Time for a career change....

My second full moon is soon here

It's a week before Easter and my return visit to Ranking Inlet, Nunavut Territory is soon coming to a close. When I started to review my blog and looked back, I couldn't help but notice how much has changed in just a few short weeks. After a couple of weeks I stopped wearing the face mask protector, except during the big blizzard...the extra hood has also been put away. For a week now I've worn a baseball cap to prove the point that in -30C temps...spring is here! Today, I didn't wear my snow pants.

I just returned from the Health Centre, the second time on a friday night and it wasn't even 9 p.m. Tonight's sunset was another blue sky, drop dead gorgeous red ball descent. On the way back "home" the moon was greater than half, shining brightly, glistening of the new snow that fell today.

There are more "CATS" here than in any Broadway production!

When I arrived here in early February, the new moon soon became a slit, finally full and is now a few days away from full. It will be the second time since I arrived. During that time we have had our 'share' of momentus events. The 3 night blizzard with winds approaching 140 km/hr and above was probably an event that ranks right up there. The cleanup took more than a week and from the heavy equipment used, mechanics here will be busy with spring maintenance...whenever that arrives. The new power poles and transformers on them performed as expected and no power outages were recorded to my knowledge during the "big blow".

It took almost 6 hours to clear the hotel parking lot.

 

Many drifts were above my head...and those were the small ones

Same drift...different angle...a few hours earlier

The best/worst story of the blizzard...and there were many...was my patient on the last day of the storm. He arrived with a sore shoulder. Hockey? I asked as he shook his head in denial..."Was walking yesterday to the store during the storm", he continued, and "I was following the big snow drift..walking on top....couldn't see only a couple of feet ahead." Then he came to the swath that had been cut across the drift..by the front end loader..so cars could travel the road. Gravity took over and down about 6 feet he fell. He could have been killed from the fall, found frozen the next day, but he went home with a sore shoulder so he wouldn't bother anyone during the storm.  

The rotating hydro blackouts last week added some drama to an already "fun" filled week. That was caused by one of the three generators going down...but it's now history. The frozen water mains, could not be predicted and according to a conversation at breakfast are happening all over town as the hamlet has expanded with new buildings,and the flows in the circulation of that system have changed. The other interesting fact from that talk was that this time of year, and in the next month, as the sun warms the surface of the ground it can drive the frost deeper...so they may be seeing more of Big Bertha, soon, around these streets.

The "Big Bertha" watermain defrosting team...working their magic !!

Five days after the big blizzard, the work to clear continued

While the infrastructure has improved and continues to do so, the new water supply line is now in place and will commence to bring fresh supply of water into town from miles away. The final approvals have been granted and crews are ready in the warm weather to begin that process, and should ensure a steady supply for the next 20 years or more.

Minerals will continue to be the focus as more mines come online. Logistics, being an important part of any change, are the main barrier. The lead time for heavy equipment arriving by sealift in the summer months takes almost 2 and a half years from approval to delivery. The landscape is dotted with "c" cans. These are remnants left from the delivery of goods, act a storage units and are well used for everything from wind blocks to garages. Actually it's SEA CANS...since they arrive by the sea and bring everything from autos to xray film.

There will be tankers arriving in the warmer months to reload the tank farm so that the community will be able to function during the next winter. Heating oil, diesel, aviation fuel and automobile gas are all fluids that need replentishment for the town to function...and they need to order for the entire year in advance. Snow machines, bombadiers, "Honda's", SUV's and trucks all will need to be brought into shore from delivery vessels, anchored just offshore. With 24 hours of daylight the work is continuous and contracts allow much bonus money to be made as deadlines are shortened in the already concise "nice" weather.

The tank farm "up the hill" just out of town.

There is an abundance of east coasters here. More "newfoundlanders" can be found here than in St. John's...not really but they are a large group. With so many around, I may have developed a slight newfie accent. The biggest change, though, is the constant replacement of contract health care workers. While more Inuit are now starting to fill key positions, the bulk of health care workers are imports. Many come for a 4-6 week contract and leave, vowing to return. One thing that has been more noticeable, this trip, is the number of Inuit who are starting to take those higher responsibility jobs. Many of the contract spots are nurses. With my time here coming to and end, I wanted to introduce you to some of the St. Catharines General connection.

Nurse Bette upon Graduation

For a time there were three former "General" employees working here at the Kivalliq Regional Health Centre and another from the former Hotel Dieu on Onatario Street. Linda, Bette and I all worked together for many years at the General Hospital in St. Catharines. Both of them worked ER, while I was in Xray. Linda and I actually attended our anatomy classes back then as the xray and nursing students took those classes together in the same lecture hall...the Leonard Classrooom. I just found out last night that our teacher, was the daughter of a "mover and shaker" of universal health care, Tommy Douglas.

Nurse Linda at Graduation

Years later, here in Rankin, we have been working to provide quality care. The graduating pictures from the class of 71 and 66 (sorry girls) show we have hardly changed. Of course my graduating class was much smaller and less formal. Linda and Bette have been here for many years...Linda has been the Nurse in Charge at the Health Centre working here for almost 15 years and Bette has been coming here for almost as any years as well but on a contract basis.  I'm the new one as this is my second "tour". 

Back in January 2008, I survived an eight day "canadian record breaking" blizzard and rotating blackouts. This time I have survived several blizzards (the longest 3 days), multiple days of rotating electrical blackouts AND frozen water supply distribution. I've survived at least 6 hockey tournaments of various ages and genders. Here, the days have more daylight than at home in Niagara...and the sun is stronger and brighter every day.

Semi-retired, I wondered if I would be able to survive the daily regimen for this length of time and surprisingly have enjoyed every minute. They tell me the fishing is good a few miles inland. Many lakes hardly ever get "touched"...but that's the summer and currently everything is a few feet under ice. It'll take a little while to thaw...perhaps it's time for a career change....what if I sold cameras? I may be getting out of town at a good time.