Whether to...AND....Weather Too !!!

....remember the Christmas Carol goes...
"So the weather outside is frightful..."

Well here at home it's currently delightful!....was plus eight a couple of days ago....that's celsius and with an overnight low between freezing and plus 2 it's been quite pleasant. It's been a green Christmas & Boxing Day.

This holiday season has been a pleasant change from the seasonal norm.  It's a far cry from last year when Toronto was plagued by the ice and snow for many days around the Christmas..and had huge electrical issues...how soon we try to forget!

So tonight I wanted to compare our weather in Niagara and what is happening in Nunavut. I shouldn't have...makes the decision to go north...just a bit more difficult.
The following headline listed.

Active Advisory: Winter Weather Statement

Well, it actually looked like this:

So, to review...Current temp -26C feels like -43 with the Wind Chill ...

Winds from the North at 46 km/hr gusting to 59...and it also says it's going to be cooler tomorrow...and it went on to give the following warning:

Blizzard Warning for the Kivalliq area
updated by Environment Canada
at 2:19 p.M. CST Sunday 28 December 2014.
---------------------------------------------
Blizzard Warning for:
      Arviat
      Rankin Region Including Whale Cove
      Chesterfield Inlet
      Baker Lake
      Repulse Bay. 

These are all communities that feed patients into the Health Centre in Rankin Inlet....and tells me that the airport has been quiet and no one is moving....schools are already closed for the holidays...they won't be affected....but depending on how long this has been going on...and, more importantly, how has it affected the people!  

The weather statements also advises to remain in place with travel not attempted. This also means that any Medivac emergency transfers to Winnipeg will have been delayed with onsite staff needing to provide the care....for a whole myriad of possibilities...anyone requiring abdominal surgeries, high risk deliveries and head and spine injuries...just to name a few. It can be a scary time for those involved (on both sides:patients & families and also staff), but we've done it before...and in the ways of the North....we cope.

That's the reward of being there! Genuine appreciation for those extra efforts!

NEXT UP: The Decision Gets Closer

 

RETAILING IN THE NORTH

The end of 2014 fast approaches...2015 is only a couple of days away....and on the horizon is the organizing.  Yesterday's blizzard in the Kivillaq region of Nunavit gave me the reality check that I had better look into some warm clothes....just in case. With the Boxing week sales being on, it was  a good time to start.

I also had to drop off equipment at Nikon Canada for some recalibration and adjustments...so combined both tasks stopping afterwards at Sherway Gardens. It's definitely one of Canada's mega merchandising emporiums...soon with 75 more stores including a Noordstrum's and a Saks Fifth Avenue in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Now I know why I hate large malls. Many of the chains use the cookie cutter approach to layout, lighting,  shelving and merchandising. The key redeeming thing is the people, those hardworking retail staffers. They make the whole experience palatable and even pleasant

A sign caught my interest in the Eddie Bauer store. It read Live your adventure...was this an omen???

 Looking at it, made me momentarily drift back to my adventure 7 years ago...standing in the Northern Store. In Rankin Inlet, the goods available are quite different. Very few stores in southern Ontario sell ammunition, Duck and Geese decoys along with fresh vegetables, canned and dry packaged food along with washers, dryers, stoves and fridges. For your transportation needs they stock quad cycles, snow mobiles and outboard motors. Not sure if online shopping has developed there....may find out soon.

If you look at the prices and the specials....you may never complain about your food prices again!!!!
CLICK HERE to see the NORTHERN Flyer Specials to December 31st

I could imagine the scene in the local Northern or the Co-op...not sure if they have a Boxing week sale  but this time of year they have calendars. Since my adventure 7 years ago, I usually get a calendar from one of  the staff at the Health Centre and look forward to it each year. I might even be able to bring my own home this year!

And while researching for material for this blog, I discovered that the Northern store was one of 122 (SOME in Alaska as well as Canada's provinces) and is owned by:

 

Yes, the same company that brought you "Pemmican" and those fur trading "Coureur des bois" in the sixteen and 1700's !

In fact, you will be quite surprised that they are not only retailing in northern Canada but also in the the Caribbean, South Pacific and Alaska. In Niagara, one store chain stands out!!!! Giant Tiger!!!

Coming Up: DECISIONS.....DECISIONS