With our specialized departments, we act as a central partner for the region’s cooperatives. Select a service below to learn more about how each department supports our cooperatives and contributes to the strength and resilience of Nunavik’s communities
Co-op Services
From cable TV and Money Transfer services to hotel reservations, our goal is to meet the daily needs of Nunavimmiuts and help keep our communities connected. Select a service below to learn more about what is available to you as a co-op member.
Member Services
Empowering Cooperative Success: Management and Accounting Support
Our Cooperative Accounting and Management Support department is your frontline ally in ensuring smooth and efficient operations. From daily activities to comprehensive accounting audits, preparing financial statements, tracking current year budgets, and producing budgets for the upcoming year, we provide dedicated resources that each cooperative can rely on.
Our Services: We offer expert trainers to guide the implementation of new systems and assist new General Managers in settling into their roles. Our specialized team provides ongoing support to Managers of co-op hotels, ensuring employees receive top-notch training.
Financial Health & Project Financing: We aid in assessing the financial health of each co-op and assist with securing financing for new projects, ensuring sustainable growth and development.
Our Commitment: We also deliver essential cable services to cooperatives and their members, handling billing, connections, and technical support in collaboration with General Managers and local technicians.
As Ilagiisaq-FCNQ and Nunavik’s cooperatives grew, so did the need for consistent, professional human resources services.
What was once handled independently by Department Managers and the General Manager evolved into a unified department designed to support our growing workforce.
Our Services: We offer expert trainers to guide the implementation of new systems and assist new General Managers in settling into their roles. Our specialized team provides ongoing support to Managers of co-op hotels, ensuring employees receive top-notch training.
Financial Health & Project Financing: We aid in assessing the financial health of each co-op and assist with securing financing for new projects, ensuring sustainable growth and development.
Our Commitment: We also deliver essential cable services to cooperatives and their members, handling billing, connections, and technical support in collaboration with General Managers and local technicians.
The Distribution Department is a vital part of Ilagiisaq’s operations.
We ensure Nunavik’s cooperatives stay stocked, equipped, and supported throughout the year. What started modestly has grown into a major logistical network.
Our Impact: Our team manages the movement of essential supplies, merchandise, building materials, vehicles, and specialized equipment to communities across the region. Through our sealift operations — a lifeline for the North — we coordinate the annual shipment of goods by sea, working out of two large storage depots totaling 180,000 square feet, to prepare and load containers for maritime delivery.- 500 containers are sent to cooperatives.
- Over 3,000,000 kg of merchandise is loaded for maritime delivery.
- More than 1,600,000 kg of construction materials, vehicles, and heavy equipment are shipped to support local projects and community infrastructure.
- Air freight annual
Driving Economic Growth in the Great North
Our Economic Development service is dedicated to identifying lucrative business opportunities for cooperatives and crafting strategic implementation plans. Our team stays ahead of the curve, monitoring economic projects to ensure our cooperatives are perfectly positioned to capitalize on them.
Our Mission: To leverage the strength of our cooperative network and our extensive experience in development and project management in remote regions. This makes FCNQ-Ilagiisaq a pivotal economic driver in the Great North.FCNQ Accounting: Ensuring Financial Excellence
The FCNQ-Ilagiisaq Accounting team handles the critical tasks that keeps our organization financially sound and thriving. From analyzing and verifying invoices to balancing accounts, developing audit procedures, and producing financial statements, our dedicated team ensures every detail is meticulously managed.
Our Role: We are the backbone of FCNQ-Ilagiisaq’s financial health, enabling us to support cooperatives in their initiatives. Our vigilance and diligence have earned FCNQ a stellar reputation among financial institutions, making it easier for cooperatives to secure funding for their projects.
Our Impact: Thanks to our rigorous financial management, bankers who are typically cautious about investing in remote regions are more willing to take the plunge, knowing FCNQ-Ilagiisaq and the cooperative movement stand as guarantors.
Our Success: Our commitment to limiting expenses and maintaining financial integrity has resulted in operating surpluses for the past few years. These surpluses benefit our 14 member cooperatives through dividends, reinforcing our collective strength and prosperity.
As Ilagiisaq-FCNQ and Nunavik’s cooperatives grew, so did the need for consistent, professional human resources services.
What was once handled independently by Department Managers and the General Manager evolved into a unified department designed to support our growing workforce.
The Journey So Far: Before 2005, responsibilities such as recruitment, employee relations, payroll, and training were divided among various managers and departments. As the organization expanded, it became clear that a centralized, standardized approach was needed to better support employees and strengthen workplace practices across FCNQ, its subsidiaries, and the 14 member co-ops. In 2005, the Human Resources and Education Department was created to bring all these essential services under one umbrella.
Today, the department is made up of three specialized divisions: Human Resources, Payroll & Education. Together, they provide comprehensive HR management, payroll services, and employee education programs for both northern and southern operations. From recruitment, employee relations, and benefits management to structured training for co-op directors, managers, members, and staff, the department ensures consistent, supportive service throughout the cooperative network.
The Information Technology (IT) Department is the backbone of Ilagiisaq-FCNQ’s operations.
We provide essential systems and support to keep services running smoothly across Nunavik and beyond.
Then & Now: While computers first arrived at FCNQ in the late 1980s, it wasn’t until 1997 that a full network was introduced, connecting workstations at the Member Services Counter and replacing older point-of-sale systems with modern electric cash registers. By 1998, the organization upgraded to the workstation-based systems still in use today, laying the foundation for the wide-reaching digital network that now connects our cooperative network.
Today, the IT team manages and supports a wide variety of operations — from hotel and travel management to cable billing, wholesale purchasing, sealift logistics, retail sales, petroleum depot management, banking services, and financial reporting.
With every department presenting its own unique challenges, the IT team excels at quickly understanding different work environments and proposing tailored solutions. Their role goes beyond maintaining machines; it is about empowering people to get their work done efficiently, meet deadlines, and ultimately support the communities of Nunavik.
At the heart of our mission is the promotion and marketing of exquisite Inuit art.
This initiative is a cornerstone of our co-operatives and the FCNQ, reflecting our deep commitment to the artists of Nunavik.
We celebrate the rich cultural heritage and artistic brilliance of Nunavik and support the creativity that brings our community’s story to life.
Our Legacy: When our co-operatives were in their infancy, the generous artists of Nunavik donated a percentage of their art sales to help fund our startup. In return, the FCNQ pledged to champion their incredible work.
Our Impact: The funds raised through art sales were instrumental in purchasing materials for store construction and initial inventory. Today, while our co-operatives thrive financially, the FCNQ remains a leading global promoter of artwork from Quebec’s Great North.
Our Commitment: We continue to honor our promise by showcasing and marketing the unique talents of Inuit artists and artisans, ensuring their work reaches a worldwide audience.
Powering Nunavik; Fueling The Future
Petroleum supply and distribution have been a part of Nunavik’s cooperative services since the 1960s, when some co-ops acted as third-party distributors for companies like Hudson’s Bay, Shell, and the Government of Québec.
Where We Began: In the late 1970s, the Government of Québec approached FCNQ-Ilagiisaq to discuss taking over petroleum supply operations in the region. After several years of negotiations and feasibility studies, an agreement was signed on June 17, 1981, transferring ownership of government depots and inventories in Nunavik to the FCNQ.
Building on early success in five communities, the FCNQ-Ilagiisaq expanded its distribution services. By 1984, it secured a new mandate to obtain petroleum distribution rights in additional communities previously served by Shell. By the end of 1987, a formal agreement was signed, transferring Shell’s facilities in Nunavik to the FCNQ.
At the heart of our cooperative network is the commitment to ensuring Nunavik’s communities have access to quality products and reliable services.
From everyday essentials to special occasion items, our Purchasing and Store Services team works tirelessly to meet the diverse needs of our members.
Our Role: Since the founding of Nunavik’s cooperative movement, retail services have been one of our most important activities. What began with a handful of local suppliers has grown into a dynamic service that sources products both regionally and internationally to serve every community in Nunavik.Our Impact: Today, our team handles over 30,000 orders every year, providing everything from groceries and appliances to all-terrain vehicles and the latest technology. We actively source 20,000 to 30,000 new products annually, ensuring our co-op stores remain stocked with fresh, relevant merchandise that reflects both traditional and modern needs.
Our team also provides direct, on-site support to Store Managers in all 14 communities, with eight experienced staff members visiting co-ops over 100 days a year to offer guidance, operational support, and maintain a strong connection between stores and FCNQ-Ilagiisaq.
Our Commitment: We remain dedicated to providing Nunavik’s cooperatives with top-quality products, competitive pricing, and reliable services. Beyond retail purchasing, we oversee automotive repair services in every community, along with small engine repair shops in select villages — with plans to expand in the coming years.
As Ilagiisaq-FCNQ and Nunavik’s cooperatives grew, so did the need for consistent, professional human resources services.
What was once handled independently by Department Managers and the General Manager evolved into a unified department designed to support our growing workforce.
Our Services: We offer expert trainers to guide the implementation of new systems and assist new General Managers in settling into their roles. Our specialized team provides ongoing support to Managers of co-op hotels, ensuring employees receive top-notch training.
Financial Health & Project Financing: We aid in assessing the financial health of each co-op and assist with securing financing for new projects, ensuring sustainable growth and development.
Our Commitment: We also deliver essential cable services to cooperatives and their members, handling billing, connections, and technical support in collaboration with General Managers and local technicians.
JOIN-IN ON CO-OP ADVANTAGES
Member Services
Co-op Cable TV
Founded in 1997 by six cooperatives, this service has expanded over the years, and today all 14 communities offer cable television to their members.
Money Transfer
FCNQ-Ilagiisaq is happy to offer Money Transfer services from Monday to Friday 1:30pm to 4pm. We also offer delivery at Ulivik at 5pm upon request. Learn more below.