Kuujjuaq (March 5, 2022) —The Isuarsivik Regional Recovery Centre is humbled and honoured to receive the 2021 Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP) in the $1 million category for its project Ilagiitigut anngiangijaqatigiinnirq ilurqusivuttigut, or “Family at the Heart of the Healing Process” in Inuktitut. The project proposes to address substance abuse by focusing on the reclaiming of Inuit identity and culture, and the connection to the land. Its activities will provide opportunities for families to heal as a whole. Inuit values and traditional practices will be at the heart of the project, which will be offered to families in the new Isuarsivik Centre set to open in 2023.
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Kuujjuaq (February 22, 2022) – This year, the Isuarsivik Regional Recovery Centre will fulfill a cherished dream of its board of directors: the construction of a giant qullik in the lobby of its new centre. The Qullialuk, or “giant Inuit lamp” in Inuktitut, is an exceptional initiative for the region and it was made possible thanks to the commitment of five organizations, Glencore/Raglan Mine, Air Inuit, Avataq Cultural Institute, EVOQ Architecture, and Canadian North. Thanks to them and the Canada Council for the Arts, the Qullialuk project will be completed in time for the opening of the new centre in 2023.
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This year’s Pingngupaa Challenge has demonstrated what the true purpose of community is. There has been a tremendous amount of enthusiasm on the private Facebook group, on which participants shared and supported each other throughout the month. Every call for help was answered by waves of support from other participants, all with the ultimate goal of promoting a healthy lifestyle, raising funds for Isuarsivik’s mission, and raising awareness around substance abuse in the region.
This year’s objective was to raise a total of $50,000 to help make the Centre’s services more accessible to the 14 communities of Nunavik as well as to provide the new Centre with the equipment and accessories necessary to support its cultural mission. The Challenge came to an end with a total of $49,028 raised through donations from sponsors from every community in the region as well as organizations such as Makivik, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, Glencore, and many more.
Despite challenges brought by the current pandemic, Nunavimmiut came together and jumped headfirst into the Challenge again this year. A record total of 267 participants, supported by a network of 635 sponsors were registered for the challenge and stayed sober for the month of February. We are extremely proud of the outcome of this year’s edition despite missing our fundraising objectives by less than a thousand dollars. The Challenge has been received extremely positively by the community once again and demonstrates a common will to work together to tackle the current issues around substance abuse. We are extremely hopeful that the Pingngupaa Challenge will keep initiating change and increase our impact in all 14 communities as it grows every year.
Last year, Isuarsivik and the contractor Les constructions Pépin-Fortin inc. had to postpone the start of the construction of the new main facility due to the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cost related to inflation and additional sanitary measures for the main facility and the remaining eight housing units for the staff was assessed by our project team at around $1.6 M.
We are proud to confirm that as of May 2021, we managed to secure the total amount thanks to contributions from Aboriginal Services Canada, the Kativik Municipal Housing Authority, and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Most of all, it would not have been possible without the invaluable assistance of the Makivik Corporation team.
We want to extend our gratitude to all these partners. They stood by our side during this challenging time and actively sought solutions to ensure the construction of this very critical infrastructure for the Inuit of Nunavik was not further delayed.
Construction works have started already! To follow the progress, visit https://isuarsivik.ca/new-center/ or follow us on Facebook.
For any questions or inquiries regarding the construction project, feel free to contact us at info@isuarsivik.ca.
At a meeting with the Kuujjuaq Municipal Council held on March 3rd, David Forrest, president of Isuarsivik, and Mary Aitchison, the vice-president, received confirmation that the municipality would authorize major construction works in 2021.
“It is with great enthusiasm that Isuarsivik has informed the contractor that our construction project has the green light to proceed this year. Our project team is currently finishing up the planning of the construction season. We will be ready to start the preparation work to lay out the foundation of the new facility as soon as the snow will have melted.” declared Mr. Forrest. Construction work is scheduled to end for Fall 2022.
Since 2019, Isuarsivik has secured $40,6M from all levels of governments and regional organizations to build a 22-bed facility as well as 12 housing units for the staff. The access road to the site and 4 of those 12 lodging units were built in 2019. Construction of the new facility was scheduled to start in the summer of 2020 but had to be postponed to 2021 due to concerns by the municipality of Kuujjuaq regarding the COVID pandemic. Construction material and equipment had been shipped to Kuujjuaq in 2020 to enable an early kick-off of the work in 2021.
“It is a great relief to know that the project won’t be further delayed because we know that many are suffering while they wait to access the new family services that will be offered at the new Centre. The re-launching of the construction is an announcement that brings hope to the region” stated Mrs. Aitchison.
Mr. Forrest insists on the commitment by both Isuarsivik and the contractor Les Constructions Pépin-Fortin to scrupulously enforce the public health authorities’ requirements to ensure the safety of the community and the workers. Isuarsivik will soon be in contact with the neighbouring residents to inform them about the construction work and schedule.
The pandemic had also forced Isuarsivik to close its inpatient services for almost a year. A first recovery cycle has been offered to women early in 2021 and a new cycle for men will be starting on April 21st. Unless in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak in the region, Isuarsivik expects to follow its plan to provide the residents of Nunavik with a total of 5 healing cycles throughout 2021. The 2021 Healing Cycles Calendar can be found here: https://isuarsivik.ca/healing-schedule/
Applications for the inpatient program can be submitted at any time using one of the options available on www.isuarsivik.ca/application-form. All applications received are added to the waiting list and will be considered for future cycles. For any questions regarding the application process, contact our intake department using the following email address: intake@isuarsivik.ca.
It is with great sorrow that the Isuarsivik Regional Recovery Centre announces a one-year delay for the construction of its new Kuujjuaq facility. The construction of this new Centre, which will triple its accommodation capacity, was scheduled to begin in the summer of 2020. In order to limit the spread of the COVID-19, the Municipality of Kuujjuaq has adopted measures to reduce the risk of propagation, including a ban on employing more than five workers from outside Nunavik for all construction projects. For this reason, the contractor, Les Constructions Pépin et Fortin Inc., who was awarded the contract for the construction of the main building in April, will only be shipping certain materials and equipment required for the construction of the building, which will officially begin in the spring of 2021.
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The Isuarsivik Regional Recovery Centre is pleased to unveil the stunning results of the third consecutive edition of its Pingngupaa Challenge. We can now officially announce that 165 participants from Nunavik and beyond signed up to the Challenge, in addition to the dozens of other individuals who participated without registering. Thanks to the mobilization of all participants and their sponsors, as well as the exceptional contribution of some organizations, we raised more than $35,000. These funds will be used to improve Isuarsivik’s scope of services to the 14 communities of Nunavik and to buy equipment and accessories to support the Centre’s cultural mission.
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The major construction project for the new centre is to build three fourplex to lodge Isuarsivik Regional Recovery Centre employees by the end of 2020. While two building pads were prepared this summer for next year’s construction, the third fourplex is up already.
The construction of this fourplex started back in the Summer 2018 in Kuujjuaq with the preparation of the building pad. As soon as the first sealift arrived this year, Kautaq Construction began the construction of the residence. The original schedule was respected so that the fourplex is now at the stage of the interior finishing. The building should be accessible to Isuarsivik by the beginning of December 2019, ready to be furnished with appliances and furniture in the same month and available for employees in February 2020.
Alongside this fourplex four sheds will be installed to store equipment and materiel. Two of these sheds were built out of a Sanajiit carpentry workshop in partnership with Kautaq Construction, the Kativik Ilisarniliriniq and the Kativik Regional Government.
It was with a real sense of satisfaction, relief, and gratitude that the Isuarsivik Regional Recovery Centre officially broke ground on the new building. More than 100 guests were present to mark this historic moment for the region. We were joined by several dignitaries from the governments of Canada and Quebec, including Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade, Ms. Yvonne Jones, and Member of National Assembly for Ungava, Mr. Denis Lamothe. We also welcomed three leaders of our regional organizations, including Ms. Louisa Grey, chair of the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, Ms. Jennifer Munick, chair of the Kativik Regional Government and Mr. Adamie Delisle-Alaku, vice-president of Makivik Corporation.
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The Isuarsivik Regional Recovery Centre is pleased to unveil its renewed brand image. It features the unique signature of the original pussy willow and draws on 25 years of experience in the field of culturally-oriented recovery in Nunavik. The logo is more modern, impactful and beautifully reflects the continuous evolution of the organization over the years. This announcement kicks off the organization’s transition strategy foreseeing the construction of the new Centre scheduled to open in 2021.
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