Jane Bates
Representative for Children and Youth
Jane’s story starts in Mississauga, Ontario, in a quiet neighbourhood with her adoptive family. She has always been passionate about helping young people, which led her to earn her Bachelor of Social Work from Ryerson University. Early in her career, she responded to the call of the north and moved to Whitehorse.
While working in Yukon, Jane touched the lives of many young people and their families through her contributions to child protection, family services, critical incident investigation, youth justice, crisis intervention, and restorative community conferencing. Throughout her career, she has been guided by the principle of the best interests of the child.
A Winnie the Pooh and Star Wars fan of the highest order, she appreciates the diversity that life has to offer. Her husband, Russ, and her dog, Grace, are extremely supportive of her move to Nunavut. Jane is honoured to serve young Nunavummiut and to ensure their rights are supported.
Jarrett Parker
Director of Child and Youth Advocacy Services
Jarrett grew up in southeast Saskatchewan and Kansas. He completed his Bachelor of Social Work degree at the University of Regina and his Master of Social Work degree at the University of Calgary. He has been, and continues to be, a field supervisor for BSW and MSW students from Schools of Social Work across Canada.
His career, which has primarily been in rural and Northern locations, has focused on all aspects of Child Protection, both on and off First Nations reserves. This included intake/investigation, crisis investigations, foster care, and child care, in frontline, supervisory, and senior management positions. He has also worked in both Youth and Adult Corrections, Emergency Management, and was an Armoured Reserve Officer for 12 years.
Jarrett is a champion of reducing the stigma of being neurodivergent and speaks openly about living with ADHD. He is passionate about community safety, developing leaders, and the future of children and youth in Nunavut.
Since moving to Iqaluit, he has run a boxing class (pre-COVID), served as a board member for the Uquutaq Society, and volunteered with Skills Nunavut. Other interests include running his woodworking business, renovating his house, reading, and spending time on the land.
Nubiya Enuaraq
Manager of Individual Advocacy Services
Nubiya attended Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in June 2017, she graduated as a valedictorian from Nunavut Arctic College, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Arctic Nursing. She went on to complete the Nursing Mentorship program, where she was placed in various acute- and long-term health care settings at Qikiqtani General Hospital (QGH). Prior to joining our team, she was a nurse in the Emergency Department at QGH. Nubiya gained valuable knowledge, skills, and abilities during her two years as a registered nurse at QGH, and she feels that they will positively contribute to the vision of our office.
Her passion lies in serving the public and ensuring that the services, policies, and procedures in place in Nunavut adequately meet the needs of its population. Through her work, she hopes to strengthen and/or contribute to the development of healthy public policies.
Mariama Fofana
Child and Youth Advocacy Specialist
Mariama was born and raised in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Growing up, she always wanted to help people, and at a very early age, she was advocating for the rights of women and children in her community. She relocated to Canada at the age of nine.
She attended George Brown College, where she completed the Assaulted Women’s and Children’s Counselling Advocate program, and later pursued studies in Family and Social Relations at the University of Windsor.
After graduating, she worked with several wonderful organizations, including the Jays Care Foundation, Black Women in Motion, and the Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities. While working for Jays Care Foundation, she was awarded the Hall of Fame award at the Curve Ball Gala. She also has experience as a college professor at a private college in Ontario, and has volunteered with Victim Services Toronto and travelled to the Dominican Republic for humanitarian work.
In Nunavut, she has worked at the Illagiittugut Girls Group Home, and we are so fortunate to have her join our office. She hopes to explore more of Nunavut to learn about the culture and land, and wishes to obtain a Master's degree in Social Work.
Mariama has many interests outside of work, including hiking, walking, dancing, embarking on new adventures, creating traditional beads, camping, and experimenting with new recipes. She also loves spending time with her family and friends.
Dustin Patar
Acting Manager of Communications and Public Awareness
Born in San Francisco, California, and raised across the United States and Canada, Dustin often found himself surrounded by new environments and people. Although challenging, Dustin believes that these rich encounters fostered his strong sense of curiosity and passion for storytelling; lifelong guides that have taken him down a winding path of unique experiences.
Academically, Dustin's journey has been just as diverse as his life experiences. He spent two years at film school, honing his visual storytelling skills. Years later, he then pursued a bachelor's degree in communication from Simon Fraser University, followed by a master’s degree from the University of British Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism.
After completing his education, Dustin headed north, arriving in Iqaluit in September 2019 to work as a reporter for Nunatsiaq News. Since then, he has worked at Inhabit Education, CBC North, and also as a freelance journalist. He has contributed to well-known publications such as The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail, and Canadian Geographic.
When Dustin isn’t holding a camera or in front of a computer, he can be found behind a sewing machine, fixing some sort of vehicle, or out on the land.
Ross Ferguson
Senior Systemic Investigator/Researcher
Ross was born and raised on a horse ranch in western New Brunswick. Despite growing up in what Ross considers to be one of the least diverse places on earth, he has always been interested in other cultures. In 1988, this curiosity led him to pursue secondary education in anthropology and native studies. Disgusted and disillusioned by what he learned about colonization, Ross left university. It was then that he began what he refers to as his “20-year camping trip” in western Canada. During this decades-long odyssey, Ross worked as a fishing guide in the Rockies, a wilderness guide in Yukon, and on the coast of British Columbia, doing forest engineering work.
When Ross eventually returned to New Brunswick, he was determined to tackle some of the problems he learned about during his first stint in university. This resolve led him to complete degrees in psychology, and social work with a focus on First Nations child protection. Although his work as a child protection social worker started in New Brunswick, Ross was again drawn back to British Columbia and Yukon.
Ross' interest in the north has been a constant thread throughout his life. As an avid outdoorsman, he has dreamed of exploring Baffin Island for as long as he can remember. For Ross, being in Iqaluit, where he can assist young people and have the opportunity to catch char, is a dream fulfilled.