Elders' society abruptly loses contract to staff Iqaluit's boarding home

ThePairijait Tigumivik elders'society is no longer running Iqaluit's Tammaativvik medical boarding home on behalf of Nova Group.

The society was informed around 9:30 a.m. Thursday that its contract had been ended.

Aimo Muckpaloo, a society board member, said they had no warning its agreement with the Nova Group would be ended and were not given a reason for why.

"They're all shocked that this was all of a sudden," Muckpaloo said in Inuktitut.

The Nova Group is contracted to manage the Tammaativvik medical boarding home by the Nunavut government.Until Thursday, the company subcontracted the Pairijait TigumivikSociety to run the day-to-day operations.

The society hada staff of around 50 people working at Tammaativvik. Itsboard members will meet next week to figure out how to meet their obligations to their staff, according to the society's lawyer Anne Crawford.

Some PairijaitTigumivikstaff continueto work in the kitchen to make sure residents at the boarding home will continue to be fed, Crawford said.

Patients from Eastern Nunavut stay at the boarding home while in Iqaluit during treatment at theQikiqtaniGeneral Hospital.

The boarding home is still staffed by employees co-ordinated by Nova Group, and according to Nunavut's Department of Health, patient relations and medical travel staff are on site to answer any patient concerns.

Nova Group said nothing has changed for patients, butdetails are still being worked out and more information will be provided in a few days.

The society has begun removing its desks, computers and other equipment from the boarding home.