NNI Policy

NR 05-20B BER ENG Conciliator Announced.doc

(May 26, 2005 - Ottawa, Ontario) - Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. President Paul Kaludjak, the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Minster of State for Northern Development, and Premier of Nunavut, Paul Okalik, today announced the appointment of former Supreme Court of B.C. Justice Thomas Berger as Conciliator for the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Implementation Contract negotiations.

Mr. Berger, through his dual professional life in law and in the conduct of public inquiries, has fundamentally enhanced the concept and viability of self-government for Aboriginal Canadians since the 1960s. He served as justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia from 1973 to 1983. During that time, Mr. Berger headed many inquiries, including the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry. Mr. Berger also served as legal counsel on the Calder Case in 1973, which started the Canadian movement toward Aboriginal entitlement and land claims.

We are honoured that Mr. Berger agreed to take on the role of Conciliator. He is known nationally and internationally for the work he has done with Aboriginal people. I am confident he will help us resolve this impasse and work with integrity to ensure that Inuit in Nunavut soon begin to fully enjoy the benefits included in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, said NTI President Paul Kaludjak. “Realizing the goals and objectives of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, particularly in regard to the provision of education and training for Beneficiaries, is a priority for this government. We welcome the appointment of Mr. Berger and look forward to his impartial assistance in helping all parties to the NLCA realize the Agreement’s spirit and intent to benefit Nunavummiut and all Canadians,” said Premier Paul Okalik.

I am pleased that Mr. Berger has agreed to assist the parties in moving forward, said Minister of State Blondin-Andrew. Mr. Berger’s reputation speaks for itself. I have every confidence that his considerable knowledge and experience in Aboriginal rights and issues will build positive and durable relationships among the parties.
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The conciliator will assist the parties in resolving outstanding issues related to the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Implementation Contract negotiations, while improving and better defining long-term relationships among the parties. The conciliator will also make written recommendations to the parties as to the steps to be taken to address the relationship and to move forward to update the Contract.

When the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was signed in 1993, the Implementation Contract was also signed. This Contract guides implementation of the NLCA and sets out how much money the Government of Canada will provide to cover the costs of implementing the Agreement.

In addition, the Contract sets out a schedule of activities for ten-year periods to implement the NLCA. The first planning period, 1993 to 2003, expired on July 9, 2003.

NR 05-20 NEF ENG NEF Executive Director.doc

(May 24, 2005 — Iqaluit, Nunavut) Nunavut Economic Forum (NEF) President Monica Ell today announced that Iqaluit resident Glenn Cousins was selected as the organization’s new Executive Director.

Ell said Cousins was leaving behind a long career with the Northwest Company to take on the leading role in the Forum. He also has served recently as President of the Iqaluit Chamber of Commerce.

We are extremely pleased that Glenn has decided to join our team. He brings several years of sound financial management experience with him to this position. His skills are exactly what the Nunavut Economic Forum needs as we continue to establish and implement the priorities laid out in the Nunavut Economic Development Strategy, said Ell.

Nearly 40 different organizations belong to the Nunavut Economic Forum. Members include Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the federal and Nunavut governments, Inuit organizations, the Nunavut Association of Municipalities, chambers of commerce, the Nunavut Employees Union and some non-government organizations.

Glenn’s primary focus in the coming months will be to ensure NEF members take on the responsibilities required to implement the Strategy’s priorities. It is crucial that we keep this momentum going during this phase of building Nunavut’s economy, said Ell. I am confident he will accomplish this important task, and help make Nunavut the next economic powerhouse in Canada, she said.

The Nunavut Economic Forum was incorporated in 2004 by the various groups which had taken part in developing the Nunavut Economic Development Strategy in 2003. It serves as a forum on Nunavut economic development issues, and its main focus is implementation of the Strategy

The Nunavut Economic Forum will be holding its Annual General Meeting in Iqaluit on June 14.

For further information:

NR 05-19 SAR ENG Species At Risk.doc

(May 20, 2005 — Iqaluit, Nunavut) Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. 2nd Vice-President Raymond Ningeocheak today called on federal Environment Minister Stephane Dion to reverse his recommendation to list the Peary Caribou herd as endangered under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).

Ningeocheak made the statement shortly after Minister Dion’s intention was published in the Canada Gazette.

We were surprised to learn that Minister Dion plans to list Peary Caribou as an endangered species. His actions completely disregard the process set out in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, and we are demanding that he reverse his recommendation immediately and follow proper procedures, said Ningeocheak.

Ningeocheak said he knows Minister Dion is aware of the proper procedures for making SARA designations in Nunavut because the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board sent a letter to Minister Dion on April 26, 2005 outlining the necessary steps required by Article 5 of the NLCA. Article 5.3.3 of the NLCA spells out the criteria for decisions by NWMB and the Minister. NTI and NWMB were still awaiting a response to that letter when Minister Dion’s intention to list the species as endangered was published.

Our Land Claim is constitutionally protected and Government of Canada officials are required to follow it. They cannot make decisions that completely ignore the NLCA, he said.

Further, Ningeocheak said the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, which advises Minister Dion on SARA designations, is currently too far removed from Nunavut to be able to accurately assess the herd and advise the minister. The Committee still has not established their Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge Committee, and has based the recent decision solely on scientific information.

The herd is dispersed across the vast area of the High Arctic Islands, but the Committee and Minister Dion are basing their decision on just a small part of the population. We are in full support of the Inuit hunters in Grise Fiord and Resolute, and the considerable amount of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit they possess about the herd’s natural population fluctuations is not being considered in the assessment, said Ningeocheak. Until Minister Dion rethinks and reverses his recommendation, we will continue to examine NTI’s possible legal options.

For further information:

Kerry McCluskey
Director of Communications
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
Tel: (867) 975-4914
Cell: (867) 975-1337
Toll-free: 1-888-646-0006

NR 05-18 NTK ENG Hydro Project.doc

(May 12, 2005 - SANIKILUAQ, Nunavut ) - The impact of a massive hydro project on the marine environment near Sanikiluaq was ignored in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) says NTK, a joint working group looking into the implications of developments on Hudson Bay and James Bay.

Formed in 2002 NTK, or Nunavuummi Tasiujarjuamiuguqatigiit Katutjiqatigiingit, is the Nunavut Hudson Bay Inter-Agency Working Group that submitted an extensive report to the Federal and Territorial Review Panels on Hydro-Qu