Peter Tapatai named Chamber of Mines Honorary Member, 2013
Peter Tapatai is the founder and President of Peter’s Expediting Ltd. Mr. Tapatai has many years of experience in community consultation, media, logistics and expediting, and general management. He has been a leading Nunavut business person for many years, and has an excellent understanding of the territory’s political, business and transportation environments. Mr. Tapatai has been a vocal supporter of our industry and was an instrumental figure in the development of the Meadowbank site, Nunavut’s only operating mine.
In his earlier days, Chesterfield Inlet-born Tapatai created and played “Super Shamou”, the world’s first Inuk superhero. The Superman-like character appeared on programs of the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation and in comic books, warning Northern kids of the dangers of huffing gas and getting into boats without adult supervision. Though no longer donning a superhero’s cape, Mr. Tapatai’s passion for transforming the lives of Nunavut’s young people remains undiminished.
Mr. Tapatai was part of the first wave of Inuit broadcasters in the early 1980s. Over the years he honed his interviewing and video editing skills, working as a TV host and eventually managing the Baker Lake IBC bureau, until he left in 1996. He got into the expediting game shortly after leaving the IBC. He bought out Baker Lake’s previous expediter, Gary R. Smith and Company, and renamed it Peter‘s Expediting Ltd. The company is a small but thriving business. By providing quality product and service levels, competitive prices, all while striving to maintain 100% Inuit employment, Peter’s Expediting Ltd. has become a valuable and dependable partner to our industry.
Mr. Tapatai has also served as a trustee on the Nunavut trust, was a founding member of the Nunavut Business Development Corporation, and served on the Sakku Investments and Kivalliq Partners in Development boards. At the Keewatin Chamber of Commerce AGM in Baker Lake last April, Peter's Expediting Ltd. was recognized for its achievements, and Mr. Tapatai was named Businessman of the Year.
