Baie-D’Urfé, March 19th, 2020 – The Nunavik cooperative movement reassures the communities in the region: the cooperatives are open and well stocked. The Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec (Ilagiisaq-FCNQ) is taking the necessary measures to maintain essential services as well as ensure everyone’s health.

 
“Our priority is the health of our members, our clients and our employees. Our cooperatives have been very proactive on this front” emphasizes Mrs. Mary Johannes, Ilagiisaq’s President. In the local cooperatives, personnel have further reinforced hygiene and cleanliness practices. It has also been requested that families come to the store in limited groups and that people presenting symptoms remain at home, as recommended by health authorities. On our end, in order to limit the risk of spreading COVID-19, the federation has suspended the travel of its teams in Nunavik – only those offering essential services, like mechanical support, are maintained in the region.  

Months of reserves

We estimate that the 14 cooperatives have enough provisions to last one to two months and this, without counting the stocks of dried goods delivered on the last maritime transport, which are enough to last until July 2020. In the South, the federation is doing what it can to stock up its warehouses and coordinate the next shipments. The recent restriction measures taken by airline companies servicing Nunavik do not have an impact on the transport of goods and merchandise.

Mrs. Johannes seeks to reassure “It is not necessary to rush to your cooperative to stock up. We are conscious that we offer an essential service and we are doing what is necessary to ensure that Nunavimmiut are not lacking in anything”. Ilagiisaq communicates daily with airline and transport companies.

The different energy subsidiaries (petroleum, gas) of the Nunavik cooperative movement confirmed that their stocks are also sufficient and that the supply chain is being maintained. As for the transport subsidiaries, they are still able to serve the mines. Only the activities of Ilagiisaq’s tourism business affiliates have been considerably impacted.

For and by Nunavimmiut

To enable all Nunavimmiut to stay well informed of the situation, Ilagiisaq has suggested to the Cooperatives to suspend, until further notice, Co-op Cable TV disconnections for unpaid invoices.

“I am proud of the mobilization of our teams in Nunavik” rejoices Mrs. Johannes, who did not hesitate to speak on regional radio to keep people informed of the measures taken by the cooperatives. She reminds us that solidarity is an integral part of Inuit culture. Atautsikut, the spirit behind the cooperative movement since its beginning in the 60s, refers to this concept of growing together, leaving none behind. Ilagiisaq, the Inuit name of the Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec, refers to the notion of family.  

About Ilagiisaq-FCNQ

Founded and managed by Nunavimmiut since 1959, the 14 cooperatives of Nunavik offer a multitude of services to the community: general store, hotel, gas station and fuel distribution, post office, cable TV, restaurant, etc.

Created in 1967 to supply the Nunavik cooperative movement with effective means of ensuring its growth, the federation, Ilagiisaq, supports its member cooperative through: purchasing, training, mechanical maintenance, technical and management support. It is also active in various economic sectors such as marketing of Inuit art, tourism, logistics management, construction, energy and transport.  
The Nunavik cooperative movement is made up of over 11 000 members and 1 100 employees, of which 800 work in the North.

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Information :
Caroline Mailloux
Communications and Public Relations
Ilagiisaq – Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec
caroline.mailloux@fcnq.ca
514 457-9371 ext. 436

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