Journalist, translator, and radio host, born in 1980 or 1981 in Eskimo Point (now Arviat; Nunavut).
Kevin Kablutsiak was born in 1980 or 1981 in Eskimo Point (now Arviat; Nunavut). He grew up and was educated in the region before pursuing a certificate in Inuit history and politics through the Nunavut Sivuniksavut College in Ottawa (Ontario).
During the 2010s, Kevin Kablutsiak held several key positions in the fields of communications and journalism. From 2010 to 2012, he worked as a communications officer for Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK; literally: “The Inuit are united in Canada”), before becoming ITK’s National Inuit Language Coordinator. From 2012 to 2013, he led the “Atausiq Inuktut Titirausiq” working group, which aimed to standardize Inuit languages. Between 2013 and 2024, he held various communications positions for major organizations: First Air (2013-2014); ITK (2018-2020); Canadian North (2020-2022); and Nunavut Tunngavik (2022-2024). As a journalist, he also hosted the CBC North radio show Qulliq from 2014 to 2016 and, since 2024, has served as managing editor for CBC North – Northwest Territories and Yukon.
Kevin Kablutsiak also contributes to the recognition and redress of injustices committed against the 2SLGBTQI+ community. In 2019, he participated in consultations for the construction of a 2SLGBTQI+ monument, a project initiated following a 2018 court ruling against the Canadian federal government in a class action lawsuit brought forth by survivors of what is known as the LGBT Purge (the systematic identification and expulsion of queer individuals from the military, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the federal public service by the Canadian federal government between 1950 and 1990). This monument, titled Thunderhead, will be erected in Ottawa in 2026.
Kevin Kablutsiak has published several articles and book chapters in scholarly books and journals: the article “The story of us. ITC, Inuit political unity and what comes next for ITK / Uvagut Plipluta. Inuit Tapiriiksat Kanatami, Inuit atausiuqatigiingningit amma Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami / Notre histoire. ITC, unité politique inuite et la suite des choses pour l’ITK” in Inuktitut Magazine in 2011; the chapter “Almost lost in translation,” in 2013, as part of the report Nilliajut: Inuit perspectives on security, patriotism and sovereignty, edited by Scot Nickels; and the article “Connecting the dots,” in 2014, in the collective work Uqausivut sivummuagutivut: Our language, our leadership, edited by Jeela Palluq-Cloutier and Louis McComber. He translated the musical piece “We are one” from English to Inuktut; his translation can be found in the book Inuit inngiusingit: nuatausimajut inuit inngiusingit II / Inuit Inngiusingit: A collection of Inuit choral music II, published in 2022. He has also held several positions at Inuktitut Magazine, serving as proofreader in 2011, then as translator and editor in 2018.
In 2013, Kevin Kablutsiak’s project “The National Strategy on Inuit Education – National Parent Mobilization Initiative” earned him and his team the Arctic Inspiration Prize. This project aimed to improve academic outcomes for students in northern Canada by mobilizing parents to support their children’s education. It emphasized the importance of regular school attendance, student well-being, and academic preparedness. He later became Executive Director of the Arctic Inspiration Prize from 2016 to 2018. Kevin Kablutsiak was also finalist for the Inuktuuqta! Inuktut Writing Prize in 2024. This prize supports Inuit authors in publishing a book in Inuktut. For this competition, he submitted a biographical manuscript that pays tribute to his grandmother, whom he described as a remarkable woman, written in the Arviat Inuktut dialect.
Kevin Kablutsiak currently lives in Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories.