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Aivilik — Nunavut Election 2017 candidate profiles

Two candidates go toe-to-toe Oct. 30 to represent Coral Harbour and Naujaat in the Fifth Legislative Assembly: Jack Iyerak Anawak and Patterk Netser.

 

Jack Iyerak Anawak

Reason for running:

Nunavut needs strong, decisive leaders who put the needs of the people first. Our communities feel they are not benefitting from Nunavut and decisions made in Iqaluit. With my experience and skills, I will be a strong voice for Coral Harbour and Naujaat to make sure our needs and concerns are addressed.

1. I am running to ensure our communities benefit from major construction projects. We see major projects in our communities, with most of the construction work going to fly-in workers. I will work to ensure that training programs and resources are available to every person in Aivilik to help them prepare for jobs. I will also work to ensure major contractors are honouring their commitments to hire local Inuit for projects in our communities. I am running to ensure projects in our communities are built by us.

2. I am running to ensure we are planning and preparing for economic opportunities. The Qilalugaq diamond deposit is a promising project on our doorstep, and we must begin to prepare now to take advantage of this opportunity. I want to make sure every person in Naujaat and Coral Harbour is prepared for career and business opportunities offered by resource development on our land. I am running to ensure our workers, our businesses, and our communities are ready to capitalize on opportunities when they arrive.

3. I am running to bring our elders home. For years, MLAs have been calling for an elders home in Nunavut. Instead, bureaucrats in Iqaluit have decided to send them to Ottawa. This is unacceptable. My mother was sent south when I was a child and I never saw her again. Now we are doing the same to our elders. I am running to put an end to this, and to bring our elders home.

Patterk Netser

Reason for running:

Improve quality of life for the two communities that I am running in by addressing the hamlets' aging infrastructure, snow fences, and push for more recreational facilities, such as indoor soccer field turf. Having proper indoor facilities will keep the children from getting into trouble.

Address housing rental scale for the working class. The working men and women are penalized for having meaningful employment by increasing their monthly rents. This is unacceptable. Also address critical housing shortage by re-introducing the homeowner's assistance program to those who can maintain a home but do not have the resources to build their own homes.

Polar bear management, push for a new harvest MOU that better reflects the numbers of bears in our region.
Community empowerment. Negotiate government contracts with local businesses to keep precious monetary funds within the communities.

The GN also needs to increase NLCA beneficiaries by direct appointments.

Medical travel is a fiasco for the region of Kivalliq.