Our Leaders
– Paige Kimiksana-Kreps –
Paige Kimiksana-Kreps
Secretary-Treasurer, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada
Representative for Youth, Urban
Bringing Urban Inuit Voices to the Table
For Paige Kimiksana-Kreps, being Inuk is about connection, both to the land and to community. It’s something she had to seek out for herself, growing up in the Greater Toronto Area with few Inuit around her. Now, as the Secretary-Treasurer of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, she is making sure other Urban Inuit do not have to feel that same disconnection.
Finding Her Way Back
She grew up outside of Toronto, away from her Inuit culture and family “It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I started reconnecting with my Inuit family, and that was when I started to understand more about my identity.”
At 23, she traveled to Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, meeting a lot of family for the first time. “I remember being so sleepy and resting a lot. My family was so caring, and someone said to me, ‘Your soul is finally at home. You can rest.’ That really resonated with me, like my soul recognized the land, and I was at peace.”
But she also recognizes the other side of her identity, that of an urban Inuk. “I love the city, and I love Toronto. I don’t know if living up North is in the cards for me right now, but I’m really passionate about keeping Inuit connected in urban settings. That’s something I didn’t have growing up.”
Building Community in the South
Paige’s work in Toronto has been about ensuring Inuit in the South don’t have to struggle alone. “There are so many Inuit like me, born in the South, not as connected to their culture but wanting to be. Some don’t have the choice; their parents were part of the Sixties Scoop, or they were moved down South. Others come here for school, work, or other reasons. I want to make sure that Toronto is a safe space for Inuit, where they can connect with culture and community if they want to.”
She started that work at the Toronto Inuit Association, running cultural programs during the pandemic. “We were able to do Zoom workshops with Inuit across Canada, and it was just so nice to have that weekly get-together to stay connected and still learn different parts of the culture.”
Later, she moved to Tungasuvvingat Inuit (TI), where she helped train people working with Inuit on how to provide culturally safe services. “That was a really exciting part of my job, connecting people who wanted to learn more about Inuit but didn’t know where to start, and giving them that foundational training.”
“A lot of the resources here are pan-Indigenous, and they often end up being very First Nations-specific. There are many great organizations that want to help Inuit but may not fully understand Inuit histories or the different barriers Inuit face compared to First Nations or Métis folks. So, finding Inuit-specific resources is tough.”
Advocating for Urban Inuit
Paige is passionate about ensuring urban Inuit have what they need to thrive. “It’s tough out here,” she says. “A lot of the resources here are pan-Indigenous, and they often end up being very First Nations-specific. There are many great organizations that want to help Inuit but may not fully understand Inuit histories or the different barriers Inuit face compared to First Nations or Métis folks. So, finding Inuit-specific resources is tough.”
Access to traditional food is another major issue. “That’s something we have been working on a lot in Toronto, building relationships with Kivalliq Arctic Foods and other country food providers. Sometimes they can send it down to Ottawa but getting it from Ottawa to Toronto is costly. During the pandemic, when we didn’t have an office, some of our staff were storing country food in their homes. Having a physical space in Toronto has been huge because now we can store and distribute country food properly.”
Queer and Inuk
Paige is also deeply committed to ensuring safe spaces for queer and gender-diverse Inuit. “I’m really grateful that Pauktuutit is working to ensure that we are safe for queer and gender diverse Inuit”, she says. “It’s been really exciting that Pauktuutit has a mandate to serve Inuit women and gender-diverse Inuit.”
For Paige, queerness and Inuit identity as deeply connected. “The more relationship-building and learning I do, the more I recognize that for me, being queer and being Inuk are intertwined. It’s been really cool connecting with my First Nations friends who identify as Two-Spirit. We share so many of the same experiences and understand gender in similar ways. But I know the term ‘Two-Spirit’ doesn’t easily translate into Inuktitut.”
Her work in this area includes being involved in the first-ever Inuit Queer Conference. “TI created the conference, Pauktuutit was involved, and I got to help run a workshop with some of the Pauktuutit staff. That was exciting. But a common theme we heard from Inuit from both the North and the South was how unsafe it often feels to be out in the Inuit community. That’s tough. Even finding safe elders can be difficult.”
She knows that for some, moving South is the only way to live safely. Not being in a tiny community where you know everyone, and you grew up with everyone, it can give people space to be themselves. But there are other barriers that Inuit face in the south, like maintaining a connection to culture, navigating racism in healthcare, and so much more.”
“I’m really grateful that Pauktuutit is working to ensure that we are safe for queer and gender diverse Inuit.”
“It’s so powerful and comforting to be in a space with Inuit women. We all work so hard, we uplift each other, and we want the best for each other. We are all caretakers in our communities, and when we come together, it really feels like we are doing something special.”
Why Pauktuutit?
Paige joined Pauktuutit because she saw the power in Inuit women leading the way. “I was really excited when Pauktuutit was looking for board members, especially for the urban Inuit youth seat. I feel like a lot of the work I’ve done leading up to being on the board has really helped, and I have a lot to offer because of my experiences, the work I’ve done so far, and the community I have here in Toronto.”
She also saw it as an opportunity to ensure queer and gender-diverse Inuit were heard. “I’ve always been very passionate about gender equality and equity. And as a queer person as well, I’ve wanted to make sure that there’s space and support for queer and gender-diverse Inuit.”
Most of all, she is inspired by the strength of the women around her. “It’s so powerful and comforting to be in a space with Inuit women. We all work so hard, we uplift each other, and we want the best for each other. We are all caretakers in our communities, and when we come together, it really feels like we are doing something special.”
The Work Ahead
Paige knows there is still much to do. “I think it would be amazing if one day we could work ourselves out of a job. In an ideal world, we shouldn’t need a women’s organization or an organization for women and gender-diverse Inuit, because our needs should already be met. We should feel like we are equal to the rest of society. But right now, there are still so many barriers that Inuit face.”
Despite the challenges, she keeps going because of the people around her. “Sharing tea and country food with our elders and community really uplifts me. It reminds me of why I do the work I do. We have our weekly drop-ins here, and sometimes, if I’m having a bad day, just being able to sit with the community uplifts my spirit. Hearing success stories like when we do just a little thing and it gets the ball rolling and helps an Inuit out is really special.”
For Paige, it all comes back to one thing: connection. “My soul recognized the land, and I was at peace.” Now, she’s helping others find their way home, wherever that may be.
