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SEPTEMBER 22, 2015
CANADA

Officials in Remote Northern Canada Thank Jehovah’s Witnesses for Special Bible Education Campaign

Officials in Remote Northern Canada Thank Jehovah’s Witnesses for Special Bible Education Campaign

TORONTO—About 150 Jehovah’s Witnesses participated in a special Bible education campaign, organized by the branch office of the Witnesses in Canada, in September and October of 2014. Arrangements were made to visit 35 remote communities throughout the country.

Over 32,000 persons live in these 35 Inuit communities visited by the Witnesses, shown by the yellow markers. The campaign stretched over two territories and one province, shown in green.

The Witnesses were organized into groups and assigned to visit towns and villages that extended from Aklavik, Northwest Territories, in the west to Kangiqsualujjuaq, Quebec, in the east, a region spanning over 3,300 kilometers (2,000 miles). Those participating in this outreach campaign cared for their own travel expenses including, in some cases, airline tickets that cost several thousands of dollars per person.

One of the towns reached by the Witnesses was Paulatuk. It has a population of about 300 and is located on the shore of the Beaufort Sea in the northern region of the Northwest Territories.

Prior to the campaign, the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses approved translation of the video Why Study the Bible? into Inuktitut. This Inuit language is spoken by about 35,000 people in Canada and is recognized as an official language in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

Ms. Velma Illasiak, a school principal in Aklavik, commented about the visit of the Witnesses: “The students really enjoyed the materials that you presented and are thinking about [them] . . . We are considering ordering a copy of both volumes of the book Questions Young People Ask—Answers That Work for each teenager in the school . . . Thank you for your time at our school and in our community.”

After speaking with the Witnesses and watching the video Why Study the Bible?, Mr. Peter Iyaituk, the mayor of the northern Quebec town of Ivujivik, spent two hours touring the visitors around the community in his vehicle. He also drove them to the airport on the day of their departure and thanked them for their visit.

David Creamore, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, shows the video Why Study the Bible? to Mr. Peter Iyaituk, the mayor of Ivujivik.

Matthieu Rozon, spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Canada, states: “Jehovah’s Witnesses are happy to offer free Bible education to everyone. Those who participated in this campaign felt it was well worth their time and effort.”

During the two-month expedition, the Witnesses distributed over 37,000 pieces of literature. Almost 600 individuals requested follow-up visits from the Witnesses to continue their Bible discussions.

Media Contact(s):

International: J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5000

Canada: Matthieu Rozon, tel. +905 873 4100

 

Kuujjuarapik Airport, Quebec

A group of Witnesses arrive in Kuujjuarapik, a town located on the eastern side of Hudson Bay.

Salluit, Quebec

Salluit is located in northern Quebec, and has over 1,300 inhabitants.

Ivujivik, Quebec

Ivujivik is also located in northern Quebec and has a population of almost 400.

Ivujivik, Quebec

David Creamore is toured through town by the mayor of Ivujivik, Mr. Peter Iyaituk.

Ivujivik, Quebec

An Inuit youth watches the video Why Study the Bible?

Paulatuk, Northwest Territories

Homes extend into the Beaufort Sea on a thin finger of land in this town of about 300.

Umiujaq, Quebec

An Inuit couple invites Julien Pinard, one of the visiting Witnesses, into their home for a Bible discussion. The town has a population of almost 450.

Umiujaq, Quebec

Local inhabitants in this northern Quebec town stop to pose for a photo with Roxanne Pinard (right), one of the visiting Witnesses.

Puvirnituq, Quebec

About 1,700 live in this village located in northern Quebec.