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Hᐊᒻᓚᒃᑯᑦ ᓈᒻᒪᒃᓴᙱᑦᑐᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᓕᐅᕈᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᒥᒃ ᑎᒥᒥᒍᑦ ᐊᔪᕈᑎᓖᑦ ᐃᒡᓗᖓ ᑳᓐᑐᕌᒃᑖᕈᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᓄᕙ ᓯᑯᓴᒥᐅᓄᑦ ᑲᒻᐸᓂᒧᑦ

Harry Towtongie
‘We’ll have no hold on our region or our community,” says Rankin Inlet Mayor Harry Towtongie. photo courtesy of Noel Kaludjak

ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥ ᒪᐃᔭ Hᐊᕆ ᑕᐅᑐᙱ ᑲᑕᒃᑎᕆᔪᖅ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᑳᓐᑐᕌᒃᒥᒃ ᑐᓂᓯᓂᐊᕐᒪᑕ ᓄᕙ ᓯᑯᓴᒥ ᑲᒻᐸᓂᒋᔭᐅᔪᒧᑦ ᑲᒪᔨᐅᖁᓗᒋᑦ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥ ᑎᒥᒥᒍᑦ ᐊᔪᕈᑎᓖᑦ ᐊᖏᕐᕋᖓᓂᒃ.

“ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒧᑦ ᑐᕌᖓᓂᖅᓴᐅᔪᖅ ᑳᓐᑐᕌᒃ ᐊᐅᓚᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᖅ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒧᑦ,” ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇ ᐅᖃᖅᖢᓂ. “ᓄᓇᓕᐅᑉ ᓯᓚᑖᓂ ᑲᒻᐸᓂᒨᙱᑦᑐᖅ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᙱᑦᑐᓄᑦ. ᐱᐅᓂᖅᐹᖑᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ ᑲᒻᐸᓂᐅᓗᑎᒃ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᙱᓐᓇᑉᑎᒍᑦ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑕᐃᑉᑯᐊ ᑕᐃᑲᓂ ᐃᒡᓗᖃᖅᑐᑦ ᑕᐃᑉᑯᓂᙵ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᙱᑦᑐᑦ. ᑕᐃᑉᑯᐊ ᒫᓐᓇ ᓴᓇᔨᒋᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᙱᑦᑐᑦ ᓴᓇᔪᓐᓃᖅᑎᑕᐅᓂᐊᕐᒪᖔᕐᒥᒃ.”

ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥ Hᐊᒻᓚᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᓯᒪᓕᖅᑐᑦ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥ ᐃᓐᓇᐅᓂᖅᓴᑦ ᑎᒥᒥᒍᑦ ᐊᔪᕈᑎᓖᑦ ᐃᒡᓗᖁᑎᖓᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᔾᔪᔾᔨᑉᓗᑎᒃ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓚᒌᒃᑐᓕᕆᔨᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᕐᕕᓂᓕᖕᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖑᓕᖅᑐᓂᒃ, ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇ ᐅᖃᖅᖢᓂ.

ᐅᖃᒃᑲᓐᓂᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᒪᐃᔭᒋᔭᐅᔫᑉ ᑎᑎᕋᕐᕕᖓ ᐃᒪᓐᓇ: “ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑲᒪᒋᔭᐅᓲᑦ ᑕᐃᑲᓂ ᑎᒥᒥᒍᑦ ᐊᔪᕈᑎᓖᑦ ᐃᒡᓗᖃᑎᖓᓂᒃ ᑲᒪᒋᔭᐅᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖅᓴᒻᒪᕆᐊᓘᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ Hᐊᒻᓚᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᐅᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᓇᖢᓇᐃᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᔭᐅᖅᑳᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐱᐅᓯᕚᓪᓕᕐᓂᕋᖅᑕᐅᓚᐅᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑕᐅᓂᖓ ᐅᑭᐅᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᔾᔨᕐᓇᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑕᑯᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅᖢᒋᑦ 7−ᖑᔪᑦ ᑕᐃᑲᓂᕐᒥᐅᑕᑦ. ᐊᖏᕐᕋᕆᔭᐅᔪᒥ ᓴᓇᔨᖃᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᓴᓇᐃᓐᓇᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᓚᐅᐱᓪᓚᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᓂᒃ 14-ᖑᑉᓗᑎᒃ ᓴᓇᔨᒋᔭᐅᓲᑦ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥᐅᑕᑦ.

ᑳᓐᑐᕌᒃᖑᔪᖅ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔾᔪᑎ ᐃᒡᓗᖁᑎᒋᔭᐅᔪᒥᒃ ᐃᓚᒋᐊᖅᑕᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᖃᑉᓰᑲᓪᓚᒃᖢᓂ. ᑭᖑᓪᓕᖅᐹᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᐊᖅᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᓱᓕᕝᕕᒃᓴᖃᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ ᒫᑦᓯ 31-ᒥ, ᑲᔪᓯᔪᖅ.

Hᐊᒻᓚᒃᑯᑦ ᐅᑕᖅᑭᔪᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓚᒌᒃᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᐊᓂᒃᓯᔪᓐᓇᖁᑉᓗᒋᑦ ᓅᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐸᕐᓇᐅᑎᒥᒃ ᓄᑖᒧᑦ ᑳᓐᑐᕌᒃᒧᑦ, ᑲᔪᓯᔪᖅ.

“ᐃᓱᒪᓚᐅᕋᓗᐊᕋᑉᑕ ᐱᓕᕆᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᐊᓘᓇᓱᒋᑉᓗᑕ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐃᑦᑖᖑᒐᓗᐊᖅ ᑳᓐᑐᕌᒃᖃᔾᔮᕈᓐᓃᕋᑉᑕ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᑦᑐᒥᒃ,” ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇ ᐅᖃᖅᖢᓂ ᑕᐅᑐᙱ.

“ᑕᐃᒪᑐᖅ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᐊᖅᐳᑦ ᐃᓱᒫᓘᑎᖃᕋᑉᑕ ᑕᒪᑐᒥᙵ,” ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇ ᐅᖃᖅᖢᓂ ᑕᐅᑐᙱ. “ᐃᓱᒫᓘᑎᖃᓗᐊᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᑦᑐᖃᕋᔭᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᓴᒥ. ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᓂᓯᖃᑦᑕᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᐊᖅᐸᑕ ᑳᓐᑐᕌᒃᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᙱᑕᑉᑎᓐᓄᑦ, ᑎᒍᒥᐊᕈᓐᓇᔾᔮᙱᑦᑐᒍᑦ ᑭᕙᓪᓕᕐᒥ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᓄᓇᑉᑎᓐᓂᒃ.”

ᑕᐅᑐᙱ ᐅᖃᖅᖢᓂ ᓄᓇᕗᒥ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖃᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᑲᔫᑎ ᐸᐸᑦᑎᔪᒪᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᒪᓕᒐᖓ ᐃᑲᔪᕆᐊᖃᕐᒪᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖁᑎᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᑳᓐᑐᕌᒃᓂᒃ ᐆᒃᑐᖃᑦᑕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐆᒃᑐᖃᑎᖃᕌᖓᑕ ᖃᑉᓗᓈᓂᙶᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᑲᒻᐸᓂᓂᒃ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᑐᕌᖓᙱᑦᑐᖅ Hᐊᒻᓚᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᖁᑎᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ.

ᒪᓕᒃᖢᒍ ᑲᒻᐸᓂᒋᔭᐅᔫᑦ ᐃᑭᐊᖅᑭᕕᖓ, Shift-ᑯᑦ ᑎᒥᙳᖅᑎᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ 2011-ᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ “ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᐅᔪᑦ ᓴᓇᔨᖃᖅᖢᑎᒡᓗ ᐱᔭᕆᐊᑐᔪᓂᒃ ᑲᒪᒋᔭᐅᔭᕆᐊᓕᖕᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᖕᓂᒃ ᐃᓚᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᓄᓇᖁᑎᒋᔭᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐅᖓᓯᒃᑐᓂᒃ.”