It's a Whale of a Place

Just over 70 kilometers South-South-West of Rankin Inlet is the fourth in our 'Communities We Serve' series, and today we highlight, Whale Cove. In Inuktitut, the hamlet is known as Tikiraqjuaq, meaning "long point" and is another example of our communities based upon the history of whaling along the Hudson Bay coast where Beluga's and other species gather and migrate during the year.

The Beluga's Form a Major Focus of the Town Crest

The Whale Cove area was explored by Captain Thomas Button in 1613, and later by Captain Luke Foxe in 1631, in a search for the Northwest Passage. In the early 1700s, the Hudson’s Bay traders visited this area on a more or less regular basis to trade with the Inuit.

Inuit in the Whale Cove area traded whale oil, baleen, furs, leather and walrus tusks with the Hudson's Bay Company since the mid-18th century when the HBC had established their trading post at Churchill, Manitoba.

Whale Cove is still a very traditional community and locals hunt and fish to supplement their diets. Traditional 'country' foods here include caribou, fish, seal and beluga whale. In the 1950s and 1960s Inuit were relocated in a series of moves from one hamlet to another, some of them arriving in Whale Cove, a hamlet created by the federal government for these 3 main Inuit groups.

Their hunting experience was based almost entirely on "inland caribou herds that had thinned by the 1950s and left many families hungry. Coastal dwelling Inuit from Rankin Inlet and Arviat were relocated to Whale Cove from nearby coastal communities in order to aid the inlanders in adapting to a marine subsistence economy.” The starvation was real...the response from the federal government is viewed as mixed, at best.

The Whale Tail Monument from 1967

Today Whale Cove has a modern school, health centre, RCMP detachment, municipal office, community hall, cooperative store, and a local radio station. There is a hotel (Issatik) and restaurant that serves traditional and 'country' foods. Like, many of the smaller communities, 92% are Inuit while the overall population of Nunavut is approximately 84% Inuit. Whale Cove consists of a young population with 67% of residents are under the age of 25. Whale Cove has approximately 427 residents.

All buildings in Whale Cove receive water and sewage service by truck. Daily, trucks will visit homes, businesses, and public buildings and deliver water and pump out sewage waste. Water comes from a local lake, and is mildly treated before being delivered. Sewage removed from tanks, usually located under homes or buildings, is deposited in a lagoon located a kilometre from town. Garbage is also picked up regularly from all community establishments. Water and Sewage services are heavily subsidized as the costs can be difficult to manage.

Each fall beluga whales congregate in near the shores of Whale Cove. In 1967, the Whale's Tail Monument, a project honouring Canada's centennial, was built on a hill overlooking the settlement. The huge Whale’s Tail is made of rock and concrete and has become the symbol of Whale Cove.

Many of the inhabitants hunt these whales every fall and use their by-products for their oil and food. Many travel by boat the 100 kms to Rankin Inlet in the summer months. Being a coastal hamlet, Whale Cove is on the polar bear migration route. The local terrain is arctic tundra, this consists mostly of rocks, mosses and lichens.

The Sun Setting on Hudson Bay - thank you to Billy Adjuk, Eugene Kabluitok and Andrew Noble

Beside hunting and fishing, Arctic tourism is growing. Like most of the hamlets, and the Arctic in general, beautiful scenery surrounds Whale Cove. Enjoy a walk on the beach, or take a day trip and enjoy a picnic on the plush mossy tundra or at a nearby lake. Watch the Northern Lights dancing across the night sky. As always, keep your eyes and ears open for wildlife – Siksiks, Arctic hares, fox, caribou, wolf and polar bears are commonly spotted within and near the community.

The Tundra in Summer - thank you Billy Adjuk

Also, Whale Cove is noted for its fine carvings, and more recently, the skill of its seamstresses, who can still produce traditional Inuit clothing of hide and fur. Apparently, these arts and crafts are sold at the co-op store, but on a walk around town visitors might encounter a carver at work beside his house.

Just a word of caution, if you choose to visit, the Whale Cove airport (YXN) is located 8 kilometres from town. Much easier to have someone meet you, rather than attempting the hike.

Editor's note: For this series I have to rely on various websites to give you a history and feeling of what life is like in the various hamlets in KIVALLIQ region. I can only use that information along with the conversations carried out to verify. Like anything on the 'net' there is information available....it's accuracy, however may be suspect. Photos are from various websites.

Ach,vat…Is How It’s Said

At least, that’s how I’m using it. Welcome to Arviat, formerly

The Communities we serve at Kivalliq Health Centre

known as Eskimo Point, North West Territory before the newest Territory of Canada was formed on April 1, 1999. The pronounciation of my version of the Inuktitut language is becoming very comfortable after just three weeks. Can I spell the words? No, I can hardly get my tongue around them...but listening, strangely, seems easier this week.  The hamlet’s name, Arviat, is derived from the Inuktitut word 'arviq' meaning "Bowhead Whale".

Arviat Health Centre in warmer weather

I can actually say that this is one of our service communities that I have visited previously. Flying up from Winnipeg in 2008, we refueled in Churchill, then travelled to Arviat, where the blowing snowstorm, as we landed on the runway and taxied to the terminal (BIG FLAKES), made me pause to consider…Was I doing the right thing? Did the pilots know something we didn’t? Would we be “weathered” here?

At that time, I then sat back and figured that this was my first trip north and they had been doing this a lot longer...have faith in the professionals. We had people deplane on the built-in steps as we sat with one engine still running, the other being too close to the exit door. People left the nearby terminal building and got on the plane. The snow and winds blew strong. The stairs were retracted. The staircase attempted to retract again. I was seated left (port) side, on a single seat row, right behind the exit door. I could clearly see we were in trouble…no retraction…no flight.

The pilot came back to look and took a hammer, gave it a whallop (the frost and snow must have given way) since the staircase was now completely inside the fuselage. Door closed… port engine started, we taxied off. That was my visit to Arviat aboard CALM AIR.

Catholic or Anglican Church in Arviat in warmer weather

 Arviat is located above the tree line. That’s an imaginary, but real, line where trees will not grow due to the length and temperature of the actual growing season. Some scrub brush and bushes grow but no trees. I remember flying home in 2008, after our big 7 day blizzard last time, and as we approached Thompson, Manitoba, I could see trees again after three plus weeks without. 

When I had questioned staff at that time “Doesn’t it bother you that there are no trees around?” I remember one staffer saying, NO bear can’t hide behind no tree. At lunch today, a similar conversation yielded the same line, with the addition, that someone had asked a resident recently when did you see your first tree? Age 30 was the answer.

Arviat is situated on ‘polar bear alley’ where hundreds of polar bears annually make the trek

These are the real things...not to be taken lightly

north along the coast in October and November searching for sea ice so they can resume their seal hunting. In the summer, once the Bay melts fully, polar bears can often be found along the coast, I’m told, swimming in the sea or on the many islands offshore.

In October, Arviat made the headlines…Halloween was cancelled due to the Polar Bears having not left the town and area. It wasn’t really cancelled but the door-to-door Trick or Treating was. Concern was expressed that the children could be in danger, since the bay ice had not formed solid and the polar bears were still in the area. The bears migrate, as do many of the wild animals, here. They are always looking to feed and the seal population, in winter, is their main supply.

Seals prefer open water so as the ice forms and moves further from shore…you guessed correctly, the seals move and the bears follow. This happens on all coastal communities, including Rankin Inlet where we have had some bear issues in the past three years. Arviat solved their “trick or treat” issue by holding their event in the community centre. Not quite the same, but safer for reasons much different than in the south.

The community is thriving with the third largest population in Nunavut after Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet. With almost 2500 people and 12% growth in the past 7 years, it has become a hub for musicians. There are many famous ones that have professionally recorded their music. While these are famous for the north, most of us will have never heard of them.

A Bombardier and an Inuit sled...the "qamutik"

Access from Churchill can be by boat in warmer seasons or by snowmobile and Bombardier when there’s ice and snow. Cargo and passenger service is provided by both Calm Air and First Air to the local airport. I can’t stress enough the importance of air travel to this part of Canada. One of my young patients today is finishing high school this year and has enrolled in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering program at, I believe, Red River College. If he’s any good, he’ll be well employed.

Editor’s note: Images used is this edition are courtesy of the Government of Nunavut, and various websites. Thank you. Many other photos and stories are forthcoming.

CHESTERFIELD

Just a few hundred miles down the estuary from Baker Lake towards Hudson Bay is the coastal community of Chesterfield Inlet. The town is small but it used to have a vibrant and important history in the Kivalliq Region of Nunuavut. “Igluligaarjuk” is the Inuktitut word for "place with few houses" and still describes the hamlet today. With a population that has steadily declined in the past ten years from over 350 to just over 300, the reason's are many and mostly economic.

Inuit loading recently arrived supply vessels in early 1900's

This area was always a meeting point for the Inuit people to camp for hunting and for fishing. In those times it was known as Fish Bay. Many Inuit travel to this area each year to continue that tradition.Visitors will find ancient Thule sites nearby where ancient Thule tent rings and animal traps still stand today.

You have to go back to the early exploration of the area. While searching for a 'northwest passage' to China, considerable navigation occurred in the area during the short 'open water' season. This inlet, off Hudson Bay was named “about 1749, after Philip Dormer (Stanhope), 4th Earl of CHESTERFIELD (1694-1773) who was England's Secretary of State from 1746-48.”

From the mid 1800's to the beginning of this century, whalers visited the area regularly and often overwintered here. There are many tales and stories of the mistreatment of the Inuit by the whalers even though they counted on these local inhabitants to hunt for them and to man their whale boats. It was once Hudson's Bay Company's main supply centre for other posts in the area.

At Chesterfield Inlet, the Inuit people often gathered to seek employment or to trade goods. Until the 1950's, Chesterfield Inlet was a major centre north of Churchill, Manitoba. It was the Hudson's Bay Company's main supply centre for other trading posts in the area. It was also the site of the largest RCMP barracks and the largest Roman Catholic mission in the eastern arctic, as well as medical and education centre.

This hamlet has been permanently settled since about 1910, making it one of the oldest of the modern Inuit settlements in the Arctic. When you research the area you find out about the Thule people.... the very early settlers in the area.

Inuit worked for the Whaler's - courtesy New Bedford Whaling Museum

Overall, it appears that the Chesterfield Inlet North West Mounted Police detachment had an extensive area of responsibility. Dog sled and launch fulfilled most transportation needs of the detachment depending upon the time of year. Additional facilities were built for the Chesterfield Inlet detachment in 1949 and 1950. First, two separate quarters were built for Inuit special constables. In the second year, a residence was constructed.

Members of "M" Division RNWMP, Fullerton Harbour, 1905

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police remained an integral part of Chesterfield Inlet until 1963 when the detachment was closed and Chesterfield Inlet was administered from the newly established base at the now growing Rankin Inlet.  In C.I., there is a monument erected dedicated to Mrs Agnes Clay, the wife of Staff Sergeant Sidney G. Clay who was attacked and killed by sled dogs. Their life is worth the read.

North West Mounted Police Barracks

The decline of Chesterfield Inlet was largely economic in nature. In the mid fifties, the rapid growth of the famous at the Rankin Nickel Mine was the main reason for mass exodus. In a few short years, well paying regular, non-governmental jobs served as a beacon for all the communities but, more so for Chesterfield Inlet. 

The nickel mine closed abruptly in Rankin Inlet when the price of nickel suddenly dropped making it uneconomical to mine given the hardships that this climate brings. As the closure devistated that town, so too, the previously prosperous Chesterfield Inlet never recovered thereafter.  

In 2011, the Hudson's Bay Company commemorated its 100th year mark of the 1911 establishment of the Hudson's Bay Company post in Chesterfield Inlet during the early fur-pelt trade industry. 

Editor's note: I have tried to assemble this information from conversations with patients and staff augmented by the websites of the local Hamlet. Some links for photos are available. Many thanks to all. Additional History

Commonly called...B.L.

The “Communities We Serve” series will help acquaint you

The geographical centre of Canada is Baker Lake

with the many communities in the region of KIVALLIQ, the south central part of Nunavut territory. I thought it ftting to start with a focus on the geographical centre of Canada and a hamlet known as Baker Lake (pronounced “Qamani’tuaq” in INUKTITUT). 

While you normally wouldn’t sit down and “google” this village name, there are times, when I’ve had a few minutes, to research these places and hope, in the next few days, to educate with a few facts and interesting features of those communities that we service. I continue to learn about these places. One of the staff related a story, recently, that she was at a conference. The keynote guest speaker, Roberta Bondar (one of Canada’s early astronauts), asked the audience the question, “What is the geographical centre of Canada?” This person was able to answer her question.

We use the short form for many of the communities here and Baker Lake is known around the health centre...simply as B.L. There have been many things that I’ve learned while here in the Arctic at Rankin Inlet. The hamlet of BAKER LAKE sits on its namesake’s lake shore, and has two main stores, a Co-op and a Northern (as well as their respective convenience outlets). Banking is limited, apparently, but most businesses accept charge cards.

1940 Hudson Bay Trading Post currently the Visitior Centre in Baker Lake

The Akumalik Visitors Centre occupies the former HUDSON BAY TRADING POST building which has been kept intact as a replica of a 1940's model complete with fur pelts in the attic and goods to be traded on the shelves. That tradition is consistent with many communities...for almost 350 years.

Inside the trading "Post"

The old Anglican compound is still very evident according to my research. With a town population of some 1800 residents, this location is the only inland settlement in Nunavut Territory (91% of the people are Inuit). Most of the hamlets are coastal and are reached in the summer months by various ships and sealift vessels. Baker Lake is some 320 kilometers west of the Hudson Bay coastline at a point where the Thelon river mouth widens. This is important since supplies are able to come into the river's wide mouth at Chesterfield Inlet and then travel upstream to resupply the hamlet. 

Of course, the RCMP has a detachment there. As well, there is an arena, recreation centre and swimming pool and a health centre. We don't have a swimming pool here inRankin Inlet, it was closed a few years ago...but for the past two summers we do have an artificial turf soccer venue...sure is better than playing on the gravel that it replaced.

Mining and development are active about 70 kilometers north of Baker Lake with a year round 110 km road connecting both the Gold and Uranium mining operations. Over 400 workers are housed and work there, on a rotational basis…flying in and out from the airport strip located there. We are talking big numbers here. Mine estimates show almost 8,500 tonnes of ore processed daily and it's expected to produce 350,000 ounces of gold annually over the 9 year mine life. The Company sees the potential to discover 5,000,000 ounces of gold at Meadowbank and continue the mine life well beyond 2019. They expect to employ 450 people with over 40% coming from the local communities.

Along the shoreline near the town are apparently a series of huts and sheds providing shelter to winter and summer gear for the local population. Three rivers flow into the actual lake, and the lake is then connected to Chesterfield Inlet (shortened by everyone to plain…Chesterfield) on the shores of Hudson Bay. This provides a means of access in the summer months for barges to bring equipment, gasoline and fuel oil for the town folk. Fuel oil, in all these communities, provides the vital link in generating electric power, used extensively for heat and light…and it gets delivered once a year so you had better order the right amount.

The following is taken from the local website and describes the people and area so well…why re-invent the wheel. “In a land which has seen the comings and goings of thousands of seasons, it's in the travels and adventures of the people that the story is told. For the Inuit, history is more a matter of

The Arts and Crafts of the Inuit of Baker Lake

place than it is of time. It is the memory of the changing of the seasons, and nomadic journeys following the migrations of the animals that made life possible for them. The Inuit sense of tradition flows from the memories of the places they've camped for generations: places where the caribou were plentiful and the fishing was good.”

Artwork and handicrafts are two methods of retaining the rich culture and heritage of the Inuit people. Carvings, paintings, and wall hangings are famous from this area. Beaded work takes years to perfect.

Hunting and fishing depicted in artworks

Arctic tourism is a term used extensively now as more people flock to the north and see for themselves what this beautiful, natural setting is all about. They come to canoe and hike, or to hunt and fish, all the time taking in the sights and sounds of this land. Whether by boat or canoe, by quad or snow machine, movement across the land continues. In fact, the term “Nunavut” (of which this territory is named) when translated into English from the native INUKTITUT language really means “OUR LAND”. It will be interesting to see how the past can mesh with the present and still maintain those INUK traditions.

So for those adventurous souls who would like to visit Baker Lake, fly to Winnipeg, take a plane north to Rankin Inlet and 14 hours of hard snowmobiling later you will arrive at the community of Baker Lake...the lakes will be froze and safe until early May, so you still have some time to book! It's -35C today...so dress warm!

Editor's note: Unlike my other postings, I have no images directly from the area so my thanks for the use of these photos from Baker Lake Community Economic Development's website.

Monday Suds

Monday morning blues, whites, darks...permapress...the list goes on. Having been 'on call' the 2 previous weeks meant no time to do the clothes, just in case I might get recalled back to work. I wouldn't want to leave them and find them not available to me.

Monday morning the weather is improving!!!

I had decided that Monday would be wash night...simply because the cupboard was getting bare. The previous week, one of the nurses, had offered the washer and drier in her unit, I took her up on the offer since if I'd get called in...at least the laundry was secure..Eight days later, it was time, once again.

As I mentioned earlier, we had a storm most of the weekend. Starting as predicted at noon on saturday, it raged through to the wee hours of monday morning (-58 with the wind chill and winds gusting to 68 km/hr). I'm getting very used to this...cancellations and re-bookings are a way of life, here in Rankin Inlet and most of the north. We are so heavily dependent on the air traffic it is quite interesting but at the same time quite frightening as you realize the consequences of that vital link...and the outcome should flights not be available.

Snow Covered Quad!

Sunday evening just prior to supper, I got a call to come in. I arrived after “a stroll”...through the blustery gale force winds to find my patient in the ER room. Conveniently, my xray room is right next to it and has an adjoining “en suite” entrance. It's very convenient. We finished our filming and returned him to his room. My first actual multiple trauma. Most accidents happen at home, as did his. The ambulance had picked him up at his residence and delivered him to us.

We did our job, arrangements for his care meant we would be transferring him. The cards were dealt for an medevac out to Winnipeg. He was soon ready for transport...but the planes were not flying. He was bedded down and preparations were made so that safe transfer could occur once the storm broke. He was off the ground around 3 a.m., would be arriving about 6 a.m. and be at the hospital by 7 a.m.

Our bay window was "painted" by the storm

You can hear planes taking off and landing, if you listen, at various times of day...mostly when you are outside. The larger planes can be heard when you are standing inside near a window (and the TV

is off). I'm starting to know some of the scheduled times and glance out the windows when those times are near. The airport is not three minutes by truck from the centre of town and I could walk there from my apartment...we'll see what the weekend weather has in store.

I would like to get out this weekend and take some photos at the other end of town. There are a couple of images, I would like to capture, but I need the weather's cooperation to achieve success. One thing that is dependable is we will have weather...what kind...well, it's just a matter of time. We have almost a full moon rising about 4 p.m. from “out the bay”, as the sun is setting about 75 minutes later in the west.

As the weather improves, the traffic increases

As the weather has improved so has the traffic on all level, quads, trucks, SUVs and snow machines. Most of the community has taken the time to dig out their ramps, steps, parking lots. Amazing how extension cords keep working their way to the surface of the snow....and the maintenance guys and gals here have to defrost and warm things outside BEFORE they can even attempt repairs.

Inside is a different story. The buildings here have windows that open outwards usually...not vertical or side sliders. I'm told that the summer months here are even more spectacular as the hill where the inukshuk stands is completely lined with violet coloured flowers. Even with the changing seasons, air conditioning is not something that is normally required. The heat in buildings does not stop in the summer apparently, just the windows open and there are screens so there must be flying critters...more research on this is definitely needed.

No drive through here..the window would be frozen shut!

So time to fold the laundry. Best entertainment valued at $1 per load to wash and $1.25 to dry, here in our apartment building. Cheapest thing I've bought in Rankin Inlet, to date, is three loads, washed and dried for $6.75. It almost cost that much for three coffees the other day at the local Tim's. The advantage at Tim's is I got to a chance to roll the rim....PLEASE PAY AGAIN!...sorry.... Please PLAY Again!....at least I already won a $25 Gift card the second day of the contest... online...at home, this year!
                               Hope you did even better!

Blizzard...but no D.Q.

The snow and winds affect tracks

“It's five o'clock on a saturday” is how, I remember that song goes. We've made the end of a week (my second full week here in Rankin Inlet) and the end of the month. Friday was payday and all through the Kivalliq Health Centre the talk was the same. It wasn't about the payday 50/50 draw (which I did not win despite buying tickets). For sure, it wasn't about my move to the new accomodations. In fact, it wasn't about what had been planned as social interactions for the coming days.

Being payday week, there is a certain anticipation as to what occurs thereafter. Like many, people here live paycheck to paycheck. There is shopping for food, the paying of bills and general banking to be done. As well, because that GN (Government of NUNAVUT) payday affects the economy in these communities so dramatically, there are two bingos this weekend. So both Friday and Saturday nights will be busy as people play their cards at home, listening to their radios, the speed dial at the ready, in hopes that those precious few seconds eliminate the sharing of the prizes.

The topic started just before noon (as you remember we close from noon to one each week day). As you passed a staff member is was “PSSSST did you hear? Blizzard!!!” or variations on the same theme. It was coming...we had been told. Those prognosticators at ENVIRONMENT CANADA had better get this one right!

Earlier in the week, communities that we serve, had their offices closed partially through the day or did not open, as blizzard warnings had been issued. Schools would have closed early, not because the temperatures had dropped below zero, or that water wasn't available but because of a blizzard in the forecast. The staff had hoped, earlier in the week, that we too would close early and go home...it didn't happen.

The "new" walk to work is a bit longer but the snow reflects light at night.

Friday night I got called back in around 10:30 p.m. The winds had been blowing strong since we had left earlier in the day, and some snow had been falling. It's very hard here to actually tell when it's snowing since the winds blow and the drifts just seem to change position. My new residence is further from my old one and in a different direction. I bundled up for the trek in, went outside and with the wind at my back, hiked to the health centre.

After I had completed what was necessary, I re-bundled for the return trip. I hadn't removed my snow over pants, nor my Sorel winter boots so I slipped on my accessory hood first, attached my face mask, and installed my tightly-knitted wool toque (given to me last time I was here with “TEAM CANADA” knitted around the headband). The down filled coat was zipped up and the velcro hood straps engaged so that the collar protected my face further. Only the slits of my eyes were visible to anyone watching me. I slid on my mitts...my beaver mitts.

Dressed for daylight...warm mittens!

These mitts have performed their expectations without exception. My hands remain warm and toasty in spite of the minus 58C (with wind chill) that my hands have been experiencing. Taking photos I place my mitts in the deep pockets of my coat, remove my hands, take the photos, let the camera drop to its neck strap and replace my hands into the mitts in the pockets. Nice and quick.

As I paused on the “porch” outside the front door of the health centre, preparing to descend the steps, I realized that those winds were now going to be full frontal for the entire trip home. Time to move, I clamoured down the stairs and as another fella moved beside me and jumped into his idling F-150. I gave him a wide berth as the driveway was now polished ice and I didn't want to slide into his vehicle.

What happened next is what is really so amazing about this town and its people. It wouldn't happen across the bay in Iqaluit and many other “larger” towns in the south. If it did, it would be rare indeed. First, people would think twice about climbing into a stranger's vehicle...I did not hesitate. Trust, understanding, and relationships are values here that are still practiced. The attitude is that we are all in this together, so neighbour helps neighbour, not just in time of need, but year round. People in this town have also a certain respect for the health care workers and show it repeatedly. This is but one example.

“Where you going?” he yelled over the howling winds. “Past the drug store” I returned. “Want a ride?” ”Where are you heading?” ”Convenience store” “That's outta your way” “It's OK.” I gave the thumbs up, which is very hard to do with thick mitts, and made my way across the front of the truck to the passenger door and 'climbed aboard'...literally climbed aboard. The heavy duty suspensions of the vehicles here increase the heights of the cabs. It means you grab the hand support by the door frame, place a foot on the door sill and jump and pull yourself into the cab in one motion. I'm starting to get better at it...but not always.

As I climbed in, my first words were “thanks” followed by “wild night”. From him ”storms coming...hope we get a lot of snow”... “why's that?”...“covers the rocks”. Then he explained “prevents damage to the snow machines”...”Going hunting tomorrow?” I asked seeing no other reason you would want to travel out....”no, blizzard tomorrow, hoping for sunday”.

It is totally amazing what you can find out from someone in less then a two block trip. It seems there is a caribou herd heading this way, and the hunters will be going out when the weather breaks. More back and forth when he mentioned his brother had “got” a muskox earlier in this week. Then more info about the muskox that I hadn't known when he said, “The hides are very tough. You have to keep sharpening your knife every three or four cuts.” The things you learn on a friday night here in Rankin Inlet.

We were here. He stopped. I thanked him again and wished him safe hunting and left the warmth of the cab. I never got his name, probably wouldn't recognize him, nor his truck, from the many that are here in town, except for the crunch at the right back door. ”Did that on the garage” he had told me as I had climbed aboard about a half kilo(meter) earlier. As the Ford F-150 sped away, back towards the convenience store, the wind and snow danced. I was home. It was well after 11...with yet another tale to tell.

The next day dawned bright. The elongated clouds blended softly in to the sky blue that I was becoming much more familiar with. I got a call from the health centre just before nine and I said I would be in shortly for the inpatient. I got ready for the day ahead and made my way back to work, the winds much less than the night before. Once my task was finished, I headed to Inns North, a division of the Co-op, where I planned on meeting some others for breakfast. The winds were starting to increase but the sun still shone bright. Past the Northern store where the parking lot was packed, all vehicles running, and last minute selections, needed to ride out the storm, were being purchased.

My residence from 2008 now boarded up

Our Inukshuk--on the way to breakfast

On my way, I stopped just past the hamlet town office. Looking towards the rocky snow covered knoll and our Inukshuk atop, I couldn't help thinking how many storms it had seen since its erection in 1991. Another 50 meters, up the hill, I passed the 'barn', my residence in 2008. It was boarded up, quite sadly, since its condemnation due to mold. Fresh snow from the night before was drifting on the laneway. Past the Co-op entrance and CIBC bank, I turned the corner, was soon inside and ready for breakfast.

As we ordered, we could see out the window, the winds starting to gather more strength and the

The winds starting to blow across Williamson Lake road

blowing snow across Williamson Lake. I went with the “Hunter” again...three eggs over easy, bacon, sausage, rye toast and home fries for $21.95...three mugs of coffee finished the meal...no lunch would be needed. Although the storm was scheduled for noon, unlike many things that happen in the north, it was early.

By the time we were finished, paid up and bundled for transport, the storm was raging. Visibility was 50 to 100 meters and, at times, dropped to half that. Even vehicles with headlights were difficult to see. At the Northern, I was stopping for my final storm supplies and an employee was busy clearing the stairs. Snow machine traffic was substantially reduced and no were target or function specific. Only a few trucks were in the parking lot.

Same Inukshut photo taken 2 hours later

Some pre-storm maintenance on the stairs

Purchases made, were placed in my knapsack, the eggs and bread, my 90 cent apples and my 22 cent cooking oinion. The remainder was placed in a standard grocery bag, no charge for the bag. Once gear in place, it was time to head straight home. Beverly, the grocery clerk, wished me well as I headed out. Down the metal stairs, those efforts of fifteen minutes ago were hardly noticeable. Turned to the left and headed to the corner.

Beauty from the inside...looking out!

The wind had increased now and, as I turned left again on my last leg home, was proceeding directly into it. The final fifty metres and each step...a struggle. Leaning forward to get advantage, the white bag swinging wildly, I kept turning my head so as to watch for any approaching vehicles. I was
walking in their driving lane. This was work...the pace was slow but steady...the goal in sight. I climbed the three steps and was now protected by the plywood cover overhead and the similar sheets on the other two sides.

As I struggled to find my outside key, the door flung open as someone was leaving and the warmth invited me inside. I had made it...intact. Once up the stairs and inside the apartment, I stripped to the waist as my upper body clothes were drenched with sweat from the struggle. I looked out and could barely see the buildings across the street, there was no traffic. I hoped that I wouldn't get called out again as the RCMP had now pulled their vehicles. The Blizzard was here...without a D.Q. in sight!

Michael’s Last Day

The 15 foot Inukshuk quietly stands guard over the town since 1991

 Have you ever gone somewhere and recognized a face, tried to put a name or place to that face…and failed? Then later, when all is calm and quiet…you get that “EUREKA” moment and realize the where, the when, or the who.

Such has been the case these past two weeks. As my time here has lengthened and new introductions have slowed, I have searched my grey cells for snipits of info.  Surprisingly, I’ve had quite a few “eurekas” for several reasons.

I brought a collection of photos with me from my visit here in 2008. The reason being, I wanted to scout around town and record the “then” and “now” differences. On a slow evening, after the blog has been put to bed…I’ve had a chance to relive those memories and have been amazed as to what I do recall. 

My second Saturday, this trip, I was invited to Saturday breakfast at INNS NORTH with a group. We met outside the building, having huddled, then hiked, through the blowing snow that day, to sit and relax. We enjoyed each other’s company and the meal (one without self-preparation for a change). I was able to get an update on the changes occurring in the hamlet, the opening of the mine and what changes had occurred at the KIVALLIQ HEALTH CENTRE.

The Hunter's Special--$21.95 plus Coffee adds $2.95

We had discussed changes in staffing, resources, equipment and personnel…got updates on staff members that I had remembered…those grey cells kicking in again and again. It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride trying to remember and place the people…they are starting to remember me. Our coffee breaks have been an interesting combination of northern stories…the Inuit and northern culture and events. While the terms I am learning about, my Inuktitut language skills STILL remain poor. Marie smiles when I try to pronounce some of my patient’s names. She is very polite and I wonder to myself what is she really thinking. In true INUK fashion, the listening and thinking occur much more than the speaking.

She has been a great source of information about the culture, the history and food habits of the native people. After hearing these tales, I‘ve decided that some of the delicacies that she describes of “country food” are not for me. Between cases, we’ve had the opportunity to share some stories of our families and lives and experiences, both in the radiography room and outside. I think she knows everyone in town…and they her. She seems well respected by the staff in the building…she is a definite asset, as they would say.

She is one, of but many, that work here. Some of the staff that were here in 2008 have moved off to do other things. Susie, the newly engaged nurse at that time, is now in Iqaluit, working in community health with a couple of kids. There are others who are working in other government agencies and offices in town. Then this week, while being called back into the health center one evening, I met Michael.

Michael works the ambulance in town. Not sure if he’s a volunteer with the fire service or an employee. He and his female co-worker had just arrived from the airport, providing transport from there to the health centre for a recently arrived “medevac transfer” from one of our outlying communities. This is common here. What we can’t handle gets air shipped to Winnipeg. What other communities can’t handle gets shipped to us. The people, providing this service, are important and a necessary component in the delivery of health care to the entire KIVALLIQ region of Nunavut.

The heated and enclosed ambulance bay

Michael and his partner had been busy and the night was still young…he was frustrated and needed to vent. I listened…asked a couple of questions and then reinforced his importance to the community as we discussed some of the cases, situations and events he had seen in his many years working the “bus”. He told me that he was going to resign on Friday…that he was “fed up” and the frustration poured forth. He was tired of dealing with the shootings, assaults, drunks, car and snow machine accidents and all manner of things that emergency services entail…more so, probably, in these smaller hamlets.

I told him that he was needed…who would fulfill his job…and agreed that we all have times where we want to “pack it in”...but then “what would we do?”…and, more important in a tightly knit community, “who” would take over? I told him not to be rash in his decision...to really seriously think about it…and hopefully we would be able to talk again in the next few days.

What I didn’t tell MICHAEL…was that he looked familiar and I tried to remember where and when I had seen him in 2008. It took the better part of a day or more...and then I remembered.  He had been part of the ambulance team that had rushed in a patient after school, one weekday around 4:30 in the afternoon. Try as we might, the medical team was unsuccessful in the teen’s resuscitation and he died. The hanging had been a success…another tragedy that this community was about to endure. I didn’t tell Michael that he was also one of the drivers that took the young lad in his coffin to the church. (The ambulance also served as a hearse when necessary, back in those days).

In 2008, I didn’t attend the teenager’s funeral that Saturday at the larger of the two churches in town (we now have three). I didn’t want to seem nosy and instead I wandered around trying to acquaint myself with the village and its layout. I had soon found myself on a small roadway on a hill above town, when I noticed fresh tire tracks in the snow, then lots of footprints. Before me was the town cemetery, an hour after the internment had been completed. No one else was there, just wind and snow. A green cross with his name, Date of Birth, and his D.O.D. marked the fresh grave. I remember the grave completely encircled by small rocks.

A family heading "out" after work on Friday afternoon

Back to the present, I wondered how many times that and similar situations, Michael had experienced since my last visit here to Rankin Inlet. It was then that I understood his concern, frustration, and perhaps, momentary despair. A couple of days later when I saw Michael, I had waved and got the return wave down the hall. When I had completed my task at hand, I wandered down to the ambulance “bay”…where Michael was cleaning the vehicle. I noticed it and complimented him on their shiny new “white cube” that they were now operating and asked him how long had it been here. A couple of years, he responded. I told him it was quite a change from the red painted truck I remembered. It was good to see that positive changes in the infrastructure here were staring to show.

When I mentioned that his “Friday” was coming soon and asked about his “decision”…he smiled and said he had talked it over with his wife…and that he would be staying on. I knew then that this community was still in good hands. It was not yet Michael’s last day!