Latest news with #QikiqtaniInuitAssociation
CBC
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
8 mushers cross the finish line at the Nunavut Quest
Eight mushers competing in the Nunavut Quest crossed the finish line in Igloolik on Wednesday. The Nunavut Quest, also known as Pangaggujjiniq, is a dog sled race from Pond Inlet to Igloolik that takes place each spring. This year, competitors took eight days to complete the 500-kilometre journey. The participants in this year's race were Donovan Qaunaq, Tom Naqitarvik, Isaac Irngaut, Joshua Qiliqi Ivalu, Jinneal Nanuraq Uttak, Lee Inuarak, Daniel Inuarak and Aiden Qaunaq. Lew Phillip, one of the spectators, travelled from Iqaluit to Igloolik to see the dog teams cross the finish line. "The whole trip was all whiteout everyday while travelling…. Some areas also have a lot of deep snow," Phillip said. Whiteout conditions forced mushers to stay at camp and rest on Sunday and Monday, but they were met with clear skies in Igloolik when they arrived at the finish. Jinneal Nanuraq Uttak crossed the finish line first, but the official results still need to be verified. The winner will be announced on Friday night at the closing ceremonies, which will also include games and a hukki, or square dance competition. Shanshan Tian has been the timekeeper for the race for the past three years. She's responsible for determining the final results. "I'm gonna have to do some time crunching and adding bonus times and penalty times, but yeah, it was an incredible race. Everyone raced incredibly well." The winner will take home $20,000 in prize money. There is also a $15,000 prize for second place, and $10,000 for third. The Qikiqtani Inuit Association provides the prize money using funding from the Qikiqtani Truth Commission. Tian says the race is about so much more than taking home the prize money. The Nunavut Quest is unique, she says, because it brings together generations of people. "In the end it really is just a time for people to be together and to be on the land, to share stories, to heal, to be with one another, friends and family from different communities," Tian said.
CBC
15-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Nunavut Quest competitors set off from Pond Inlet
Eight mushers started the Nunavut Quest dog sled race on Tuesday – a journey from Pond Inlet to Igloolik that's expected to take them each a week to complete. The Qikiqtani Inuit Association uses revitalization funding from the Qikiqtani Truth Commission for the prize money for all eight mushers: this year the top prizes are $20,000 for the first place winner, $15,000 for second and $10,000 for third. The participants this year are Donovan Qaunaq, Tom Naqitarvik, Isaac Irngaut, Joshua Qiliqi Ivalu, Jinneal Nanuraq Uttak, Lee Inuarak, Daniel Inuarak and Aiden Qaunaq. The race got underway at 1:30 p.m. Quvvaqtaaq Inuarak is an elder helping out with the race this year. He'll be guiding mushers from a snowmobile – a job he says is important.
CBC
28-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Ottawa announces $270M agreement for Inuit-led conservation efforts in Arctic
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a $270-million agreement for jobs and conservation projects in the Qikiqtani region of Nunavut. At a news conference Thursday in Montreal, Trudeau said the deal includes $200 million from the federal government and $70 million pledged by donors in Canada and elsewhere. The investment is projected to attract $318 million over 15 years to the region, which is home to about 20,000 people in 13 communities. "When we invest to protect (and) safeguard biodiversity, we protect those who protect us, our environment and our livelihoods," Trudeau told reporters. The federal money is part of an $800-million envelope announced in 2022 for Indigenous-led conservation initiatives, and it follows similar projects established last year in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. The Sinaa Agreement — sinaa means the edge of the ice floe in Inuktitut — announced Thursday includes a network of proposed Inuit-led water and land conservation areas in the Arctic region. It adds 3.7 per cent to the portion of Canada's oceans under conservation, a number Trudeau said has risen significantly under his tenure as prime minister. "When I first became prime minister almost 10 years ago, less than one per cent of Canada's oceans were protected. We're now nearing the 17 per cent mark," he said, adding that the government's goal is to protect 30 per cent of Canada's oceans by 2030. At the news conference, Trudeau said the deal supports "Inuit-led conservation initiatives to ensure the long-term health of northern environments. In so doing, we are also building an economy based on conversation, creating jobs where Inuit knowledge will be leveraged and valued to protect northern ecosystems and investing in community infrastructure." Trudeau was joined in Montreal by Olayuk Akesuk, president of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, whose group is part of the Sinaa Agreement, which also involves the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Aajuraq Conservation Fund Society. Akesuk says the deal shows that Indigenous peoples can work together to set an example for the world. "We can run conservation areas, whether that's in the ocean or on land. And I'm thankful for the opportunity. This is a big milestone for us." The conservation projects, he added, "will create employment opportunities for us and every community in the Baffin region." As well, Ottawa says the Fisheries Department signed an agreement with the Qikiqtani Inuit to provide undisclosed funding over 10 years for access to fisheries, boats, gear and training.
