Acclaimed Rankin Inlet municipal councillors discuss their priorities

Municipal elections will take place across Nunavut on Oct. 23.

In Rankin Inlet, there will be an election for mayor, but the seven candidates for the hamlet council and the district education authority have been acclaimed. There are eight councillor positions altogether.

Voters can vote on voting day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time at the Singiituq Community Hall. They can also contact Returning Officer Alma Ulayok to set up a mobile poll.

Given that Rankin Inlet is the second-largest community in Nunavut, and a hub for the Kivalliq region, CBC News reached out to the acclaimed council candidates to ask about their priorities. 

Read the answers from those who responded below.

Aside from them, Danny Kowmuk and Levi Curley were also acclaimed. Curley told CBC it's his first time as a councillor and he "just wanted to help out and change Rankin."

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Chris Eccles

Have you been a municipal councillor before? If so, how long and in which community?

I put my name forward last spring to join our hamlet council when a seat opened up.

Why do you want to declare yourself a council candidate this time around?

I decided to run again this fall to build on the work that the council had started. 

What do you see as your community's greatest challenge for council (mayor and councillors) to overcome?

Rankin is growing at a tremendous rate, and this has created a lot of opportunities, but also a lot of challenges. I see the most important job of our council is to help navigate our community through these challenges.

What are your top three priorities?

If I had to pick three areas that are important to me the first would be creating healthy recreational activities for our community. The heart of Rankin is in our arena, gyms and community hall. We need to make sure these activities continue to be as well organized and supported as before.

Another area that can be improved is the communication between the hamlet and the community. Community members need to be able to find out what is going on in our community. A strong and consistent radio station will go far in addressing this issue.

Finally, and most importantly, our community needs to look for ways to reduce the impact alcohol is having. Alcohol issues are beginning to overshadow all the positive things that are going on in the community, and this needs to change. 

Rankin has always been blessed with strong leadership. I hope to continue to serve our community and help to guide it on a path of sustainable, healthy growth, without losing any of our strong sense of community. 

Michael Shouldice

Have you been a municipal councillor before? If so, how long and in which community?

I have been a hamlet councillor for the past seven years. I wanted to run for council after I retired as I was not allowed to while being an employee of Nunavut Arctic College. Senior managers were not allowed to run for public office. I wanted to give back a little to the community which has given me so much.

Why do you want to declare yourself a council candidate this time around? 

This time around I wanted to run to complete some important projects which we have started.

What do you see as your community's greatest challenge for council (mayor and councillors) to overcome? What are your top three priorities?

The huge challenge for Rankin Inlet at this time is to continue to replace and grow the aging infrastructure. If we do not have simple things like water and sewage we cannot build new housing or attract the development of new businesses. We are going to receive many new housing units for homeownership and public housing and this cannot happen unless the infrastructure is improved. We need a new solid waste facility which will take us into the future of an ever growing community.

We are also facing an addictions crisis and must petition for and find more resources for our helping professions. We need an addictions treatment centre, counsellors, educational programs for the public and training programs at the college. In this time of healing from residential school and intergenerational trauma we must have increased resources and support services. 

Rankin also has an opportunity to go green and we are looking at wind technology and the like. We have been collecting data for three years now and it indicates we could save nearly 50 per cent on our diesel consumption to generate electricity.  

Rankin Inlet is a busy and growing community. We have many volunteers who bring sports and recreation to our young people and volunteers who operate our fire and ambulance service. We need to support and maintain these selfless individuals.

What traits do you have that you think make you a good leader for your community?

Being a councillor is a challenging job. Being informed and researching various subjects and being prepared to meet is something I work hard at doing.

What's a fun fact that people might not know about you?

I am 71 years old with one great granddaughter, three grandsons, two granddaughters and three adult children.

David Kakuktinniq Jr.

Have you been a municipal councillor before? If so, how long and in which community?

This will be my first term as a councillor in Rankin Inlet.

Why do you want to declare yourself a council candidate this time around?

I've been a long-time advocate of ideas and suggestions of how the community could grow and solve municipal issues, now I would like to see if I could contribute to the community more effectively.

What do you see as your community's greatest challenge for council (mayor and councillors) to overcome?

I see the economy becoming unsustainable, some might argue it is already unsustainable. I would like to see how the council and mayor can combat this crisis.

What are your top three priorities?

My top three priorities in no particular order are to mitigate the increasingly overfilled landfill, amplify and address the concerns of local residents, and improve the residential development system so locals can become homeowners.

What traits do you have that you think make you a good leader for your community?

I consider myself to be a problem solver, articulate, and an upstander. I think these traits will be an asset to contribute to the community of Rankin Inlet.

What's a fun fact that people might not know about you?

Aside from being passionate about the community, I do enjoy capturing the beauty of where we live through photography.

Art Sateana

Have you been a municipal councillor before? If so, how long and in which community?

No, I haven't been a councillor before.

Why do you want to declare yourself a council candidate this time around?

I felt this was the right time and a fun and new challenge

What are your top three priorities?

• Improving/replacing our aging utilidor system.

• Increasing communication between the council and the community for residents to be aware of what's happening. 

• Work to accomplish existing initiatives the previous council established.

What traits do you have that you think make you a good leader for your community?

I've always felt I have been approachable, proactive and have a strong sense of integrity. I have worked and collaborated with others to foster a sense of understanding amongst everyone involved.

What's a fun fact that people might not know about you?

I have travelled to every province and territory in Canada for both leisure and competitive sports.

Martha Hickes

Have you been a municipal councillor before? If so, how long and in which community?

Yes, I was first elected in the fall of 1995, and sat on council for 25 years in Rankin Inlet.

Why do you want to declare yourself a council candidate this time around?

I believe I am capable of carrying out the continuation of the work in our community and the people.

What do you see as your community's greatest challenge for council (mayor and councillors) to overcome?

The greatest challenge for council, is needing more land for infrastructure, to build more housing, to clean up our landfill, and the need for proper boat docking. Lack of funding is always a challenge for our community, we can do so much more if we had more funds to work with.

What are your top three priorities?

• Work closer with the GN on pressing issues such as gun safety, elders and children who need better care in Nunavut.

• Education system needs to upgrade, we are failing our youths. Hire more unilingual Inuit to teach our children Inuktut.

• Major cleanup the whole town and outside.

What traits do you have that you think make you a good leader for your community?

Since I've sat on some committees as a councillor, ie. economic development, personnel, recreation dept. and on the Meliadine Mine committee. These four departments are thriving and will do more for the community. I bring honesty and fairness to these worthwhile departments. I have strong leadership skills, I speak up for what is right, and am not timid of speaking out for my community.

What's a fun fact that people might not know about you?

I'm a jokester and a silly person, if you get to know me, I tell you, and you won't stop laughing. My mother always said, be happy in life, even if you're going through tough times and with that I try to carry that with me.