bay. “It will open North America to us.”
According to Transports Québec official Denis Blais, the province began seriously exploring building a road last May, at the behest of community leaders in Whapmagoostui, the Cree village that abuts Kuujjuaraapik. If it goes ahead, Blais says the project, which would bridge the 250-km gap to the twin Inuit-Cree communities, could cost up to $300 million. But Nunavik residents remain skeptical: “It’s over 15 years that I’m living here,” says Claude Depars, bar manager at the Auberge Qilalugak Resto-Pub in Whapmagoostui, “and it’s over 15 years that I’ve heard about the road coming soon.”
While many in the region are excited about the prospect of more affordable travel and a lower cost of living—food and supplies, which must be shipped by barge or plane, are marked up accordingly—there is concern about drugs and alcohol. “I know it’s in the community already,” says Mickpegak, “but with a road, the door’s going to be wide open.” If the plan goes ahead, he says checkpoints should be put in place to “control what’s coming in.”
For the foreseeable future, however, cars and trucks won’t be travelling in or out of Nunavik: a pre-feasibility study is slated to wrap up in 2010, but according to Blais, even if the proposal goes forward, it will be at least four years before construction can begin.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Service Canada opens new centre for Quebec's Inuit community
Service Canada has opened a new service centre in Kuujjuaq, located in northern Quebec, to better serve the needs of the Inuit population in Nunavik, Quebec, according to a statement issued by the federal agency.The centre was prompted by a service request from the Makivik Corporation, which represents the interest of the Inuit people in Nunavik, said Service Canada's director of service strategy for Aboriginal and Inuit People, Jacques Legris.
"We work together with them to make sure that we could provide better services to their communities," said Legris. "It's for all the people living in Nunavik, but of course the Inuit are the most numerous of people living in Nunavik."
The services that Nunavik residents can now access through the Service Canada Centre include information on programs and services through the canada.gc.ca Web site, apprenticeship grants, and information on Canadian force and RCMP recruitment.
"An interesting part of that office is we have a 'hoteling' section where other federal departments and agencies who visit Inuit territory will be able to work in that office," said Legris. Hoteling refers to the use of office space on an as-needed basis, like a hotel room.
Legris said in addition to the office space, they will also provide computers, phone lines and meeting rooms, to ensure that other federal departments can come to Nunavik and provide their programs and services there.
"Citizens will also be assisted with using the Internet and there will be assistance with electronic transactions," said Legris. One example, she said, is helping them learn how to complete passport applications online.
Service Canada currently has four ways of serving Canadian citizens: through the Internet, in-person, by phone, and by mail, he said.
"We're trying to upgrade our Web services to make sure that people don't have to travel to our office to have the services they want…we're also continuously improving our Web site and the way in which citizens can conduct transactions with the federal government," Legris said.
The Service Canada exec noted that while communities in northern Quebec are very remote and isolated, they have access to the Internet so they have the capability to access the information that they need.
"The added value of the office in Kuujjuaq is we have hired Inuit people to work there so that people can be served not only in French and English but also in Inuktitut," said Legris. "So the elders that do not speak our official languages can address their requests in their native tongues, that's an added value."
Service Canada will be conducting studies on how it can effectively respond to the needs of the other communities in Nunavik, Legris said.
Hours of service Mon to Fri from 8:30am to 4:00pm
Phone 1 866 351-6278
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Everyone's world is a little bit bigger (5-18-10 Montreal Gazette)
In April, 15 Royal West Academy students went to Salluit, near the Hudson Strait. Last week, 16 students from the Inuit town's Ikusik School visited Montreal"I like the bigness," Putulik Saviadjuk says about Montreal. Saviadjuk, 17, lives in Salluit, Quebec's second-northernmost community. His hometown, located on the Sugluk Inlet near the Hudson Strait, has a population of 1,350.
Saviadjuk is one of 16 students from Salluit's Ikusik School who visited Montreal last week as part of an exchange program with Royal West Academy in Montreal West. In April, 15 Royal West students spent nine days in Salluit.
All the students' worlds got a little bigger.
This was Irsutuk Kadjulik's first trip outside Nunavik. He never stopped looking out the airplane window on all four flights it took to get to Montreal. His favourite part of the visit wasn't the day trip to Ottawa (not even when a fire alarm went off at Parliament and the students got to meet NDP leader Jack Layton and Alouettes star Anthony Calvillo) or zip-lining in Rigaud; it was going for a swim at Bain Émard, a public pool in Ville Émard. It was the 15-year-old's first time in a pool.
"I'd like to go again," he said.
Though Royal West student Megan Wade-Darragh, 13, ate raw caribou and beluga in Salluit, she was surprised by how much she and her new Inuit friends had in common.
"Before we went, there were lots of stereotypes. But when we got there, we realized they have the same interests and hobbies as us. The girls watch Gossip Girl, and we all love hockey," she said.
Until he saw it for himself, the Hudson Strait was just a place on the map for Royal West student Dylan Macdiarmid, 14.
"That was when I realized we were somewhere else,' he said. "Montreal is my world. But that's when it hit me - this is somebody else's world."
James Walker, a Royal West graduate who has been teaching in Salluit since 2008, came up with the idea for the exchange. Funding came mostly from the Society for Educational Visits and Exchanges in Canada, although students at both schools raised funds to offset costs. Walker managed to turn fundraising activities into a lesson.
"My students sold sandwiches and muffins at lunch. They calculated profit margins," he said.
Irsutuk Padlayat, 13, stayed with Dylan's family in Notre Dame de Grâce. Irsutuk enjoyed beaver tails at the Old Port, but he can't understand why Montrealers make such a fuss about hot dogs. Irsutuk admits he got a little homesick.
"We left on Mother's Day and I missed my father's birthday."
Salluit has only two grocery stores and a small convenience store. So like many of the Ikusik students, Irsutuk did some shopping in Montreal. He found presents for both his parents - a red skirt for his mom and a T-shirt for his dad.
Students also collaborated on an art project that will be divided and displayed at both schools. Royal West students used mostly collage to create a maple leaf. Their artwork included references to life in Montreal, such as the symbol for the métro and an image of the city skyline. Ikusik students made a three-dimensional inukshuk (a figure of a human), decorating it with miniature caps they had knit and their own soapstone carvings.
Also on last week's agenda was a stop at Dawson College. "I wanted them to see a CEGEP so they'd know what to expect," Walker said.
Saviadjuk is the youngest of 15 siblings. He hopes to be the first in his family to attend CEGEP: "My parents really want me to go."
Now when he returns to Montreal for CEGEP, he'll have plenty of friends in the city.
Saviadjuk would like to study astronomy. "The stars are more beautiful in Salluit," he says.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Relocation of Nunavik House worries some residents in Villeray
BREAKING NEWS
A serious setback for the relocation of Nunavik House
CBC FRENCH (RADIO CANADA)
News from the CBC (SRC) website thats concerns the proposed relocation of Nunavik House to Villeray. This is already on of the poorest districts in Canada and community leaders are concerned that new proposed center where there use to be a chinese hospital will add more social problems to an area that already has a lot to contend with. It is still too early to tell but this will likely delay the relocation if the borough mayor disaproves.
Read the full story (en francais)
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Montreal/2010/05/10/008-centre-inuits-villeray.shtml
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Montreal Area
Police planning major crackdown in N.D.G South
MONTREAL — We have recently learned of new developpements about the continuing problems in a neighbourhood we have closely monitored for several months because of it's proximity to Nunavik House. Recent complaints by residents and visitors to lower Notre-Dame de Grace have prompted police to increase patrols in the neighbourhood. Residents have been complaining for years about the increasing drug and crime problem in the area. Minors as young as 16 are now able to purchase alcohol at a local corner store on Upper Lachine road. The same outlet was involved in a sting a few years ago for selling dope from their location. One elderly lady that has lived in the area for over 20 years has also addressed these issues to local borough mayor Michael Applebaum. She told us she doesn't go out anymore at night. We were unable to reach Mr. Applebaul for comment but a combination of factors have lead some residents to take matters into their own hands. The Montreal Gazette is closely following events in this neighbourhood after a man with close ties to the mafia was gunned down on Upper Lachine road last winter.
On Grand boulevard adjacent to Nunavik House, it has been routine for Nunavimmiut to purchase drugs of all kinds from several dealers living in the area. In one afternoon in april, a former staff at the center that chose to remain anonymous was able to count dozens of people of various ages including what were most surely persons under 18 and some Nunavimmiut purchasing narcotics in a medium size apartment building behind the module. She lost a brother to drug problems a few years ago and decided to contact our publication about what can be done. This is all happening just a few steps from Nunavik House where most Montreal Nunavik patients are housed during hospital visits. Staff are well aware of what happens on Grand Boulevard and many patients frequent the neighbourhood, it leads to a lot of patients missing appointments or early flights back home.
This area of NDG of has approximately 9 bars along a notorious stretch of St-Jacques boulevard largely controlled by the mafia and organised crime. Nunavik House will be moving in a few months to what will be a much safer neighbourhood. A site has been chosen but some details will come in an official announcement that we will feature in this publication.
As this NDG story continues to unfold, we will bring you regular updates on this website and in the NDG FREE PRESS
Additional research provided by NDG FREE PRESS
Quebec Inuit Off-Grid Community Support Hydro Project to Replace Diesel Electricity
OTTAWA, May 6 - The Inuit community of Inukjuak located on the shores of northern Hudson's Bay has voted in support of replacing dirty diesel-generated electricity with clean hydro power. "For the last 5 years we have been working hard to develop the Innavik Hydro Project", said Eric Atagotaaluk, President of the Pituvik Landholding Corporation (Pituvik). "Our people believe that clean energy is economic and environmentally-friendly, and Inuit leadership of the project can produce a range of social benefits for Inukjuak over the long term".
The Innavik Project is planned as a 7.5 Megawatt, run-of-river facility located 10 kilometers from the community, on the Inukjuak River. The site is located on Category 1 lands that are managed by Pituvik, under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) on behalf of Inuit and other residents of Inukjuak. Innavik, in Inuktitut means: a pouch in which one would keep a stone flint and moss to start a fire.
On March 22nd - 26th a formal vote on the project was held after several weeks of intensive consultations, information sessions, radio call-in shows and community meetings. 83.2% (540) of voters supported the project, and 17.8% (109) were opposed (5 ballots were spoiled). Of 914 total eligible voters in the community, 654, or 71.6%, cast ballots.
"We've made major investments in the Innavik Project, and done our homework", said Mr. Atagotaaluk. "We've followed a prudent, step-by-step process. First we conducted a review of potential hydro sites near the community. Then we completed a Pre-Feasibility Study of the Innavik Site". In the last 12 months, a comprehensive Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) have been finalized. Bottom line, the project is technically feasible, can be developed while protecting the environment, and is economically-competitive relative to diesel fuel."
The project will also supply enough power to replace oil-based space and water heating, which is a real plus. Financial support for the project so far has been provided by Pituvik, project partners, and the government of Canada (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions) and the Kativik Regional Government.
Making the Innavik Project a reality requires an agreement with Hydro Quebec for the supply of power to the community. The provincial utility has the mandate to ensure that electricity supply is safe, reliable and cost-effective. Mr. Atagotaaluk emphasized: "Pituvik is very appreciative of Hydro Quebec's openness to consider the Innavik Project". He added: "The fact that hydro power is proven, and will reduce diesel fuel consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG), is totally supportive of the Quebec government's policies on northern development, climate change and sustainable development."
Pituvik is assembling the partnership to take the project forward. The highly-qualified Montreal-based engineering firm Groupe RSW has been on board since day one, as has Lumos Energy, Canada's principal clean energy advisor to Aboriginal communities.
"Financing the project will be a challenge", said Mr. Atagotaaluk. "We have been in discussions with Public Private Partnerships (P3) Canada to secure project financing, and are opening discussions with the government of Quebec and Makivik Corporation." The project will be implemented through a public-private partnership including an open bidding process. PLC Board members are presenting the project to an economic summit being hosted by Makivik Corporation in Kujuak, Quebec in early April, 2010.
The Pituvik Board of Directors made the following statement as it approved the Innavik project going to the construction stage based on the community vote. "The Inuit residents of Inukjuak believe that the Innavik Project is a smart, environmentally-friendly and economic, clean energy solution for our remote community. By making an investment in renewable hydro power, we will establish a stronger foundation for sustainable development for Inukjuak, and a better future for our children and grandchildren".
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
De jeunes hockeyeurs du Nunavik en visite à Lachine
L’Arrondissement de Lachine et l’Association de hockey de Lachine ont invité la délégation de Salluit à une partie amicale contre les Rapides Bantam A. Le maire Claude Dauphin et le conseiller Bernard Blanchet y ont fait la mise en jeu protocolaire.
Une équipe de jeunes hockeyeurs de la région du Nunavik, dans le Grand Nord québécois, spécifiquement du village de Salluit, était de passage récemment à Lachine.
Ces jeunes Inuits ont participé à un tournoi scolaire, à l’aréna Martin-Lapointe, dans le quartier Saint-Pierre, le 19 mars dernier, tournoi qu’ils ont gagné. «Ces jeunes viennent d’une région très isolée, loin de toute grande civilisation, affirme le porte-parole de l’Association de hockey de Lachine, Claude Chevillon. Ils ont démontré beaucoup de détermination et de courage, malgré leur manque d’équipement et d’articles de sport».
C’est pourquoi Yvan Bibeau, bénévole à l’AHL, et Sylvain Girard, responsable des sports au Collège Sainte-Anne, ont sollicité des fournisseurs afin de pouvoir équiper ces jeunes, membres d’une organisation parrainée par un ancien joueur du Canadien, Gaston Gingras, et par l’entraîneur-chef Richard Doyon. Des contributions ont ainsi été faites par plusieurs personnes et établissements, tels que Rousseau Sport, Boutique Marc Jacques Sport, l’Association de hockey de Lachine et plusieurs parents de jeunes hockeyeurs de Lachine. «Ce fut un franc succès, malgré le délai très court», a ajouté M. Chevillon.
À la suite de ce tournoi, l’Arrondissement de Lachine et l’Association de hockey de Lachine ont invité la délégation à une partie amicale contre les Rapides Bantam A, sous la direction de l’entraîneur Robert Bourassa. Claude Dauphin, maire de l’arrondissement, et Bernard Blanchet, conseiller d’arrondissement, y ont fait la mise en jeu protocolaire.
Après le match, une réception a eu lieu au cours de laquelle «la reconnaissance de ces jeunes sportifs venus du Grand Nord fut touchante», a conclu Claude Chevillon.
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