The community of Ulukhaktok has another addition to its community radio station.
CKLB will now be the second radio station broadcast in the community.
The station serves about 400 listeners community-wide.
“Our elders depend on the radio,” says Derek Squirrel, recreational coordinator for Ulukhaktok.
Robert Catana, Elder, and former radio host says the radio is a very powerful tool.
“It’s beneficial for all of us to have that kind of radio station. To be comfortable knowing its an aboriginal radio, we are at ease,” Catana says.
Radio is important for the purposes of education, Catana says, because our languages and stories are not being taught in schools.
“We are forgetting our culture,” he adds.
CKLB radio invested $3,000 on the project, with radio upgrades, antennas, and installation, among other things.
The extra money will be used to purchase computers and battery backups, says Squirrel.
Due to “broken communication and a change in technicians”, he adds, the project took a year to complete.
CKLB is looking to add an official language speaker in Inuvialuktun to the broadcast for the Ulu people.
CKLB has been active in the community since Monday night.
