With summer vacation just around the corner, this is the perfect time to reflect on our achievements and celebrate the perseverance of our students, especially those who are graduating this year. Let’s take a moment to reconnect with our core mission: supporting students on their journey to success, no matter what our roles are within the school board. Your hard work and dedication are truly appreciated.

As you may know, as part of the negotiations for collective agreements with our unionized employees, we recently announced an agreement in principle with professionals. In addition, we just reached an agreement with teachers and support staff, and are currently working with their union to draft an agreement in principle that will subsequently be presented to these employees for ratification. Our priority has remained to offer competitive and fair working conditions and benefits to all unionized employees, with a focus on eliminating inequities, particularly for staff recruited within their Nunavik community.

The Sivumuattiit consultations, launched last June, are in their final stages. This strategic planning process aims to reimagine how we support Nunavik students. Your overwhelming support during the various events held in Nunavik and the Greater Montreal area has been invaluable. The participatory process has fostered a safe space for expressing views and hopes, while building transparency, encouraging collaboration and peer support, empowering participants, and reinforcing cultural awareness. The promising outcomes of our collective efforts will guide our implementation moving forward. Stay tuned for more updates!

In December 2024, our Council of Commissioners was briefed by the Quebec Ministry of Education (MEQ) on the results of its investigation into our governance and administration. At its March meeting, the Council reviewed the Inuktitut translation of the report and discussed the recommendations addressed to Kativik Ilisarniliriniq as well as those addressed to the MEQ. While this investigation opens new avenues for effective communication with the ministry, a deeper understanding of our realities is still needed. Many of the issues we face and requests for support we address to the MEQ require collaboration across various departments on their end, or even between different ministries.

I’m happy to report that work to bring postsecondary education to Nunavik continues to progress. From October 2023 to March 2024, consultations took place in all 14 Nunavik communities to envision a postsecondary institution based in the region. Discussions focused on its mission, potential programs, operations, and location. Since then, we have worked with our Council of Commissioners to review the conclusions of the 2023 MEQ feasibility study and the results from the Nunavik community consultations. We have confirmed their vision of Kativik Ilisarniliriniq’s role and mandate in leading this project in close collaboration with Makivvik. Looking ahead, we will pursue work with our counterparts at the MEQ to move this project towards implementation and make it a reality.

I wish you all a restful summer. May you find the time to recharge for the next school year. Thank you for choosing education, and thank you for choosing Nunavik.