Baker Lake dreams of thrift store staffed by people with disabilities

A group in Baker Lake, Nunavut is hoping to open a thrift store to provide jobs for peoplewith disabilities and give residents affordable options for second-hand clothing, toys and household items.

The idea originated within the hamlet as a way to cut down waste and is being spearheadedby the Nunavummi Disabilities Makinnasuaqtiit Society (NDMS), modelled after the Inclusion Cafe in Iqaluit, where peoplewith disabilities operate a catering service and help cook lunches at the soup kitchen.

"Culturally we are encouraged to share and this is just one of those naturalactions of Inuit where you just give and take and something comes back for you," said SandyKownak, a board member with NDMS.

"That whole process of helping someone else save money or getting an important item,it's a perfect combination," said Kownak,who also serves as anadviser for apre-employment training program for peoplewith disabilities in Baker Lake.

Thatprogram is funded by Nunavut's Department of Family Services and is training 16 peoplewith disabilities in the hamlet, unlocking skills within students to help them enter the workforce.

The hope is some of the graduates could go on to work at the thrift store and gain experience, like18-year-old ChristianTagoona.

"I know it's going to be a struggle finding a job in the future but any little thing that can help, I'm all for it," he said.

Tagoonahas been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, something he says can be a barrier to employment.

"I usually get tunnel visioned into my own world and usuallyget sidetracked for 15 minutes at a time and it gets really hard to pay attention," Tagoona said. But, he says the program is making a difference.

"When everyone's so focused on one thing, it makes me want to be focused on the same thing with them. It makes me want to be on the same path," hesaid.

The 12-week program teaches resume writing, how to search for jobs and practices interview skills.

It also connects students with potential employers in Baker Lake, like Agnico Eagle's Meadowbank gold mine where Susan Ukpatiku used to work12-hour shifts in the kitchen as a chef's assistant.

The 50-year-old had to give it up after fracturing her back and shoulder.Ukpatikuhas osteoporosis and found the shifts too much to handle. Shehasn't worked in the past three to four years.

Ukpatikuenrolled in the pre-employment program looking for something to do. She's contemplated quitting at times, finding it difficult to work with some classmates.Ukpatiku isthe only one to graduate from high school.

"It is hard. But yet again, this is my hometown," she said.

"And I realzied that there's a lot of them that did work but because of the people who intimated them, they stopped working," she said.

That's where the thrift store comes in an inclusive place that provides work and training opportunities, while at the same time providing a service to the community.

Got plan, need funding

The idea of a thrift store is not new for Baker Lake:decades ago the Women Auxiliaryused to operate one out of the Anglican Church hall.

"Everyone we talk to says we need a thrift store in Baker Lake," saidErin Strachan, a project manager for Indigenous capacity building programs withPerformance Management Consultants. The Ottawa-based company helped develop the training program for peoplewith disabilities in Baker Lake and is hoping similar programs will roll out across the territory.

With the help of the territory's disabilitiessociety, Strachan is now looking to open thethrift store.

"We have a plan, we have a place to do it, but we are now looking for funding to start up the enterprise," Strachan said.

The funding would go to renovating a house they're looking to rent and covering the wages of the potential employees.
Strachan is also hoping for donations for cash registers and shelving for the store.

"We're hoping that people in Baker Lake will step up and volunteer and do what they have to do to help us make this thing happen because it's going to require a lot of support."

• Disabilities society looksat employment barriers inNunavut
• New agency aims to help Yukoners with disabilities find jobs