Iglulik hamlet officials and the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Community Services have been in talks to replace the community’s skating rink after a fire destroyed the old arena in February. Mayor George Auksaq said replacing the old Kipsigak Arena is the biggest issue in his community right now. “We don’t have an arena anymore,” Auksaq said. On Feb. 12, Kipsigak Arena burned down in a fire, taking with it the Artcirq Black Box training, performance and cultural centre. The RCMP never found the cause the of blaze, and could not determine if it was suspicious in nature. “Right now all the kids have is a skating rink outside,” said the mayor. Iglulik senior administrative officer George Qaunaq has contacted the Department of Community Services about replacing the arena. “The department is actively involved in discussions with the Iglulik municipality regarding reconstruction plans for the community skating rink,” the department confirmed to Nunavut News. Details on what stage the discussions are in were not made available by press time. Whether a replacement skating rink will include a new space for the Artcirq Black Box was not clarified by the department. When asked what he wanted from the newly-elected territorial government, the Iglulik mayor was straight to the point. “Give us a new arena,” Auksaq said. Iglulik resident Acey Jordan Irngaut was particularly disappointed when the arena was destroyed. The recreational facility was named after her grandfather, Kipsigak, and it opened for the first time in the early 1990s. “My grandmother cut the ribbon to officially open the arena,” Irngaut recalled. She said losing the Artcirq Black Box was hard on the community. Since burning down, Artcirq Black Box has raised over $27,500 via gofundme to continue its programming. The cultural centre had been supporting young artists since 1998 and Artcirq began using a space in the arena in 2009. Only two weeks after the fire, Artcirq Black Box was able to resume its programming at the high school, an update to the gofundme page stated. “That studio was producing some pretty good musicians and I regretted seeing the place burn down,” Irngaut said. Artcirq Black Box said it has trained more than 150 professional artists from the community who have gone on to perform around the world. ᐃᒡᓗᓕᒃ hᐊᒻᒪᓚᓕᕆᔩ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᖓᓂ ᐱᙳᐊᖅᑐᓕᕆᔩ ᐅᖃᖃᑎᒌᑲᑕᒃᑐᑦ ᑭᖑᕝᕕᕐᓗᓂᐅᒃ ᓄᓇᓕ ᓯᐊᕆᔮᕐᕕᐊ ᓄᖑᐊᓪᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐃᑯᐊᓚᔪᒧ ᓯᐊᕐᕆᔮᕐᕕᐊ ᕕᕗᐊᕆᒥ. ᒪᐃᔭ ᔪᐊᔾᔨ ᐊᐅᖅᓵᖅ ᐅᖃᖅᖢᓂ ᑭᖑᕝᕖᕐᓗᒍ ᑭᑉᓯᒐᖅ ᓯᐊᕐᕆᔮᕐᕕᒃ ᐊᑲᐅᖏᓕᐅᕈᑎᐅᓂᖅᐹᖑᒐᒥ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒥᓄ ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ. “ᓯᐊᕆᔮᕐᕕᖃᕈᓐᓃᕋᑦᑕ,” ᐅᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᐊᐅᖅᓵᖅ. ᕕᕗᐊᕆ 12, ᑭᑉᓯᒐᖅ ᓯᐊᕆᔮᕐᕕᒃ ᓄᖑᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᖕᒪ ᐃᑯᐊᓚᔪᒧ, ᐃᑯᐊᓚᖃᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐋᖅᓯᒃᑯ ᐃᓂᓂ ᐊᔪᕈᓐᓃᖅᓴᕐᕕᐊ, ᐱᙳᐊᕐᕕᐊ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᓕᕆᕝᕕᐊ. RCMP−ᑯ ᖃᐅᔨᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᖏᓚᑦ ᖃᓄ ᐃᑯᐊᓚᖕᓂᕐᒪᖔᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᖏᖢᓂ ᐱᔮᖅᑯᒨᖕᒪᖔᑦ. “ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ ᓄᑕᖅᑲᑦ ᓯᐊᕆᔮᕐᕕᖃᖅᑐᑦ ᓯᓚᒥ” ᐅᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᒪᐃᔭ. ᐃᒡᓗᓕᒃ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓕᕆᔨᒻᒪᕆᐊ ᔪᐊᔾᔨ ᖃᐅᓐᓇᖅ ᐅᖃᖃᑎᖃᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐱᙳᐊᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓂ ᑭᖑᕝᕕᕈᒪᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ ᓯᐊᕆᔮᕐᕕᐊ. “ᑎᑎᕋᕐᕕᒃ ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ ᐅᖃᖃᑎᖃᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐃᒡᓗᓕᒃ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᖅᑎᐊᓄ ᐸᕐᓇᐃᔾᔪᑎ ᓴᓇᔭᐅᔾᔪᑎᓄ ᓯᐊᕐᕆᔮᕐᕕᖕᒧ,” ᑎᑎᕋᕐᕕᒃ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᖢᓂ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᐊᓄ. ᖃᓄᐃᓕᖓᖕᒪᖔᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᔪᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓇᖏᖢᑎᒡᓗ ᐊᐱᖅᓱᕐᓇᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ. ᑭᖑᕝᕖᓕᖅᐸᑕ ᓯᐊᕆᔮᕐᕕᒥ ᐃᓚᖃᕐᓂᐊᕐᒪᖔᑦ ᐃᓂᒥᒃ ᐋᖅᓯᒃᑯᓐᓄ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᖏᖢᓂ ᑎᑎᕋᕐᕕᖕᒥ. ᐃᒡᓗᓕᖕᒥᐅᑕᖅ ᐊᐃᓯ ᔪᐊᑕᓐ ᐃᕐᖓᐅᑦ ᐊᑲᐅᒃᓴᖏᑦᑐᒻᒪᕆᐅᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓄᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᓯᐊᕆᔮᕐᕕᒃ. ᐱᙳᐊᕐᕕᒃ ᐊᑦᑎᖅᑕᐅᓂᑯ ᐊᑖᑕᑦᑎᐊᕐᒥᓂ, ᑭᑉᓯᒐᖅ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᒃᑯᐃᕆᐅᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᓪᓗᓂ ᓄᑖᖅ ᐊᕐᕌᒍ 1990−ᖏᓐᓂ. “ᐊᓈᓇᑦᑎᕋ ᓇᑲᑦᑎᓪᓗᓂ ᑭᔾᔭᐅᑎᒧ ᐅᒃᑯᐃᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔮ ᓯᐊᕆᔮᕐᕕᒃ,” ᐃᕐᖓᐅᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᕗᖅ. ᐅᖃᖅᖢᓂ ᐋᖅᓯᒃᑯ ᐊᔪᕈᓐᓃᖅᓴᕐᕕᐊ ᓄᖑᖦᖢᓂ ᐊᔪᕐᓇᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒧ. ᐃᑯᐊᓪᓛᓚᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᐋᖅᓯᒃᑯ ᑲᑎᑦᑎᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐅᖓᑖᓄ $26,000 ᑕᐃᑰᓇ gofundme ᑲᔪᓯᖁᓪᓗᒍ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᓂ. ᐱᙳᐊᕐᕕᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᐃᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᓂ ᑕᐃᒪᙵᓂ 1998 ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐋᖅᓯᒃᑯ ᐊᑐᓕᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᓂᐊᓂ ᓯᐊᕆᔮᕐᕕᖕᒥ ᑕᐃᒪᙵᓂ 2009. ᐃᑯᐊᓪᓛᓚᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓰ ᒪᕐᕉᒃ ᐊᓂᒍᕐᒪᑦ, ᐋᖅᓯᒃᑯ ᑲᔪᓯᔪᓐᓇᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕐᒥᓂ ᑕᐃᑲᓂ ᐊᖏᓂᖅᓴ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᐊᓂ, ᑐᑭᓯᒋᐊᕐᕕᐊ gofundme−ᖓᒍ ᐅᖃᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ. “ᐃᙱᕐᕕᒃ ᓴᕿᑎᕆᑦᑎᐊᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᙱᖅᑎᑦᑎᐊᕙᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐃᑦᑖᕆᕙᕋ ᐃᓂᐊ ᐅᑯᐊᓪᓚᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ,” ᐃᕐᖓᐅᑦ ᐅᖃᖅᐳᖅ. ᐋᖅᓯᒃᑯ ᐅᖃᖅᖢᑎᒃ ᐱᓕᒻᒪᒃᓴᐃᓯᒪᒐᒥ ᐅᖓᑖᓄ 150 ᐱᙳᐊᖅᑎᒻᒪᕆᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒥᖔᖅᑐᑦ ᐱᙳᐊᕆᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪ ᓇᒧᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥ.
Iglulik hamlet office in talks with GN to replace burned down arena
