Iqaluit, Nunavut – November 5, 2020 – The Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) is adjusting the Qikiqtani Family Support Initiative to assist more Inuit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds can be used by Qikiqtani families for harvesting, purchasing groceries, and sewing.

In 24 hours QIA received more than 2,000 applications for this important initiative, a record for our programs. As a result, QIA is adjusting the grant to allocate $1,000 for each eligible household and allow an additional 884 Inuit families to receive this fund.  A total of 2,660 Qikiqtani families in need of support will benefit from this program.

QIA had allocated an additional $2.65 million to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on Qikiqtani families. Each household was initially eligible for a $1,500 grant.

“The  overwhelming popularity of this initiative shows that our programs are in tune with the needs of Qikiqtani families during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says QIA President P.J. Akeeagok, “I hope that by making this adjustment more Inuit will be able to access money to help with harvesting country food, purchasing groceries and buying supplies for sewing winter clothes.”

This initiative is an expansion of QIA’s previous COVID-19 Emergency Harvester/Social-distancing on-the-land initiative rolled-out in April 2020. That initiative distributed $2 million in funds to Qikiqtani families to social-distance on-the-land and harvest healthy country food.

Applications for the Qikiqtani Family Support Initiative will be accepted until funds run out. Applications can be accessed online at https://www.qia.ca/qikiqtani-family-support-initiative/ .

The funds for QIA’s COVID-19 response plan come from the Indigenous Community Support Fund (ICSF) announced by the Federal Government. QIA’s share of that fund is $4,311,793. Additional funds for the Qikiqtani Family Support Initiative are from the COVID-19 Mental Health Surge Funding.

QIA has plans for additional initiatives to support Qikiqtani families as the COVID-19 public health emergency continues. More information about these initiatives will be released next week.

For more information, please contact:

Sima Sahar Zerehi,

Director of Communications,

Qikiqtani Inuit Association

szerehi@qia.ca

867.975.8413 or

1.800.667.2742