Fred O’Brien
Director, International Centre for Environmental Health, Qualified in both Ireland and Canada as an EHO. B.A. (Philosophy), University of St. Jerome’s College, University of Waterloo, Canada; MBA, NUI Galway, Ireland. Retired in Kilkee, County Clare, Ireland
Founding director of IFEH 1986.
In Inuktitut, Nunavut means Our Land & Inuit means Our People
The Canadian Arctic territory of Nunavut, established on April 1, 1999, is immense. It is as large as Europe and stretches above the tree line across more than two million square kilometers of land, water and ice. Its people, the Inuit, were previously identified by the Algonquin Indian term “Eskimo”, meaning “eaters of raw flesh”. The Inuit were proud to accept this designation and to identify themselves as practicing the principles arising out of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ). IQ encompasses all aspects of traditional Inuit culture, including values, world-view, language, social organization, knowledge, life skills, perceptions and expectations.