Canada's Far North
I am always attracted by an opportunity to travel and one of the most appealing destinations is Northern Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut). Early in my career at the CBC, I worked on projects for CBC’s Northern Service (now called CBC North) that took me to places like Whitehorse, Dawson City, Yellowknife, Inuvik, Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit. A few years ago, my daughter lived in Whitehorse for a while and it was great to visit her there. In 2014, I lead a Habitat for Humanity trip to Whitehorse and early in 2017 I found out that I would be leading a Habitat trip to Iqaluit. I was very excited to be returning to the Eastern Arctic with a Habitat team to build in a location I had not visited in many years. When I had last been there, Nunavut territory was not established and Northwest Territories was much larger geographically then as it included all the Eastern Arctic north of the provinces.
A bit of CBC history
Background
Iqaluit (pronounced ih-KAL-oo-it) is the largest community in Nunavut, with a population of about 8,000. It is located on Baffin Island at the northern end of Frobisher Bay. The city of Iqaluit encompasses an area of about 52 sq. kilometres and has the largest population of Inuit (4,000) of any city in Canada. English and Inuktitut are widely spoken in Iqaluit. While a large majority (92 %) of people speak English, only 45 % identify it as their mother tongue; 46 % identify Inuktitut as their mother tongue. Some French is also spoken in Iqaluit as there are some strong ties to Quebec. The overall population is young with the average being 30 years of age.
There is a desperate need for affordable housing in Iqaluit. Volunteers, community groups and local organizations partner with Habitat Iqaluit to build simple, decent housing for working families to provide them with affordable homeownership.
A visit to Iqaluit is like no other and this trip was a great opportunity to support a local family in realizing their dream of a better housing situation while spending a week in a part of Canada most Canadians have never visited. Iqaluit lies well north of the tree line - barren in some senses but a truly rugged beauty.
Arriving in Iqaluit
My team of 12 people from different parts of Canada met in Ottawa and then flew together into Iqaluit on Canadian North Air. It was exciting for people to fly over a part of Canada they had not seen before especially when we were beyond the treeline.
In true northern fashion, we were warmly welcomed to Iqaluit by local HFH folks. We checked into our lodging (two different buildings) and then were given an orientation followed by a tour of the city and surrounding area. We arrived at the just-opened new airport terminal. We were blessed with very fine weather that added to an exciting day. In the early evening, we gathered at the popular Big Racks for dinner where the portions are large and tasty.
Our Build
The build site was in a part of Iqaluit called Apex, which I understand was the original settlement and where a Hudson Bay Company trading post set up. While not operational, the original HBC building is still there. Apex has a limited number of houses, but it is growing thanks in part to the efforts of Habitat Iqaluit.
A few key factors guide building in Iqaluit – very cold weather, strong winds and permafrost. These things mean that houses are heavily insulated on all four sides and are built on posts or piles, rather than directly on the ground so the permafrost is not adversely affected. This also allows the strong winds to flow around the house on all sides. Here are a few views of the house.
On the following four days, we continued with a variety of insulation tasks including installing sheets of plywood on the bottom of the house to hold the insulation in place and keep the wind from penetrating the floor. Some tasks involved a few people working in confined spaces while others worked above their heads. These types of tasks can be tiring and uncomfortable, but there was no complaining from anyone!!
Each day for lunch, local people generously brought us a hot lunch to the build site. We greatly appreciated the hot, tasty lunches and it was good to be able to chat with the folks who brought the food.
We had good weather throughout the week with only a few rain showers one day. However, the rain did not affect us as we were working under cover of the house. A nice breeze helped keep away the mosquitos! 😊
Whale jaw bones used to mark a passage way to cemetery
On our last evening in Iqaluit, the partner family and Habitat Iqaluit hosted a farewell celebration at the Elders qammak (centre) with another great meal, cultural learning, music, dancing and games. The music included traditional throat singing by two young women; and a couple of people on the team gave it a try aided by one of the local singers. An elder showed us how to tend a fire in a specially designed traditional stove used to heat and cook using natural plants and oil from sea mammals. With the help of translation, she told us about some of their lifestyle traditions and answered questions.
Around town
In the late afternoon of the last build day and the following morning, we had time to explore a bit. I spent time walking around the downtown area with one of the destinations being the Nunavut legislative building. I had heard the inside was beautiful so checked - it is beautiful. Unfortunately I was able to have a guided or get inside the chambers, but Inuit art and crafts were displayed in the public area. Here are a few photos from the legislative buidling.
I am always attracted by an opportunity to travel and one of the most appealing destinations is Northern Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut). Early in my career at the CBC, I worked on projects for CBC’s Northern Service (now called CBC North) that took me to places like Whitehorse, Dawson City, Yellowknife, Inuvik, Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit. A few years ago, my daughter lived in Whitehorse for a while and it was great to visit her there. In 2014, I lead a Habitat for Humanity trip to Whitehorse and early in 2017 I found out that I would be leading a Habitat trip to Iqaluit. I was very excited to be returning to the Eastern Arctic with a Habitat team to build in a location I had not visited in many years. When I had last been there, Nunavut territory was not established and Northwest Territories was much larger geographically then as it included all the Eastern Arctic north of the provinces.
A bit of local history
Frobisher Bay officially became Iqaluit in 1987, reverting to its original Inuktitut name. A few years later in 1993 the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was signed. In 1995, Iqaluit was selected as the capital of the new territory of Nunavut. The last time I had been in this part of Canada's Eastern Arctic, Iqaluit was called Frobisher Bay.
Frobisher Bay officially became Iqaluit in 1987, reverting to its original Inuktitut name. A few years later in 1993 the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was signed. In 1995, Iqaluit was selected as the capital of the new territory of Nunavut. The last time I had been in this part of Canada's Eastern Arctic, Iqaluit was called Frobisher Bay.
Iqaluit (pronounced ih-KAL-oo-it) is the largest community in Nunavut, with a population of about 8,000. It is located on Baffin Island at the northern end of Frobisher Bay. The city of Iqaluit encompasses an area of about 52 sq. kilometres and has the largest population of Inuit (4,000) of any city in Canada. English and Inuktitut are widely spoken in Iqaluit. While a large majority (92 %) of people speak English, only 45 % identify it as their mother tongue; 46 % identify Inuktitut as their mother tongue. Some French is also spoken in Iqaluit as there are some strong ties to Quebec. The overall population is young with the average being 30 years of age.
Evidence of three languages spoken in Iqaluit
Iqaluit is a remote centre and with long-distance access by air. There are daily flights from Ottawa which is about 2,000 km away. There are regular flight connections with Montreal and northern locations such as Rankin Inlet, Yellowknife and Kuujjuaq (Northern Quebec). The city’s remote location means that living costs are high, but this is partially offset by a federal government food subsidy program on some items. Many local people rely on fishing and hunting to meet their food requirements.
A visit to Iqaluit is like no other and this trip was a great opportunity to support a local family in realizing their dream of a better housing situation while spending a week in a part of Canada most Canadians have never visited. Iqaluit lies well north of the tree line - barren in some senses but a truly rugged beauty.
Arriving in Iqaluit
My team of 12 people from different parts of Canada met in Ottawa and then flew together into Iqaluit on Canadian North Air. It was exciting for people to fly over a part of Canada they had not seen before especially when we were beyond the treeline.
In true northern fashion, we were warmly welcomed to Iqaluit by local HFH folks. We checked into our lodging (two different buildings) and then were given an orientation followed by a tour of the city and surrounding area. We arrived at the just-opened new airport terminal. We were blessed with very fine weather that added to an exciting day. In the early evening, we gathered at the popular Big Racks for dinner where the portions are large and tasty.
Our accommodation was split between two buildings (a 3 bedroom apartment in one building and 3 two-person suites in another building) with half the team staying in each building. The buildings were only a few minutes apart by walking, so it did not cause any problems. Every morning, we gathered in the apartment for breakfast because it had a good setup for making breakfast and eating. We also used this for team meetings as required.
Apartment building
Building with suites
The build site was in a part of Iqaluit called Apex, which I understand was the original settlement and where a Hudson Bay Company trading post set up. While not operational, the original HBC building is still there. Apex has a limited number of houses, but it is growing thanks in part to the efforts of Habitat Iqaluit.
The original Hudson's Bay Company building
Habitat projects are all about partnerships
Original Habitat van to truck around supplies
I was blessed with a fantastic team and several had been on previous Habitat trips with me. On our first morning, we had a site orientation and safety briefing before being assigned to various tasks, all of which involved working on some aspect of insulating the house. People took on their tasks with energy and there was great conversation throughout the day. The construction supervisor seemed to be happy at the end of day one, which is always a good thing.
Hard at work installing strapping to support the plywood sheets
All ready for the plywood sheets
One large section of plywood sheets installed....one to go
Each day for lunch, local people generously brought us a hot lunch to the build site. We greatly appreciated the hot, tasty lunches and it was good to be able to chat with the folks who brought the food.
Trailer where lunch was served
The hard hat is mandatory....fortunately we didn't use much of the bug spray
Whale jaw bones used to mark a passage way to cemetery
Cemetery across street from build site
On our third work day, it was great to meet one of the home owners (Caroline) when she visited the build site. It was a pleasure to meet her and one of her three sons. For a mid-afternoon snack, Caroline brought us some freshly cooked Arctic char and wild berries. Yummy!!!! She is a school teacher and conversation with her is extremely interesting. She is passionate about her family, community and culture. She has a good sense of humour too.
Some of the Arctic char brought by Caroline - delicious!
Caroline and me
By the end of the week, we felt that we had made an important contribution to giving Caroline and her family a “hand up” in achieving their dream of a new home. After leaving the build site, most people were able to spend some time exploring the downtown area a bit more than we could in the evenings. This provided us with the opportunity to support the local economy by purchasing carvings and other souvenirs. One popular place to purchase locally crafted carvings and northern clothing is a small shop at the jail, where inmates are able to earn money by selling their creations.
Elders Qammak (centre)
Elder telling stories and showing how the traditional stove works
Giving the stove a try - I did well
One of the team receiving throat singing instructions
One of several games....the elder was very competitive
Two of the partner family boys proudly wearing their new Leaf caps with a big Leaf fan!
We played various games that resulted in a lot of fun and laughter. To wrap up the evening we were presented with a certificate of the Order of Arctic Adventures Nunavut Chapter stating that by crossing the 60th parallel we became an Arctic adventurer.
In the late afternoon of the last build day and the following morning, we had time to explore a bit. I spent time walking around the downtown area with one of the destinations being the Nunavut legislative building. I had heard the inside was beautiful so checked - it is beautiful. Unfortunately I was able to have a guided or get inside the chambers, but Inuit art and crafts were displayed in the public area. Here are a few photos from the legislative buidling.
Doors into the legislature assembly chambers
Lobby of legislature building
Mace of the legislative assembly
In addition to the legislative assembly, I explored other parts of downtown Iqaluit and to give an idea of the buildings here are a few photos. These are a mix of building - housing, government (federal and territorial) and business.
