Some Cambridge Bay residents are insisting on a byelection to determine the communitySA国际影视传媒檚 next mayor, and Angulalik Pedersen, whom five hamlet councillors appointed to the mayorSA国际影视传媒檚 seat on Nov. 4, says heSA国际影视传媒檚 not ruling out that possibility, if thereSA国际影视传媒檚 enough weight behind the outcry.

ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 been a recent firestorm of social media comments from frustrated individuals and talk of a petition circulating to force a byelection.

Pedersen said he doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 pay much attention to Facebook but he has heard around town that some people are SA国际影视传媒渘ot happySA国际影视传媒� with councilSA国际影视传媒檚 decisions on leadership, even though the hamlet consulted with the chief electoral officer to ensure compliance with the Nunavut Elections Act. Despite talk of a petition, nothing has been presented to council yet and thereSA国际影视传媒檚 been no delegation making any formal complaints, the mayor noted on Wednesday.

If such a petition were to materialize, Pedersen said he would follow direction from council.

SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 not making any decisions on my own,SA国际影视传媒� he said, adding that a community meeting would be a possibility if a SA国际影视传媒渟trongSA国际影视传媒� petition were to land in front of council.

SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檇 want to sit down with those people and others and say, SA国际影视传媒楲ook, what can we do here? ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 steps we can take and things we can do.SA国际影视传媒� If a byelection is what theySA国际影视传媒檙e requesting, thatSA国际影视传媒檚 what ISA国际影视传媒檒l go to council (with) and say, SA国际影视传媒楾his number of people showed up, this is what they wanted. WhatSA国际影视传媒檚 your choice?SA国际影视传媒橲A国际影视传媒�

Pedersen, who has served on council since late 2018 and was deputy mayor, accepted the mayorSA国际影视传媒檚 role after former municipal leader Pamela Gross resigned to become a candidate in the October territorial election, where she won the seat to become Cambridge BaySA国际影视传媒檚 MLA.

A municipal byelection to choose her successor would have meant waiting until late February to have the next mayor-elect sworn in.

However, that delay would have been worthwhile, some residents argue, including Keith Peterson who has previously served as Cambridge Bay mayor and MLA, who commented on the issue via Facebook.

SA国际影视传媒淭his current community issue where the hamlet council convened a special meeting two days after former mayor Pam Gross resigned, to SA国际影视传媒榓ppointSA国际影视传媒� a new mayor, was rather hasty in my opinion. There were two years left in the former mayorSA国际影视传媒檚 four-year term. Two years, not six-months,SA国际影视传媒� Peterson wrote. SA国际影视传媒淭he voters of Cambridge Bay should have been given the choice to nominate and elect their new mayor. I suspect that the lawmakers expected hamlet councils to apply the rules wisely and fairly. In other words, just because the law gives them the authority to appoint a mayor with two years remaining in the original term, it doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 mean they should. Otherwise why include the option to hold a byelection?SA国际影视传媒�

Peterson called upon the mayor to host a townhall meeting to explain the rationale behind councilSA国际影视传媒檚 decisions.

There has been considerable turnover within hamlet council since the last municipal elections in October 2018. With the first few resignations, the remaining councillors went down the list of candidates from the last election, asking those individuals to fill vacant seats, although some declined the offer. After the list was exhausted and more councillors resigned, the hamlet advertised publicly for interested individuals to join council. The first round of advertising elicited three responses. The advertisement went up again recently to fill one current vacancy on council.

That process follows the rules set out under the Nunavut Elections Act, and thereSA国际影视传媒檚 no limit on the number of appointees as members of council under the act, according to chief electoral officer Dustin Fredlund.

Another critique of the hamlet has been that too few Inuit are hired, but 82 per cent of hamlet staff are Inuit, according to chief administrative officer Marla Limousin.

While Pedersen is happy with that percentage, he said the hamlet can do better, particularly at the management level.

SA国际影视传媒淲e are doing training on the job to move staff up in those positions,SA国际影视传媒� he said, acknowledging that thereSA国际影视传媒檚 competition among employers for staff who possess skills and certification.

Other Cambridge Bay residents pointed out that council minutes from recent meetings were not available online. Pedersen replied that those minutes are now publicly available.

The mayor said his priorities include making improvements to mental health services in the community, particularly in light of the effects of Covid-19.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 been a rough couple of years,SA国际影视传媒� he said, noting that heSA国际影视传媒檇 like to see a role model program established for young residents and the youth centre open more often.

SA国际影视传媒淚 want to put in place something where the youth can talk to each other and others when they need it, and not just digitally,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

He added that he wants to strengthen the MayorSA国际影视传媒檚 Youth Advisory Council and the MayorSA国际影视传媒檚 Elders Advisory Council, which Gross had worked to promote, and heSA国际影视传媒檚 aiming to upgrade housing and airport infrastructure.