Meetings

Nanisivik

"Hidden Valley" entrance.

I only stayed in Arctic Bay for one day then travelled down to Iqaluit for professional development (PD) meetings.  The meetings would be attended by all PD liaisons from schools across Nunavut.  Another teacher would be joining me on this trip.  John came along because he is the school’s union representative and there were union meetings also happening in the territory’s capital.  The Nunavut Teachers Association (NTA) is currently in contract negotiations with the Government of Nunavut (GN) and he would be bringing back any information about the behind-closed-door negotiations.  John & I would be in Iqaluit for four days.

            

Pond Inlet

We left Arctic Bay on the morning of September 27.  The plane flew towards Pond Inlet to pick up more passengers.  Surprisingly, the plane flew above the Nanisivik Naval Facility (still under construction) and the hidden valley I explored in late May.  From what I could see, the two large gas tanks at Nanisivik were built.  Usually, the pilots fly further north before turning towards Pond Inlet.  The plane touched down in Iqaluit by lunchtime.  John stayed at a hotel while I slept at my brother’s place.

            

Conference room.

NTA President John Fanjoy addresses
the audience.

The meetings took place in two conference rooms at the Frobisher Inn.  I walked to the hotel on the morning of September 28, noting that there was barely any snow on the ground.  The conference rooms used to house Iqaluit’s old swimming pool but was closed down in 2012 when it sprang a leak.  The NTA & PD Liaisons all gathered in one conference room for the introduction.  Each person received a bag full of things.  Mine contained a personalized folder, various paper documents, and the newly updated PD manuals.  The conference began at 8:30am with a welcome speech from the newly elected NTA President, John Fanjoy.  This was followed by a brief update on the upcoming Northern & Central Qikiqtani teachers conference in 2018 by the chief organizer Craig MacGregor.  In short, things were coming along.  Two NTA members were recognized for their dedicated service to Nunavut education and were awarded personalized plaques in the shapes of small wooden qamutiks (sleds).

            

New professional development manuals.

The audience was split into two groups after the introductions.  The NTA liaisons went in one room and the PD liaisons went to the other.  I’ll spare you the details but the next two days for me consisted of PowerPoint slides, presentations, group discussions, debates, and reasons why Nunavut teachers have the best professional development funding in Canada.  The information presented was old & new.  The presenters had to include the “old stuff” because there were quite a few new PD liaisons attending the conference.  Regarding the contract negotiations with the territorial government, we were told if an agreement is reached by January/February 2018, then negotiations went very well.  (The members of the NTA negotiating team are kept secret).

A blizzard in Iqaluit.

An evening banquet was held for everyone on the evening of September 30^th at the Frobisher Inn.  Unfortunately, a blizzard rolled into the city, resulting in all taxis being taken off the roads.  The teachers who were staying at the Frobisher were not affected by the blizzard.  Teachers like me who were staying in other accommodations could either brave the weather or “stay at home”.  I chose to brave the weather.  There was no way I was missing the prime rib of beef.  I made it safely to the hotel without being blown over.  Both conference rooms were converted into dining rooms.  There were tables filled with appetizers, salads, and main dishes.  Quite a few tables remained empty because many teachers decided to stay home.  Apparently, some roads were too slippery for vehicles.  We all dined like royalty that night.  The walk home was an adventure for me.  I was walking with the wind but every time there was a gust, it felt like someone was pushing me forward.  (I safely made it to my brother’s home).    

My prime rib of beef dinner.

Representatives from the Department of Education gave a presentation to everyone on the last day of the conference.  The department was introducing new frameworks & guidelines for professional development & self-evaluation.  I was surprised to see all the handouts were printed in colour.  They spared no expense.  Everyone got a “crash-course” in how the documents are to be used.  The new frameworks & guidelines would come into effect in early 2018. 

Downtown Iqaluit

John & I spent an extra day in Iqaluit.  I spent my time buying school supplies and walking around town.  We flew back to Arctic Bay on October 2, bringing with us a wealth of information to share with our colleagues.