'Father of Nunavut' has one more fight left: to live in the territory he helped create

September 22 | Duration closed caption 9:31 John Amagoalik is widely known as the ‘Father of Nunavut,’ but after a lifetime advocating for Inuit rights and self-determination he’s now fighting to age in the territory he helped create. CBC’s Juanita Taylor shares his story and explores how it has ignited a broader conversation about Nunavut’s reliance on southern facilities for elder care. Social Sharing "I'll never go back," John Amagoalik said of an assisted living facility in Ottawa, where he was sent to live by Nunavut's government in February 2025.

The territory's Department of Health transferred him to Embassy West Senior Living after an infection left no choice but to amputate part of his right leg.

"The worst part was the loneliness," Amagoalik recalled in an interview with CBC News as he sat in a wheelchair at his temporary home in Iqaluit with his wife, Evie, on Sept. 7.