Baie-D’Urfé, March 24th, 2020 – The Nunavik cooperative movement continues to reassure its members: its services to the community such as the cooperative stores, hotels, fuel distribution, post offices and cable distribution are all essential services. For this reason, they remain open, despite the reduction of economic activities across Québec, as announced by Premier François Legault yesterday.

“Because they offer food products and are sometimes the only such business in the community, the cooperatives are essential in Nunavik” reminds Mrs. Mary Johannes, President of Ilagiisaq, while also underlining that no closures are planned.

While health authorities across the country announce that the peak of the of the pandemic has not yet been reached, the cooperative teams are actively preparing themselves. Their members and employees have to expect that hygiene measures and safety rules become even more restrictive in the days and weeks to come.

Ilagiisaq takes the situation very seriously

In the south of the province, la Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec (Ilagiisaq-FCNQ) took important precautions in order to ensure the health of Nunavimmiut. All work teams have been repatriated and activities have been suspended at construction sites.

Only the mechanics and building maintenance technicians have remained in the region as their repairs are essential to ensure the proper functioning of the cooperatives and their subsidiaries. Fuel distribution services, ensured by the cooperative movement, are also still operational in order to continue to provide for vehicles and buildings.

In the federation offices, warehouses used for procurement are subject to strict hygiene regulations and the rest of the personnel, administration services and cooperative support are essentially working from home. “Ilagiisaq is always able to support its members” states Mrs. Johannes, and goes on to explain that, for the moment, the majority of federation activities are not compromised by the pandemic.

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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