Nunavut Trivia

Here are a few pieces of trivia about Iqaluit and Nunavut:
Nunavut came to be as the largest Canadian Territory on April 1, 1997
Nunavut is the 5th largest country subdivision in the world
Current population of Nunavut is approx. 33,000
Nunavut has one of the lowest population densities in the world with, half that of Greenland.
Nunavut has the highest rock face in the world at Mount Thor, 4500ft high.
The Nunavut budget is approx. 700 million dollars per year.
Inuit children communicate all is okay or yes and no by raising or lowering their eyebrows.

Iqaluit (Frobisher Bay)was founded in 1942 as an American Airforce Base
Frobisher Bay grew significant in the mid 1950's as a main DEW (Distance Early Warning) line point
In 1959 the Canadian Government established services like doctors, schools, Post Office and the like in Frobisher Bay
Frobisher Bay's name was formally changed to Iqaluit in 1981
Iqaluit has the second highest tides in the world at around 30 feet, second only to the Bay of fundy
Iqaluit was the host of the G-7 economic summit in February of 2010
The Runway at the Iqaluit airport is long enough for the Space shuttle Challenger to land, it has one of the longest runways in Canada.
The Road to Nowhere was built prior to the Queen's visit to Iqaluit so she could get out on the arctic tundra. It goes 10 Km towards the middle of Baffin Island and stops; it literally goes nowhere!

We will add trivia to this posting as we hear about it!

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The Nunavut flag: The red represents Canada with the yellow vertical left half and a white vertical right half. The centre man made stone symbol is called an inukshuk and there is the blue 5 pointed star. The riches of the land and sky are the colors blue and gold, the inukshuk symbolizes the stone monuments which guide the people on the land and mark sacred and other special places. The north Star, nitirqsuituq, is the traditional guide for navigation, which we still use today.

The Cold Has Come (Nov. 21 - 25)

This has been a cold week. The temperature hovered around -25C to -28C and with the wind chill was consistently under -40C. One thing that's a little scary is that the locals are telling us that we haven't seen anything yet!
There were a few things that we noticed about the cold weather. Firstly, it's amazing how quickly the dogs can "do their business" when there's an incentive. Typically we take them for a 20 minute walk and half way through the walk we let them off their lead and give them some time to complete their natural calling. When it's really cold, Quinn especially wants no part of a walk. He goes outside walks to the closest snow bank, pees and takes 4 more steps to the ditch, has a dump and is back at the door before you can turn around.

The auto dynamics in the cold is interesting. We had a few people from work that came in late this week because they couldn't get their car started. Knock on wood, however our little 1990 Jeep Wrangler started every morning and every night after work.

When we let the dogs out in the morning about 6:45 am, we plug in the jeep and leave for work about 7:50, so it gets about an hour of "plug in" time. Along with a block heater it has a cab heater that activates automatically on plugging in the vehicle. Apparently a lot of vehicles up here come with that option. This heats up the cab, so when we get in to go to work, it's quite comfortable. Another interesting tidbit about cold weather driving is once you get out on the road, the exhaust kind of freezes in the air. This causes visability issues which is a lot like fog on the roads. This is particularly an issue at stop signs where vehicles are not moving. The exhaust literally freezes in the air when leaving the car in front of you. You need to be very careful not to drive into the car in front of you.
The other very interesting thing is getting ready to go outside!! Jacquie and I work at getting ready to go outside to stay warm in the elements. We have lined pants or long johns and put on snow pants over them. We normally have a tee shirt, over shirt and sweater on. Then there are the sorel's for the feet and the down-filled Canada Goose parka's. I wear a hat under the parka's hood and down-filled mitts or very well insulated gloves. Jacquie has a balaclava that makes her look a little like a gangster then a toque under her hood. What I'm getting at is that it takes 10 minutes to get ready to go outside. For anyone who knows me well and interestingly, Jacquie has the same trait, it means we can't be the last minute poeple that we usually are. It takes 10 to 15 extra minutes for each excursion outside. And believe me, you do want to take the time to get properly dressed. I have tried a couple of times to take short cuts and almost froze my perverbial balls off.

The cold is not all bad. We have a glimpse of Frobisher Bay from our front window and a beautiful view of the bay on our drive to and from work. The cold weather initiates a mist that rises from the bay. With the sun shining on it, it is one of the most beautiful views I have witnessed and there is no description that would do justice to just how beautiful it is.

Qikiqtani Gala - First Air Gala

We attended the inaugral Qikiqtani Gala, formerly known as the First Air Gala. It's the event of the year as it's an excuse for everyone to get dressed up. At the event we saw everything from ballroom gowns, simple black dresses and jeans (although not too many pairs of jeans). Qikiqtani is the name of the newest airline that will serve northern communities and is supported by First Air airlines.

The event was held at the Arctic winter games facility, which was handy as it was just a 10 minute walk from our home. The only problem was the fact it was -42 (with the windchill) so there was no walking and we did a little praying that the vehicle would start when it was time to go home. The Gala puts 100% of the monies made in ticket sales towards community projects. Quite impressive actually and the Frobisher Bay Hotel closed its restaurant for the evening so it could cater the event. If I were to guess I would estimate there were at least 500-600 people. I'm probably off in my guessing but suffice it to say the arena was full.

The evening started with speeches and opening "grace." The meal was excellent!! The caterers did an excellent job. In fact, I haven't seen as many choices as we saw on a buffet in a long time. Following the meal we were entertained by the band Atomic out of Montreal. They played a good mix of songs and everyone was up and dancing. We danced up a storm!

After the bands first set the door prizes were drawn which consisted of 5 or 6 round trips for two anywhere First Air flies which we had our fingers crossed for, but others were the lucky winners. They also had a couple of draws for 300kg (I think that was the weight) of free freight which would have been a very sweet deal for the winner. Again, we felt very happy for those that did win.

Overall a successful and very enjoyable evening.

We will remember....

Rememberance Day ceremonies have special meaning for many different reasons; not the least of which is remembering those that have gone before us to provide us what we have today. On November 11th Larry and I attended the ceremony held at the cadet hall here in Iqaluit. I'll discuss the cadet hall in a bit.

The ceremony was inside and I must say there was standing room only. The hall, which is a fair size, was packed. Larry and I arrived early which was a good thing as there wasn't an empty seat to be found. The Air cadet squadron provided the "sentry," the legion provided the colour party and the RCMP were a strong presence. What was missing, other than one or two officers and a Warrant Officer was a military presence. Something I hadn't really seen before. Everywhere you go, that I remember, down south there is a good military presence. At this ceremony there was only the officer escorting the commissioner and the Detachment Commander for the Northern Detachment. The largest contingent was the RCMP officers who were employed with the Iqaluit detachment.

The ceremony overall was very well done. The legion conducted the ceremony, one of the cadets provided the bugle (trumpet) and a local choir also performed at the ceremony. The choir was amazing.

In this picture is the Commissioner of Nunavut and the legions parade commander.

This picture shows the "makeshift" cenotaph. Many families and organizations laid wreaths. Overall a very good ceremony. Everyone attending the ceremony was in their "sunday best" and very open to engaging in conversation. Actually the commissioner made a point of talking to many people in attendance and was a welcomed presence to the ceremony. Even Larry and I had our little minute of introduction. I think that is one contrast from down south; our dignitaries tend to be inaccessible.

So, I mentioned that the parade was conducted in the cadet hall. There are many units down south that would be jealous of the facilities that the cadets have here in Iqaluit. For those that have seen Trenton Air Cadet Summer Training Centre's cadet canteen, I would say the cadet hall is probably at least 3x the size. It's an impressive facility with lots of possibility. The senior cadets were very well turned out and did their unit proud. Unlike down south, I could ask almost anyone in Iqaluit and they could tell you about the cadet program. Everyone is well versed on the cadets and the opportunities. The legion is the sponsor of the cadet unit. Of course, there was also ranger representation at the ceremony. Although I only recall seeing one or two.

More about the cadet unit in a later blog.

Our First Run In With the RCMP

And we hope our last!!!! Last Thursday night (November 10) we were heading home from the squash club in our 1990 Jeep Wrangler. To back up a little bit, we took the Wrangler (affectionately called hem or roid, depending on the day) into the garage to have it looked at because it was stalling when we slowed down or stopped at stop signs. The way the mechanic fixed the problem was to turn up the idle, so it was idling at 2000 - 2500 RPM's, especially when the jeep was first started. So, last Thursday night we had just started the jeep after a great squash game and workout and we were heading home. Then all of a sudden, there were the red spinning lights in our rearview mirror and low and behold, we were being pulled over! So, the very first thing the Police Officer asked was, do you know why I pulled you over?? And in all honestly I told him that I had no idea (I know, sometimes that is a ploy to divert one's own guilt, however in this case I really had no idea why I was being pulled over.) He told me that I was going 52 KM per hour in a 30 KM per hour zone. The funny thing was that the jeep was in third gear, and I didn't even have my foot on the gas. In fact, I think what happened was it sped up when I my foot accidently slipped off the break. There was one other factor involed, which was a 70km tail wind. As a side note on Friday night winds hit 100 Km per hour. Our whole house shook, like one of those beds in a cheap hotel room after a quarter is inserted. Anyway, the officer, who turned out to be a fine young man (mainly because he didn't give me a ticket) asked for my drivers license and our insurance and ownership. My drivers license hasn't been switched yet from an Ontario to a Nunavut license.
Now that's a whole story in itself. The readers digest version is that to get a Nunavut drivers license, I need a medical because I have a D/M license instead of just a G license. Anyway, I have been calling and trying to get an appointment to get the medical. Aparently there is currently a shortage of doctors in Iqaluit, so non emergency appointments have been put on hold.
In this case, I think it worked in our favour. When the officer noted that I had an Ontario drivers license and the ownership had been switched within the last 2 weeks, he just politely said that the speed limit in this area of town is 30 KM per hour. I assured him that I appreciated the information and would do my very best to keep the speed of the vehicle in line.

I'm happy to say that the end result was no ticket, although I'm sure Jacquie is convinced that it won't be too long before my foot will slip off the break again and I'll be caught! :-)

The Squash Club

Jacquie and I have joined the local squash club called the Frobisher Bay Racket Club. For me it was a god send. I really enjoy playing squash and the thought of not being able to play it in Iqaluit was a bit of a downer. When we realized there was a squash club up here we were very pleased. Now, I must say that I had a huge amount of fun at the Royal Brock and all of my squash playing pals are second to none. You guys are wonderful and will never be able to be replaced.
Jacquie and I have been pleasently surprised with the squash club in Iqaluit. It was a bit expensive to join, however has 3 squash courts, a work out room with free weights and multiple strength building equipment as well as a small room with arobic machines. In the change room there is a hot tub and a steam room. Upstairs there is a games room with a shuffle board, pinpong table, pool table, darts and a few TV's throughout the club.
Being a private club they are allowed to have a liquor license and there is a very well stocked bar. The prices are about the cheapest we have seen in Iqaluit with a beer being $5.00. In the few ordinary bars there are in Iqualuit a beer is typically about $9.00. Also, the food is very good, and again very reasonable priced for the north.
Jacquie and I are sub's for the leaque and we have played a few matches. We reserve the weekends to play together and try to find matches within the club thoughout the week. They seem to be very big on doing drills at the club and Jacquie has joined a number of lady's that get out regularly and do drills for what seems like hours at a time. My first match was with a lady named Jesica who is ranked nationally and goes all over for tournaments. Not surprisingly she won the match. Last Thursday I played the guy who is first or second ranked in the club and faired quite well getting a game from him in a best of 5 match. He only started playing squash 2 years ago, however was a national badminton champion and is young and very very fit. After the 4 games he was barely breaking a sweat and I needed a cot and a defibrillator. Tonight I played the 5th or 6th ranked guy and we are at about the same level. Again though a young player and in excellent shape!
One of the real encouraging signs about the club is that I'm told there are over 100 squash players many of whom are beginners or at the novice level. Squash is certainly alive and well in Iqaluit!!
All in all, Jacquie and I are very much enjoying our membership at the frobisher Bay Racquet club and we both think we have lost a couple of pounds from our activity at the club .........bonus!!!

The Promise of Pictures (Part 2)

One big park up here is Sylvia Grinnell National Park, we actually found it by accident one day. There are some really great paths and I'm looking forward to seeing the spring and summer colours.

Of course we had to add the dogs.`Someone asked me if it's flat in Iqaluit. The answer is a simple no, there is no such thing as flat.

Holly loves it up here as you can see with her big "dog" smile. We'll see if she still has that smile come January..:0)

The boaters will stay on the water right until the bitter end.

The bright yellow building in the forefront is the airport. No missing that building....

Although some pictures may look bleak to you; in person they're quite beautiful. It's getting dark now before 1530 hrs(3:30 pm) and that is taking a little getting use to........

The promise of some pictures

We've had a few requests for pictures and we've promised that we would post some pictures. If you've been on our facebook site you would have seen some of these but now you will have the benefit of some description.

The first picture is a shot of the town. Although it is a bit of a bleak day one can almost see that many of the pictures are different colours. In fact, down in the "core" of where I work we have the blue bldg, salmon bldg and the yellow bird build......can you guess the bldg colours...:0)

As stated in an earlier blog we live in lego land. We have a modest two bedroom, one floor home that is perfect for us and the dogs.

On a good day we would spend at leat $24 on cab fare. So, we bought wheels. A 1990 Jeep Wrangler that was like gold to us. Down south none of us would even give it a second glance.....we were in 7th heaven. We won't tell you what we paid cuz you would all just shake your heads, but it's the reality of being in the great white north.

WE love our jeep!!!!

Larry supports Prostate Cancer

Larry joined his work team in supporting the movember moustache growing contest in support of prostrate cancer. The contest started November 1 and goes until the 25th of November. So far, he's been doing great. The picture is obviously after 9 days growth.

As you can see by the picture he's making good on the contest. Thanks to everyone that has supported the cause. As we know cancer has touched the lives of all of us in some form or another. To all those in the fight, don't give up!

Beginning of Week 3

Well it’s hard to believe but we’re into week 3 of our relocation. It’s amazing how much we’ve learned and what we’ve accomplished in just a short time. We’ve moved into our new home (we’re still awaiting our personal belongings that are being shipped), have purchased a set of wheels (1990 Jeep Wrangler), joined the local squash club, set up our post office box and mailing, located all the “food” stores, organized our phone situation with each of us now having a working Blackberry and we’ve taken in some of the sights of Iqaluit. Apparently we live in the part of town called “lego land.” It has to do something with the fact that all the roof colours wold remind you of lego colours; blue, green, red etc…you get the picture. Overall, I would say we haven’t done  too bad for newcomers.

We’ve also taken in some of the local “do’s” within town. We went out for Wing night at the Store House Bar and Grill and went to the Legion one night to listen to a 3 piece band made up of an acoustic guitarist, bass guitar and penny flute/recorder player. The legion has what they call the quiet room which is for bands such as the three that played. In the larger room in the legions is where you’ll find the “younger” crowd partying. Wow, can’t believe I just said that.

Larry and I are adjusting well to our new lifestyle. The pace of this community is much slower than what you would be use to down south. This isn’t a bad thing! It does us good to slow down and not always be in a rush to get somewhere. Everything gets done and usually done quite well.

So far we’ve visited the Legion, Store house bar and grill, Discover Inn (best meal ever!!), Frobisher Inn, Frobisher racquet club, North mart, Arctic Adventure, The Source, availed ourselves to most Tim’s outlets and stepped into the quick mart that serves Kentucky Fried Chicken. We’ve also visited the welcome centre and library. Some of the outdoor sites we’ve seen include some great views for Frobisher Bay, which by the way has the second highest tide (we believe) in the world next to the Bay of Fundy. We’ve been told the tide here is 30’ which is pretty significant. We’ve visited a small town called Apex, driven the road to no where…..and guess what? ….it goes no where! We’ve been down to the pier which is really more what I would call a causeway.

About Nunavut

Nunavut is about 2 million square kilometers (1/5 of the land mass of Canada) and has an average January Temperature of -30 C and an average July temperature of +15 C. We can easily state that the cost of living is at least 1.5 times higher than southern Canada.

Nunavut’s economic activities include mining, tourism, fishing, hunting and arts and crafts; to name a few. The people (Nunavummiut) are located in 25 different communities and roughly 60% of the Inuit population is under the age of 25. The total population is 32,000 of which 85% are Inuit. A very important part of any kind of decision making in Nunavut is the inclusion of what is termed IQ. IQ is Inuit Qaujimajangit which provides input from all. Consultation is done amongst not only business or say the Government of Nunavut, it also includes communities, to include elders, youth and any other stakeholder that may have input. It’s not just one voice but all voices must be heard. It’s not just fact or science based but also observation by those who live on the land. There are four recognized languages in Nunavut: Inukitut, Inuinnagtun, English and French.

That’s enough info for this session, more later…..