User:Northfolk/Kootoo Onalik

Kootoo Onalik new article content ...

Personal
Born in 1957 in then Frobisher Bay, NWT.

Second child of six children of William and Leah Onalik. Adopted from the Simonie Alainga family.

Arctic Winter Games athelete, winner of Gold Ulus in Table Tennis. Was a highly athletic youth, suffered a serious car accident at age 19, spent several years in rehabilitation and treatment and has lived with increasing physical disability ever since.

Married to Evie Nowdlak (1993). Four children: Levi, Uqijuatsi, Simonie and Akeeshoo

Radio Personality
Aboriginal and Inukitut language broadcaster, CBC radio personality, on air for more than 30 years from CFFB and heard throughout the Canadian arctic.

Projects a unique and unorthodox radio personality, and has the reputation of being fired on more occassions for on-air conduct than any other member of the CBC Northern Service. Has been fired while on-air, and reported the event live to his audience. Produced the well-known "Gorbechev" interview of 1991. Reference to Sanikiluaq as "Nunavut's only island". Gives special on-air attention to the people of Labrador.

Reference to weather forcasting with communities broken into the categories of "windy" and "darn windy".


 * Quote from Danielle Capelli colleague and CBC national news reader. "Listening to Kootoo read the weather is a professionally depressing experience. Although I am filled with admiration at his talent, I cannot help but know, deep in my heart, that I have no hope what-so-ever of broadcasting even one weather forecast on my best day, which will be as interesting as a Kootoo Onalik weather forecast on an average Kootoo day.