The Ottawa Inuit Circle says the efforts of the Ottawa police and the city to revitalize and clean up downtown have indirectly pushed members of the Inuit community out of their gathering spot.
Reunion at the Circle
When Lisa saw Kate out of the corner of her eye, she sprang towards her. It was hot and clammy, but the two friends clung to each other as tears streamed down their faces. They had not seen each other in more than a year. The last time they had talked, they were in rehab. Now, the two Inuit women from Nunavut sat on Rideau Street, in disbelief, on the circle-shaped concrete they have long called home.
“I haven’t seen you in so long,” another person said to Kate from his seat a few feet away. The Ottawa Citizen granted anonymity to Kate and Lisa due to safety concerns.
Kate told the Ottawa Citizen that she had not been at the Circle for more than two years, but that she often used to come to check on her family. Many from the group were not related by blood, but Kate said being part of the Circle made them a family.
“Aakuluk,” Kate would eventually exclaim back to the man. She said the traditional Inuit term of endearment described what she had felt in that moment of reunion. “Everyone who comes, we say, ‘Aakuluk’,” she said. “It means ‘I love you’ or ‘You are welcome!'”
A Historic Gathering Place Under Threat
The area, commonly known as the Circle, is located close to the pedestrian underpass bridge near the intersections of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive in downtown Ottawa. It has been a gathering space for many members of the Inuit community over the last 60 years. The Circle is a space for people to play card or dice games and enjoy the weather. Now, their safe gathering spot is being threatened, according to some in the Inuit community and others who have called it home.
In the last few weeks, the number of those who choose to gather has dwindled down to a handful.
Police Presence and Fines
In a Facebook post, the Ottawa Inuit Circle, a nonprofit community care group, wrote that recent increases in police presence downtown has had a ripple effect on the Inuit community who have long gathered in the downtown spot. The group said a few members have received fines for consuming liquor in unauthorized space. The tickets range between $75 to $130.
“(The Circle) is one of the only places in Ottawa where Inuit have gathered for the last 60 years, and now, for the first time ever, they can’t gather together,” said Nick Illauq, an Inuk man who was one of the three individuals behind the Ottawa Inuit Circle nonprofit on Facebook.
Illauq and others say the efforts of the Ottawa Police Service and the City of Ottawa to revitalize and clean up downtown have indirectly pushed members of the Inuit community out of their gathering spot.
“We all meet up, have fun and we play 7-11 on here,” Sydney Squirrel said, pointing at the concrete platform in front of him on Friday, June 12. Squirrel said he is from Saskatchewan, but has been living in Ottawa on and off since 1988.
