Mandate
The Nunavut Law Foundation is a non-profit foundation created by the Legal Professions Act to manage a fund to support important law-related projects and initiatives in Nunavut. The moneys received by the Foundation come from lawyers practicing in Nunavut, either from the interest earned on monies held in lawyers’ trust accounts or from fees from lawyers who don’t have trust accounts. The Foundation is governed by a five member Board of Directors, four of whom are lawyers with one member of the public.
How to Contact Us :
Administrator of the Nunavut Law Foundation
Nalini Vaddapalli
P.O. Box 69
Iqaluit, NU
X0A 0H0
email : ceo@lawsociety.nu.ca
phone : (867)979-2330
fax: (867) 979-2333
Officers
Law Foundation Committee
| Mandy Sammurtok | Chairperson |
| Sandra Omik | Director |
| Cindy Kieu | Director |
| Thomas Lemon | Director |
| Vacant | Lay Member |
New ! UPINNAQTUQ AWARD in honour of Justice Beverly Browne
Deadline to submit nominations is Wednesday May 22,2013 5pm EST.
The Foundation for its 3rd consecutive year will be awarding $500 scholarships to students and youths in each region across Nunavut in honour of Justice Beverly Browne, who was the first senior judge in the Nunavut Court of Justice. She demonstrated great leadership in the community and had a strong commitment and passion for working with youth.
As a member of your community including principals, teachers, student support assistants, organizations and any member of the public, the Foundation is asking you to nominate a student or youth who embodies peace, leadership, conflict resolution, or who made strong efforts to change his/her attitude and behaviour to become a role model.
Please send a letter explaining why this individual deserves the award to my attention by Wednesday, May 22, 2013, 5pm EST.
Once the Foundation receives all letters from the schools, organizations and general public, the Board members will review each nomination for selection. The Chair, Mandy Sammurtok, will then inform the selected recipients of the award within 1 week of receipt of nominations.
New! May 2013 Official Chairperson Appointment
The Nunavut Law Foundation is proud to announce the official appointment of Mandy Sammurtok as the Chairperson of the Nunavut Law Foundation. This is the first time in the Foundation’s history that an Inuk is appointed as Chairperson.
Ms. Sammurtok is originally from Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut. She received her law degree from the University of Manitoba in 2007 and was called to the bar in Manitoba in 2008, after articling with Legal Aid Manitoba. Ms. Sammurtok has been practising criminal law at Maliiganik Tukiisiniakvik in Iqaluit, Nunavut, ever since passing the Nunavut bar in 2009.
Mandy Sammurtok will be appointed for a two-year term effective February 2013.
[Click here] to read the full notice in English.
[Click here] to read the full notice in Inuktitut.
New ! May 2013 Official Board Appointment
The Nunavut Law Foundation Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Thomas Lemon, of Toronto, Ontario, as the new Board Lawyer Member.
Mr. Lemon was an original member of the Law Society of Nunavut upon its creation in 1999. His ties to the north began in 1994 with a stint with the Yellowknife office of the Federal Department of Justice as a prosecutor and subsequent circuits in the NWT, Nunavut and more recently Yukon.
He began doing circuits in the Baffin region in 1997 and has continued to do so as a PPSC prosecutor and traveled to many, if not most, of the communities in Nunavut since then. His knowledge of and experience in the north will undoubtedly provide invaluable contributions to the Law Foundation’s mandate.
APPLICATION IS CLOSED
NEW ! The Law Foundation is looking for a lay member of the public. Deadline is May 1,2013. Please submit a letter of interest and CV to ceo@lawsociety.nu.ca or by fax: 867-979-2333.
[Click here] for the detailed notice in ENGLISH.
[Click here] for the detailed notice in INUKTITUT.
Grants & Awards
GENERAL GRANTS
[Click here] to view or download the general policy grant which requires Adobe Acrobat reader.
The application deadline for grant proposals is March 31st.
Extraordinary grant proposals may be considered at a regular Directors meeting throughout the year depending upon the availability of funds and the majority approval of the Board of Directors.
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LUCIEN UKALIANNUK AWARD
Lucien Ukaliannuk was a respected Inuit Elder in the Inuit community. He died on September 29, 2007. At the time of his death, Lucien was the Inuit Quajimajatuqangit advisor in the Government of Nunavut Department of Justice at Iqaluit. The Foundation wishes to honour Lucien’s memory with this award for deserving persons who undertake studies that serve to assist the objects of the Foundation.
[Click here] to download an information document.
See below for 2012 LUCIEN UKALIANNUK AWARD RECIPIENT
Call for applications for the 2013-14 year will be posted in Spring 2013.
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UPINNAQTUQ AWARD in honour of Justice Beverly Browne
2013 call for nominations is ongoing till May 22,2013 5pm EST. [Click here] .
See below for 2012 UPINNAQTUQ AWARD RECIPIENTS :
2012 LUCIEN UKALIANNUK AWARD RECIPIENT
The Law Foundation recently granted a Lucien Ukaliannuk Award to Priscilla Ferrazzi. Her research article “Improving Criminal Justice for People with Mental Illness in Remote Arctic Communities” explores ways in which the criminal justice system can be better adapted for Nunavut.
Priscilla Ferrazzi is a PhD Candidate at Queen’s University. She is also a long-time Assistant Crown Attorney with a specialty in mental health and extensive experience prosecuting criminal cases in Nunavut and Ontario. A former member of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General’s province-wide Mental Health Advisory Committee, Priscilla is currently a member-at-large of the Law Society of Nunavut Sub-committee on Access to Justice. She lives in Kingston.
[Click here] to download Priscilla Ferrazzi’s Research Summary
Left to Right: Sandra Omik (Law Foundation), Priscilla Ferrazzi and Cindy Kieu (Law Foundation)
2012 UPINNAQTUQ AWARD RECIPIENTS
In Honour of Justice Beverly Browne
The UPINNAQTUQ Award which means to celebrate a person’s accomplishments or someone to be proud was established last year in honour of Justice Beverly Browne, who was the first senior judge in the Nunavut Court of Justice. She demonstrated great leadership in the community and had a strong commitment and passion for working with youth.
This year, 4 students from 2 regions and 4 communities were awarded scholarships based on one or more of the following qualities : peace, leadership, conflict resolution skills and efforts to improve their attitude and behaviour. CONGRATULATIONS!
- Neevee Jaw from Cape Dorset
- Ooleessee Akeeagok from Grise Fiord
- Sylvain Degrasse Jr. from Qikiqtarjuaq and
- Alookie Korgak from Iqaluit
Annual Reports
Click on each year to download the Annual Report – they include the Financial Statements