Paul Irngaut is now Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated’s (NTI) vice-president following an election held Monday.
With 1,720 votes, he defeated fellow candidates Jack Anawak (1,267 votes), Clayton Tartak (1,021) and Jacopoosie Peter (275).
Overall voter turnout was close to 18.5 per cent per cent, with a low in Naujaat of 9.7 per cent while Grise Fiord recorded 52 per cent voter turnout.
Out-of-territory polling stations for Nunavut Inuit included locations in Yellowknife, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg.
Irngaut has worked at NTI for a little over 22 years, the majority of which was spent in the wildlife department, where he became the director. He will be filling the shoes of James Eetoolook, who stepped down from the role at NTI’s annual general meeting in October.
“I feel like I have the knowledge, the background to do this job effectively,” said Irngaut in an interview with Nunavut News prior to the election, saying his experience fits what is required in the role.
“That’s a part of the portfolio, not only wildlife and environment but also housing and economic development, also language literacy. I feel like I could do those jobs effectively with NTI,” he added.
Irngaut is also aiming to help highlight the various initiatives and events NTI is involved in.
“One of the things I want to emphasize is we need to have clear communication with our beneficiaries. I think that’s been lacking,” Irngaut said. “There’s a lot of good things that happen at NTI that people don’t realize.”