Byelection set in Nunavut's Tununiq riding after death of Joe Enook

The people of Pond Inlet,Nunavut, will go to the polls on Sept.16 to elect a new member of the Legislative Assembly, after the recent death of their former MLA Joe Enook.

The formal writ for the riding of Tununiq will be issued on Aug.12, giving candidates just over a month to campaign.

The timing of the byelection ensures the community will be represented in the fall sitting of the Legislative Assembly, said Nunavut Premier Joe Savikataaqin a press release issued Thursday.

Enook was Speaker of the Legislative Assembly when he died on March 29 in hospital in Ottawa. He was 61.

Enook became the MLA for Tununiq after winning a byelection in 2011. He was re-elected twice.

Pond Inlet is the only community in this northern Baffin Island riding, with a population of just over 1,600, according to the 2016 census.