The day of my scheduled return... and the day of a new unplanned and urgent mission: Tamaani, the Nunavik Internet Service Provider has warned us yesterday of virus activity in Kangiqsuallujuaq network. We decided today with the customer that I will rescheduled my return to go in first priority to this village to fix the problem. A two-days commando mission is planned and I prepared myself for a guerilla tactic and gathered all the necessary tools. Tamaani is also requirring me to install an outside wireless antenna for the Northern Store. I hope the weather will be gracefull...
Another day of training and this time to the basics of computer with rookie users. It was very interesting to see how people can react differently to the same computer behavior. We managed to gain their trust in their PC, the first step to the raising learning curve!
After having prepared the training room, we welcomed our participants coming from across Nunavik: Puvirnituq, Salluit, Umiujaq... They are all here in Kuujjuaq for a few days. The course we give is always theorical and practical to ensure people are getting used to the system they learn. And with Tunu's help, we again offered personalized presentation of the new system, as well as we trained people to use it, answering their questions as they araised. A full day of training!
The beginning of my trip from Montreal to Kuujjuaq. The last time I went to this town was only 1 month ago but I am as happy as for my first time (3 years ago) because it's a new occasion to see my friends "upon" there. My mission is to implement the new Application for a dwelling system for the Kativik Municipal Housing Bureau (KMHB) and to train the staff to use it. I also have to train the staff to the basics of their computers and some other maintenance tasks to complete. The end of my journey is scheduled for 10 days. As soon as I arrived to Kuujjuaq I settled myself into the local Soleica office managed by Tunu Napartuk. Our office here is in the KMHB building, so my way to our customer is pretty easy to walk!
On December 10th I left Montreal to Kuujjuaq in order to help the Kativik Municipal Housing Bureau (KMHB) to move into their brand new office. My mission was, with the help of Tunu, Soleica employee in charge of our office in Kuujjuaq, to move the KMHB information system from the KMHB old office to the new one. To do so, the Soleica team has designed an action plan with the objective to minimize services disturbations. Our action plan was scheduling intensive working days until December 21st.
But the reality of the North kicked down our plan as soon as I landed in Kuujjuaq. The prerequisites for our mission were not completed and we have to deal with this major concern. Because of several delays in the building construction, many sub-contractors were in turn delayed in their tasks. For our part, the building of the local network was not yet completed, as it was scheduled to be.
The moving day was scheduled for December 16th. Everything that we could prepare before this migration day must have been prepared, or at least as far as we can. Everything doesn't mean packing the stuff only, but also to prepare the new building for the KMHB information system. This system is composed of servers, workstations, printers, network devices, an Internet access... and delivers services up to 80 users located in Kuujjuaq offices and in the 14 Nunavik village housings. More, we had decided to take this chance to setup the core of the system into racks located in a secured and temparature controlled room.
On December 17th, Bell, Tamaani and Soleica installed the wireless antennas to connect the KMHB building to Internet and their Kuujjuaq Warehouse. Since then, we have been completing the local network cabling and installing all the workstations, printers and network devices. Work is still in progress.
On December 16th, the migration day, KMHB technicians took off one window from the old office (located on the 2nd floor of KRG building) to facilitate the loading of all their stuff. They used a Skytrack to load the trucks which were in turn unloaded manually onto the new building delivery platform. On our side, we moved all the equipment and immediatly began to install it into the new building. It took us the whole day to assemble all the devices into the rack.
We had yesterday evening a dinner to celebrate the end of the Internet project in Nunavik. All the personalities in Nunavik were there : the villages mayors, the regional advisers, the former federal deputy, and also Johnny Adams, President of Kativik Regional Government. I was one of the guests and I can say the evening was fabulous. The evening began with a series of congratulations to the all I.T. staff. We are nearly 10 now.
Then Johnny Adams made a speech to reward the work done these past three years. He then told the audience about my relation with the North i.e. my passion for the First Nations which goes back from childhood, when we were playing cowboys and Indians in the small village I was spending my holidays. He then explained to the assembly that my dream had become reality partly thanks to him because he helped me meet the Crees and his friend Grand Chief Ted Moses. This enabled us to work with the First Nations. He then told the audience some stories notably about one laced evening we spent in Montreal. I made him discover what a Royal Kir was and Burgundy wines. I was deeply moved and tears were close to appear.
Lots of Inuit friends were concerned by my current personal difficulties. Some of them even believe that I have lost my wife and marriage because I was too involved in this Internet project. Several mayors came and told me this.
Then after the speech, there were gorgeous Inuit songs, among those there was the one from the composer and author George Kakayuk of Salluit. His song touched us so much : it was about being away from home. It was then followed by a song contest with Johnny Oovaut, the Quaqtaq mayor, and Luc Harvey. The assembly was laughing to tears. The evening ended up superbly with a plate served with Beluga meat that was fresh and still bleeding. I will never forget all these gracious moments which reward me for the years working, discovering and of self- sacrifice. All those moments help me fill better.