and Aasivak Arnaquq-Baril participate in a workshop alongside Oregon author and kayak researcher Harvey Golden News  May 5 Qajakkut Society members to build on site at Canadian Canoe Museum this fall Members of the Iqaluit-based Qajakkut Society are planning to take part in a builder-in-residence program hosted by The Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough Aasivak Arnaquq-Baril and a fourth participant yet to be confirmed will build two south-Baffin-style qajaak They’ll also share their knowledge and paddling skills through lessons and programs at the museum which opened at its new location on the shore of Little Lake in May 2024 These kayaks will also be used in the museum’s on-water program fleet which teaches kayaking skills to people young and old “One of the things that we’ve been dreaming about is that we showcase contemporary builders,” said Carolyn Hyslop “We’ve dedicated a space called the Living Tradition Studio to do just that to bring builders and makers from across the country and actually from around the world into the canoe museum.” The museum will produce a series of mini-documentaries highlighting each builder’s process allowing enthusiasts worldwide to learn and be inspired by the builders and makers featured in the program the studio is designed to encourage visitors to engage with the builders A fully stocked carpentry shop is adjacent to the studio “If they need to cut timber or mill some wood then that’s all right there,” Hyslop said A Qajakkut Society kayak is already on display at the museum. It was presented in 2024 to mark the opening of the new 65,000-square-foot museum building “They produced a kayak that is on display with content they developed in videos which accompanies the kayak that they made for the exhibit,” said Hyslop “That kayak is a real keynote feature in our exhibition hall on the second floor Other builders-in-residence scheduled to visit the museum from May through September include craftspeople representing Kitigan Zibi First Nation in Quebec and Fort William First Nation in Ontario The museum expects to welcome about 85,000 visitors annually “(The builders in residence program) offers a powerful way to honour the cultural histories and technical achievements held within the collection by bringing them to life through hands-on learning and storytelling,” he said Back in Iqaluit Qajakkut Society members are finishing up two kayak frames for students who have attended weekly drop-in sessions held since December There’s no date set yet for when the next drop-in sessions will begin Other upcoming or ongoing projects include some builds planned for Rankin Inlet and Coral Harbour as well as a frame commissioned by a cruise ship operator The society will also host a kayak-builder gathering in Iqaluit in August “We’ll invite builders from across the Arctic to join us,” Arnaquq-Baril said Established in 2016 to revive the art of building kayaks and paddling and hunting using kayaks the Qajakkut Society is headquartered in the Inuit Heritage Trust’s garage and workshop in Iqaluit To date, the society has produced 25 kayak frames “and counting,” Arnaquq-Baril said Note: This story was updated to correct the location where the Qajakkut Society is based Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Use this form to request a PDF of Nunatsiaq News to be sent to you every week on Friday Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" making electrical upgrades for new generator is advising people of a community-wide power outage in Iqaluit starting early Tuesday It’s needed so the company can do work related to a new generator People in Iqaluit should expect an overnight power outage starting early Tuesday The community-wide outage is expected to last from 12:01 a.m The outage is required to allow crews to make electrical upgrades to support a new generator The new generator is part of a $10-million upgrade to the Iqaluit power plant that was announced in November. The new 3,500-kilowatt generator replaces a 1992 generator to ensure “greater reliability,” John Main, Nunavut’s minister responsible for Qulliq Energy Corp., said at the time. Iqaluit has seen four unannounced partial community power outages in the past month, according to the QEC Facebook page. 3.5 hours is still quite a while for us to go without our furnaces turning on. We go out for at least 8 hours in the dead of winter at -30 to hunt and fish why complain for three hours Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Use this form to request a PDF of Nunatsiaq News to be sent to you every week on Friday. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 1 month agoDuration 1:28Toonik Tyme kicks off with Iqaluit-Kimmirut snowmobile race1 month agoNewsDuration 1:28Toonik Tyme is underway, and it kicked off with some speed, and a lot of excitement. Samuel Wat has more on the race. Video evidence, NHLer testimony raise questions in world junior sexual assault trialThe National |May 2Video11:28 Trump repeats 51st state taunt as Carney prepares for White House visitThe National |11 hours agoVideo1:19 It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem Arts and Culture  May 1 No première date set for 2nd season of comedy series about fictional Nunavut community Anna Lambe appears as Siaja in Season 1 of “North of North.” (Photo by Jasper Savage North of North’s cast members shared their excitement Wednesday that the show will go on the Iqaluit-raised actress who stars in the show as Siaja referring to the fictional hamlet where the show is set “Season two of North of North is happening!” The show’s renewal was announced Tuesday in a news release issued by CBC Co-created by Iqaluit filmmakers Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril the first season tells the story of Lambe’s Siaja as she publicly exits her marriage starts a job and makes many mistakes along the way It premièred on CBC and APTN in Canada in January and was released globally on Netflix in April The first season, which included eight half-hour episodes, was mostly filmed in Iqaluit It showcased the community’s Arctic landscape and featured many local residents as actors Some of the show’s cast and crew took to Instagram Tuesday night to share their excitement at the news Mary Lynn Rajskub — who plays Ice Cove administrator Helen in the show — was on The Tonight Show  Tuesday night with host Jimmy Fallon promoting the series and looking back on her experience in Iqaluit “I’m really excited to get back there,” she told Fallon who performed a stand-up comedy show in Iqaluit with some of the cast during production recalled playing in the snow and watching the northern lights Iqaluit Mayor Solomon Awa played the role of Lazarus, an elder, in Season 1 of North of North. He said he’s excited for another season and hopes the production once again hires Iqaluit residents. Awa said he doesn’t know yet if his character will return. But he’s curious if people might consider visiting Iqaluit after watching the first season. “This is another way to show how the North looks like, how Iqaluit looks like, and how we operate here,” he said. North of North performed well on all of the platforms on which it aired, the CBC/APTN/Netflix news release said. It’s the most-viewed series on CBC Gem since the streaming platform debuted 2018. Since launching on Netflix earlier this month, the show has been one of the top 10 trending shows in 27 different countries. “More details about the première date and season two synopsis etc. will be shared at a later date once details have been finalized,” said Winston Ma, a spokesperson for CBC, in an email. Congrats! Can’t wait! Loved season one! Season two’s gonna rock! I can relate to Neevee, as I am a residential school survivor. 25 days agoDuration 1:10Iqaluit city council greenlights new 8 storey building25 days agoNewsDuration 1:10Council unanimously voted in favour of granting a development permit for the building on Tuesday. The building would be located at 1318 to 1320 Sivumugiaq St., and it's not just zoned for housing. Politics  May 1 elders’ rates all affected by increase The City of Iqaluit is raising the standard fare to $9.50 and elders’ fares to $8 the standard fare will increase to $9.50 from $9.25 Children under 10 will continue to ride for free when accompanied by an adult The fare changes apply to all areas of Iqaluit where taxi tariffs are enforced after not increasing fares during the COVID-19 pandemic council approved a bylaw that raises fares every year through 2024 the standard rate increased to $9.25 from $8 elders’ rates were raised to $7.50 from $5 Note: This story was updated so the photo caption correctly notes elders’ fares are rising to $8 Fares should be going down since the carbon tax is gone now Guess it’s only about making as much money as possible They need to quit saying thank you when I give them a $10 bill as if expecting me to get out and not wait for my change I’m already paying for an overpriced service I’ll wait here for my 50 cents As frequent customer and bothered other co-riders too often BUT can the taxi companies start taking single customers at a time now Ae riders we are take for a “ride” and the routing can be time consuming as will to many drop of point by a sigle cab You can tell the driver/dispatcher that you don’t want to share your ride Fix the app and allow payments with card!! Or improve the condition of their vehicles Tired of seeing taxis around town that don’t follow the rules of the road or can’t get around in winter Tired of waiting for someone to pick up the phone and tired of long wait times too When there was competition between two cab companies The current operator should not be allowed to have some of their cars on the roads that are falling apart with dirty engines that are polluting and beyond dirty on the interior otherwise people with their own clean and well-maintained cars will start their own cab businesses if anyone started another Taxi company they likely arnt going to charge less then what the city allows Good time to start Inuit owned and operated taxi Five bucks a ride with nti card and eight bucks for non nti member I don’t mind the increase in fares as costs have gone up for everyone and our poor roads cause a lot of damage and resulting maintenance and repair costs Cab drivers are not exactly raking in the cash and I have compassion for how badly done clients treat them I do have one peeve and that is that there are no Elder fare vouchers so when using vouchers to pay for Elders 6 figure salaries and much is untaxed fares like when you flag them down or jump in with another person There’s a reason so many drivers come here despite no housing When it was $8 I would just hand them a tenner and tell them to have a good day Now I wait for my change and refuse to ride share im confused … is there now more road they have to go down to get to locations and why hasnt the city got public bus’s there should be two buses running per location of iqaluit people should have to be forced to pay higher taxi rates … f cabs if you want to be considered as a serious publication stop publishing these useless heinous messages Can they please get set up for the year 2000 and accept debit and credit cards Nothing has stopped anyone from doing that for the past 50 years but no one has shelled out the money to start a company No locals appear interested in starting that business And no locals seem to want to go any apply so I am not sure how you expect your idea to get off the ground Iqaluit is into everything that has a possibility of making $$$ How old is considered and “elder” it used to be 60 but they changed it to 65 and they can ask for ID to make sure you are 65 and over Justice  Apr 12 RCMP unit from Ottawa deployed to assist; unclear what item is Iqaluit RCMP investigate a “suspicious item” at a home in Tundra Ridge Saturday An Iqaluit residential street was partially blocked off Saturday as the RCMP investigated what it described as a “suspicious item.” “The Iqaluit RCMP are currently investigating a suspicious item that was located inside a residence in the 2600 area of the city,” the Nunavut RCMP said in a Facebook post made before 2 p.m two police vehicles were guarding a taped-off area around house 2681 The RCMP did not say what the suspicious item is or how police officers became aware of it “In an effort to safely process and examine the item police consulted with a specialized RCMP unit in Ottawa,” the Facebook post said That unit was on its way to Iqaluit on Saturday afternoon “Police don’t feel there is a risk to the public as the item is contained in the residence,” the RCMP said adding an update will be provided “once more information becomes available.” Politics  Apr 29 QEC confirms community-wide outage late Monday night NDP candidate Lori Idlout’s campaign party at the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum in Iqaluit is illuminated by floodlights Monday night after power went out in the city A community-wide power outage left Iqaluit in the dark Monday night while federal election results were being tabulated where NDP candidate Lori Idlout and her supporters were holding their election night party The building’s emergency floodlights went on and the party’s attendees shifted from viewing results on a projector screen to watching them while gathered around a laptop confirmed on Facebook there was a community wide-power outage At that point, no winner had been declared yet in the Nunavut race but Idlout, the incumbent MP, was in the lead This is a good metaphor for an Idlout win… Subtle foreshadowing of what’s to come News  Mar 26 17-year-old last seen Monday in Tundra Valley area of Iqaluit Police are asking for help locating a 17-year-old reported missing Tuesday in Iqaluit The boy was last seen in the Tundra Valley area between 5 p.m and his family reported him missing on Tuesday RCMP said Tuesday evening in a news release Anyone with information is asked to contact the Iqaluit RCMP at 867-979-1111 This story was updated to take out identifying details about the missing person News  Feb 10 Conservative leader also plans to buy icebreakers increase Canadian Rangers roster if elected Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announces his Arctic sovereignty strategy at the Iqaluit airport on Feb Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised Monday to build a permanent military base in Iqaluit that would be completed within two years if he becomes prime minister secure all of our borders and stand on our own two feet,” Poilievre said during a news conference at the Iqaluit airport The 40-minute event was held outdoors in -25 C weather — cold enough to freeze the glass of water provided to Poilievre at the beginning of his appearance Poilievre touted the project as Canada’s first permanent military base since the Cold War With the presence of the airport and deepsea port and Iqaluit’s relatively large population the city would make an ideal site for a new base He said it would be big enough to host a full Royal Canadian Air Force command unit; launch and land new F-35 fighter jets and Poseidon P-8 surveillance aircraft that can carry out search and rescue operations; and conduct anti-submarine warfare answer questions Monday at a news conference at the Iqaluit airport Poilievre promised to buy two new polar icebreakers for the Canadian Navy and double the size of the 1st Patrol Group of the Canadian Rangers to 4,000 members from the current 2,000 Rangers are a group of Canadian armed forces responsible for remote and isolated parts of Canada but said the cost will be covered entirely by cuts to Canadian foreign aid Canada’s international assistance through Global Affairs Canada and 19 other federal organizations amounted to $15.5 billion in 2022-23 “All of these improvements will be funded by dramatically cutting foreign aid terrorists and global bureaucracies,” he said are increasing their presence in the Arctic which should be a “wake-up call” for Canada to strengthen its security President Donald Trump has spoken about taking over Greenland to improve the United States’ security in the region “Hostile powers want our resources and shipping routes and to be within striking distance of our continent China has now declared itself a near-Arctic state even though its borders are approximately 1,500 kilometres from the Arctic Circle,” Poilievre said The military’s presence in the Arctic currently includes Canadian Forces Station Alert on Ellesmere Island and an Arctic training centre in Resolute Bay His announcement comes two months after the federal Liberal government released its new Arctic foreign policy, which includes appointing an Arctic ambassador, and 10 months after its $81-billion Arctic defence policy commitments over the next 20 years include $1.4 billion for specialized maritime sensors and $218 million for northern operational support hubs consisting of airstrips logistics facilities and equipment stockpiles Arctic sovereignty is part of the Conservative “Canada First” strategy adding Inuit will fill as many of the jobs created by these projects as possible He said his plan will be able to reach the security goals more quickly than the Liberal program because he will eliminate “the red tape.” In an email in response to Poilievre’s statement criticized the Conservative leader’s past comments about the Arctic “How can a man who insults northern communities — saying nobody but Santa Claus lives there — be trusted to understand their value and protect Arctic sovereignty?” said Mathyssen referencing Poilievre’s social media post in December Santa Claus?” after the federal government announced its plan to create the new office in December Oooooh you can smell Poilievre starting to sweat All of a sudden what seemed like a sure thing is not seeming so sure anymore He’s realizing that his insolence and petulance can only carry him so far in the face of a potential candidate who would potentially be the most qualified Prime Minister in all of Canadian history in Mark Carney Starting to see some actual concrete ideas coming out of the Conservative Party for the first time in a long time This coming from someone that never voted for the Liberals during the Trudeau era so don’t come at me saying I’m just a die-hard Lib fan Sure wish the Cons had a better candidate though secure all of our borders and stand on our own two feet,” Poilievre said during a news conference at the Iqaluit airport While I’m heartened to see political attention on the Arctic Poilievre and his party that decisions about the North cannot occur without significant input from Northerners Poilievre’s explicit recognition that should he become Prime Minister his plans for the Arctic will be made in partnership with Northerners to reflect our rights Akeeagok for Liberal MP candidate for Nunavut Are there a lot of military experts in the north but I doubt you have much to contribute to this The government has constitutional and treaty obligations towards the Inuit (ever heard of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement?) and cannot just go plant a base near Iqaluit and ignore birthright Inuit orgs and the government of Nunavut Would a national security issue not «trump» the NLCA You really ought to read the Nunavut Agreement Inuit rights are always subject to Federal prerogatives like national defense they can even expropriate Inuit Owned Lands for national purposes such as military bases and conservation areas That is explicitly mentioned several times in the Nunavut Agreement 82% of Nunavut is now recognized as public (Crown) lands That means the Feds (until 2027 when Devolution occurs) have final say over the majority of the land up here The primary responsibility of a state is to protect its citizens Our constitution lays out how that responsibility is handled The Federal government has that duty towards all citizens As building military bases up here protects Inuit Canadians Inuit should realize these steps are being taken to secure your most fundamental rights that they will consult indigenous communities and ‘consult’ does not mean ‘seek the approval of’ particularly in matters of national defence and security NTI does not work for the betterment of Canada and Canadians The feds reign supreme on matters of security and defence The Liberals were very good at the art of illusion pretending every word you said mattered more than anything in the world even when it amounted to little or nothing in the real world The conservatives will likely play this game too but I doubt they will do it as well as the Liberals I promise that all of these ideas are new and my own and not something I dusted off the shelf from 2006 when my party was desperate for a win How many Terrorist groups are we sponsoring It is problematic when people who have never served in the military and who have never consulted with the military mistakenly think that they have the situation awareness and wisdom that would allow them to make sound military policy and having kept in touch with the members of the units that I served in I have personally seen many of the issues that have created the current recruiting and retention crisis A significant problem with the current air defence bases in Cold Lake and Bagotville as well as the maritime patrol bases in Greenwood and Comox is the stress that these remote locations place on the families of those that serve Exacerbating the shortage of educational and employment opportunities for the children and spouses of service members will just further exacerbate the recruiting and retention crisis from Whitehorse to Yellowknife to Iqaluit have for decades had to rely upon rotational flight crews and maintainers education and employment opportunities in the north are too limited to support the families of permanent staff And they still face significant turnover because of the hostile environment Examining the alcoholism and drug use rates of remotely stationed service members and looking at the suicide rates of US service members posted to Alaska provides some key insights into the dangers of permanent remote bases in the North Over the weekend I spoke to a very dedicated and capable service member who was contemplating leaving the military if he was posted to Shilo rather than Gagetown because of the detrimental impact another remote posting would have on his wife and kids The RCAF’s rotational Forward Operating Base system was established after considerable structured and methodical scientific examination determined that it was the most efficient and effective means to deploy air power The RCAF has to compete with the civil aviation industry for the best and brightest For the highly educated and greatly in demand engineers and technicians that are required to support modern combat aircraft a remote posting is just not competitive with what the commercial aviation industry can offer Quality of life considerations have a tremendous impact on service member retention Those who do not comprehend these important issues are lacking awareness of the fundamental weakness of their plans When those presenting themselves as having the best ideas are in fact bereft of any understanding of the complexity of the issues then recruiting and retention issues only get worse People want to pretend that serving in the military isn’t a job but rather a “calling” that people should be lined up to do just for the love of it It’s the same attitude that’s ruining nursing and teaching Even for those for who public service is a calling there are only so many sacrifices that can be made I am quite active in the aviation community and many people think that I am joking when I say I’m posting from a place called Road to Nowhere Throughout my military career I continually witnessed even the most dedicated and enthusiastic new recruits become disillusioned and discouraged by the realities of military service My grandmother was the foundation of my childhood but I never got to say goodbye to her before she died I was not even able to even attend her funeral as my deployed unit was already understaffed I am ashamed that I could not be there for my mother when she needed me most Service members ask a lot of their spouses and children and they offer us amazing support beyond what we should reasonably expect but to take a child or spouse who grew up and established a life in a southern city and expect them to adapt to Iqaluit may be too much of a sacrifice to ask for and at the end of my 21days I’m ready to return to Montreal So the military can’t cope with what the rest of us southerners have been doing for years i moved here in 1991 and my family and i have survived quite well If you can’t handle the job then change jobs This sounds just like the ‘if you don’t like high food prices move somewhere else’ argument and it’s just as ridiculous Lindsay Mathyssen should take a chill pill blunder boy has been thumbing his nose at the Arctic since 2015 Poilievre is a former Minister of Employment and Social Development who accomplished SFA but who said that Indigenous Canadians would be better off getting a work ethic than relying on handouts Trudeau brought in $10 daycare and the $650 per month Canada Child Benefit So he said something you didn’t like We can barely man our southern military installations I’m sure that the possibility of an Iqaluit posting would do wonders for recruitment and retention … He’s telling stories and selling us a bill of goods Poilievre says some dumb things now and then but that does not preclude him from protecting ‘Arctic sovereignty’ No matter how well intentioned a delusional fool may be the detrimental impact of their ill-advised actions can still be quite immense Making ill advised military deployments to score political points only benefits those who may pose a threat to Canada You seem to be okay with the lieberal money handouts Pierre is talking about something concrete This loss cause leader is somewhat misplaced Ice is melting much sooner so the need and rationale for expensive ice breakers is misguided Ice is also our highway up here whenever we can use it so will the ice breaking impair our ability to travel up here So Canada should abandon defense of the north Iqaluit has a major housing shortage but the municipality decided to build a free drunk tank hotel instead od employee housing so they’re too busy to build housing for the peoe who pay for everything those being the working and homeless taxpayers and GN employees we welcome a permanent base but you’ll need to do some house cleaning first How credible are concerns about Russian military capability in the Arctic How capable has Russian been in Syria lately There once was a concern that Russian bombers coming over the pole would launch cruise missiles to destroy hydro electric generating capacity in northern Ontario That was the first strike doctrine for an attack on North America The cruise missile capability that NORAD had such an interest in has now been largely expended in Ukraine Russia has been forced to revert to using North Korean missiles and Iranian drones because Russia no longer has the resources to replace the ordinance it expends Russia is now having great difficulty even finding aircraft to fly over a military parade Many of the Russian military units once posted in the arctic have been sent to their demise in Ukraine Many military intelligence folks monitoring Russians in the arctic are wondering where everybody has gone Military analysts examining the gutting out of Russian military capability often wonder about the ramblings of uneducated politicians who invent a perceived threat Many of the Russian “soldiers” recently killed or captured in Ukraine were sailors the crews of the arctic deployed submarines that we were once so worried about Imagine the benefit to society if the money wasted on defending ourselves from Russian ghosts was wisely invested on defending Canada from gun smugglers and drug dealers How many of us have had a friend in Canada harmed by a Russian True leaders are able to wisely identify the real priorities and they do not allow themselves to be distracted by frivolous flights of fancy The price of just one F-35 or P-8 could go a long way in keeping guns and drugs off our streets I was in Hay River and Yellowknife last week and the greatest threat to public safety there is not the Russians Canada has to design and build our own air force Foreign planes are subject to foreign control It was a former Conservative government that cancelled production of the world’s best jet fighter and sent people to use acetylene torches to cut up the prototypes without even emptying their fuel tanks first Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker was that crazy Perhaps Pierre should focus more on what his hero in the White House is trying to do to Canada instead of making empty promises and trying desperately to sound like he knows what he’s doing When did Canada stop standing on its own 2 feet I do not agree with Poilievre’s inference here We face no imminent threat from Greenland and Denmark We are nothing more than a speed bump for the Russians to get to the USA it is increasingly obvious that if the Russians would go through us to get to the States There is a reason we do not spend much on defense; we are not threatened by invasion and Mexico spend less on defense than us for similar reasons Even countries like Taiwan and South Korea which are still technically at war with a neighbor spend only marginally more as a % of GDP compared to us What is going on is this; the USA has always been the only real threat to our sovereignty When Poilievre insinuates we are not standing on our own 2 feet what he means is that we are not doing enough to secure the northern approaches to the USA to the liking of the Americans A military base in Iqaluit would mainly serve the purpose of subsidizing American defense When Trump accuses someone of doing something wrong No difference here; he wants Canada to give the USA a free ride If Poilievre wants to stand on his own 2 feet he is going to have to come up with more defense ideas that exclusively benefit Canada than this We occupy the 2nd largest country in the world over 80% of Canadians somehow managed to live in rural settings in very remote rural settings; growing their families when southern Canadians come up to my community I can tell it bothers them to be in a place that does not have all the amenities they have come to be used to It especially bothers them that it is cold up here even though Climate Change is making it much warmer than before but if it stresses out present day Canadians too much to be cold we are going to have to consider the real possibility that southern Canadians do not really need that big of a country to live in and a few winter storms in southern Canada set your teeth on edge Maybe it is all for the best if some other country occupied by more hardy and adventurous souls uses the 40% of Canada that is Arctic in nature instead of the border hugging lot we have now You happily sing “true north strong and free” He should build it by the road to nowhere and they will not come better known to his pees as Skippy has never done anything except being a politician Being a politician is OK but as a very wise person once said” you don’t have to know anything to be a politician; you just have to get elected” Well it’s mostly immigrants who stay in cities and flock to temperate areas of the country And they’re definitely not an adventurous bunch nor have the hardiness to withstand the cold Little to no impact – base housing is not part of the civilian market Trudeau has led the Libs well to the margins with his globalist first track And no one in their right mind would have a bank this playing with fire as do the others is going to end with us all being nuked one day When Pierre becomes Prime Minister hardworking Taxpayers should lobby hard for him to set up a MOGE what do you think about that Keyboard Warriors and trolls I was posted at various Bases and Had a grand time while serving my country Do you want ppl who can serve in the Arctic News  Apr 16 All three Nunavut election candidates say they will take part in a debate on CBC Radio on Thursday New Democrat Lori Idlout and Liberal Kilikvak Kabloona All three of Nunavut’s federal election candidates will participate in a debate Thursday Conservative and NDP campaigns confirmed to Nunatsiaq News that their candidates will take part in the in-person debate being held in Iqaluit CBC spokesperson Tanya Koivusalo said in an email Two candidates — Kilikvak Kabloona of the Liberals and Lori Idlout from the NDP —are also set to take part in a forum organized at the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre on April 22 at 6 p.m Conservative candidate James Arreak will be away in Kitikmeot that week The theme and format of the forum have not been announced yet Less than two weeks remain in the three-way campaign for Nunavut’s only seat in Parliament with the election scheduled for April 28 Cost of living has soared out of control due to the amount of taxpayer money handed out to people here in NU I will not vote for the one who continues to beat the drum of handouts We have seen in real-time exactly what distributing a large sum of free money to people does If you’re a long-term thinker and you see all this JP money resulting in a pretty significant increase in prices at the grocery store you know that in the long-term those % increases will significantly outpace any money received be it because the program stops eventually or you no longer have kids to receive such benefit and if demand increases because there’s more money to purchase such things its going to be an easy move for stores to continue to increase prices and vary rarely do we see the Co-op or Northern reduce prices not just for JP but there’s rarely a long-term consideration to what injecting all this free money does both to the motivation of people or the long-term price implications of products or its impact on those that would receive no such benefit buy support tactic because there’s little long-term or critical thought by people when they’re offered a bunch of “free” money The consequences of all these handouts has and will continue to be catastrophic There is no incentive to work anymore unless it is a value that has been instilled in you which is the equivalent of about $135,000 pre-tax income they would each have to make $35/hour to have a total combined income of $136,500 It’s absolutely brutal what’s going on because the people that are trying to go out and work are living with less than those that stay at home We have created incentive for families to do nothing but create kids and do nothing else more kids on average per household in Canada lowest labour force participation rates (not to be confused with unemployment statistics) Is life going to be significantly better at a 35 dollar or 45 dollar per hour job Probably not but that’s because so much is already given for “free” NU is creating the most destructive cycle a group of people can be on and a people with zero motivation to succumb to horrible self-destructive habits that can be engaged in all day long due to not having to worry about keeping things afloat by being responsible The cost of living went up because of inflation caused by the economic fall out of the COVID-19 pandemic and was a problem globally The “handouts” you speak of were a measure to address the impact of this inflation and not the cause of it It takes you really having your head in the sand or just having no short term memory to think that the liberal relief measures were the cause of inflation and an increase in the cost of living I’d rather give money to individuals who are poor and not working than another cent to big corporations We always have money and will to subsidize corporations and businesses through tax cuts for the ultra wealthy but god forbid we make life more affordable for the unemployed Yes inflation impacted food via COVID from government over pumping money into the economy We then saw a secondary increase once JP hit NU and government monetary policy which was essentially to print money and quantitatively ease the economy via interest rate adjustments resulted in the inflation but then simply say yeah but handing out more money for spending totally didn’t / isn’t having an impact You can’t have your cake and eat it too here Quite clearly JP resulted in a significant secondary rise in prices restrict them to spend on certain things which have limited supply since its all flown in Dismissing increases to covid is blatant ignorance Everyone and their dog has seen what jp has done to store prices this past year Now let’s ignore the impact on price you don’t need to do anything besides make babies You can have programs like JP if the net posative in the end is greater than the expense But in this case it’s just drive up costs that will last forever and you don’t have to do anything to get the money besides have babies If it was tied to training for relevant employable skills or some type of community service or something productive it would have actual longer lasting value I live in Nunavut and regularly buy my groceries here and didn’t notice an increase in food prices after the Inuit Child First Initiative vouchers were given out Actual community advocates and healthcare workers noticed a decrease in food insecurity and better nutrition in the individuals they served and programs they ran There are news stories in Pangnirtung and Igloolik that speak to the positive effects of the program It’s not possible for a jurisdiction the size of Nunavut or even Canada to do that much to food prices by handing out money because of the size of our population These prices are mostly set by global trends and even with an increase in consumption we are a drop in the bucket of overall demand The bigger risk to global food chains and the cost of everything is climate change and it’s impact on crops because of droughts and major weather events Not only has it come up at almost very RIA AGM To say it has not is a lie if defence of a system that promotes non-productivity and and a continuation of a perpetual cycle of dependency the reason price manipulation can so easily happen in small towns by NWCO or the Co-op is because its so small and injecting that much money into a small place makes its easy to just blanket increase prices in NU It is the single most easy place to manipulate prices because those stores are not serving large populations give that many people money in town you just propped up buying power significantly for those small communities and thus its incredibly easy to just increase the price while there were concerns raised about the northern stores inflating prices there has been no evidence that they did so despite NTI committing to monitor the situation I personally didn’t actually notice my grocery shopping expenses going up Northern stores gouging Nunavummiut isn’t inflation it’s just predatory behavior (it also points to the need to better regulate the private market – aka more socialism) It’s telling that the CPC doesn’t actually have a plan to tackle grocery price fixing and his campaign manager has ties major grocery stores and without as many social programs if the Conservatives get elected A person’s “Productivity” isn’t something that gets better if you starve and punish them for being poor despite how much conservatives believe this is the case and ensuring that people have the things they need to live is the benchmark of a civil society There is a reason that there is less homelessness better quality of life and a stronger economy in socialist countries such as Sweden and Norway and it isn’t because they created a culture of “dependence” but a culture of support and compassion It means that a unit of currency buys fewer goods and services than it did previously Increasing money supply increases inflation This is a pretty well known cause and effect “When there’s more money circulating in the economy there’s more demand for goods and services Sweden and Norway and those countries you so readily reference have high quality of living because they have extremely high labour-force participation rates meaning everyone is working vastly higher than Canada and some of the highest in the world You have extremely low population towns at the mercy of 2 stores You then introduce money that can only be specifically spent on such things they carry The free money injected into the local economy is additional extra spending power but the buyer has no real options minimizing their ability to diversify purchasing This creates an environment that is one of the most easily manipulated of any other The rest of NU does not get amazon either anymore nor would jp be eligible there anyways You’re at the mercy of the two stores who most clearly have taken advantage of the extra spending power by increasing prices 4 litre of bagged milk in Iqaluit was $8.99 price was between $10.99 and $12.29 (this is just for the 2 main store It is probably higher at the other 2 smaller stores And on top of that there are still so many people begging for food on facebook when this program was still running it comes from the rest of us who are contributing to the economy 175 percent raise in Share price increase in last 5 years If you can’t hack life up here and it’s ppl Cost of living went up because of the Carbon tax was put on everything and the Liberals doubling the National Debt Cost of housing across Canada went up because we are only building 200,000 new homes a year while the Liberals are allowing 500,000 plus immigrants in the the country every year With all these new people in our country it is putting significant strain on our public services such as health care We see it with long wait lines at Emergency more people means more people competing for jobs and there fore will take a lower wage because it is still 10 times higher than what thye would make in their home country People should just vote for the party that’s most likely to win Nunavut can’t afford to have it’s single seat lost to a party that isn’t forming the new government NDP doesn’t even have official party status and were projected to lose it before election day Another 4 year wait to have an MP who can actually make a difference for nunavut her leadership at NTI lacked tangible results for Inuit communities This raises concerns about her ability to deliver meaningful change if elected strong leadership is crucial to address pressing issues like housing If Kabloona’s track record at NTI doesn’t inspire confidence it might be worth considering alternatives that prioritize actionable change and accountability How will you connect with the inuit who speak only inuktitut If I have to pay more in taxes so someone has food to eat We all do better as a country when we look after the weakest or poorest among us Just look at every quality of life metric between our country and our European counterparts that have more of a social safety net They are doing better by every standard and are happier and live longer You just need to look at the USA to see what the end result of the libertarian/ ultra conservative mindset gets you: a broken economy its just lack of motivation to do anything This is different from someone who just lost their job with no life savings and ending up on the street This is the feds giving so much free money to a population that it does not incentivized people to work to get out of the welfare cycle JP is given to any beneficiary with a kid regardless of household income Your tax money could be going and is going to people doing vastly better than yourself Its also going to those who CHOOSE to not participate in the labour force despite being totally capable individuals I think there’s a huge misconception around it I sure hope we pick the right dog in this dog race It certainly will be a shame to elect and NDP member again because they do not have a chance at winning a Federal election If the Liberals win I hope we elected a Liberal and visa versa It will be in Nunavut’s best interest to have a way to talk to the Minister’s and have our voice herd in caucus meetings Justice  Apr 28 3 Nunavut names added to book of remembrance on National Day of Mourning Northern Territories Federation of Labour president Sara-Jayne Dempster and Public Service Alliance of Canada North regional executive vice-president Josee-Anne Spirito speak at the podium Monday during the National Day of Mourning ceremony in Iqaluit Labour leaders from across the North gathered in Iqaluit Monday to pay tribute to workers who died on the job last year At least 40 people attended the National Day of Mourning ceremony at the Aqsarniit hotel where a book of remembrance commemorated 11 workers who died last year in work-related incidents in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories Noah Paniyuk, a Qulliq Energy Corp. employee who died during an incident in Naujaat last summer “Noah was a committed worker and union member,” said Jason Rochon Rochon said Paniyuk’s loss has been felt not only by his colleagues but also by “his family and the community he leaves behind.” Christopher Best, one of the other Nunavut employees added to the book, was working at a radar station on Brevoort Island approximately 200 kilometres south of Iqaluit when he was killed in a polar bear attack last August president of the Northern Territories Federation of Labour Audrain was a pilot who was injured in Sanirajak in the 1960s but died of his injuries last year A book of remembrance lists 11 workers who died last year from incidents in Nunavut and Northwest Territories The other eight names in the book are from incidents in the Northwest Territories last year We would love to have a service where we have no names,” Dempster said She called on employers in the territories to make improvements to worker health and safety The 2024 list of workers who died was significantly longer than the one for 2023 which only had the names of Maya Bhatia — a researcher who died while conducting field work in Grise Fiord — and N.W.T The book of workers who died is kept at the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission office in Iqaluit It is brought out once a year to be displayed April 28 on the National Day of Mourning Arts and Culture  Apr 10 Familiar sites in Iqaluit and beyond make cameos in comedy series set to stream globally April 10 on Netflix Anna Lambe appears as Siaja during the filming of North of North outside the Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre in Iqaluit The centre was prominently featured throughout the series as the Ice Cove community centre With the premiere of North of North earlier this year on CBC and APTN the fictional Nunavut hamlet of Ice Cove has joined the list of iconic Canadian sitcom small towns — a class that includes Corner Gas’ Dog River and Schitt’s Creek‘s setting of the same name North of North was mostly filmed in Iqaluit co-created by Stacey Aglok-MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril is set to stream globally on Netflix on April 10 here’s a brief tour of Ice Cove — in terms of the real Iqaluit locations that made their mark on North of North Apex Beach is seen during North of North filming in early 2024 One of the more prominently featured outdoor settings of the show It is featured again when the cast plays baseball in a subsequent episode as well as during the finale’s bonfire scene With a historic Hudson Bay trading post and the red boat on site Apex Beach stands out throughout the series It’s also a major landmark in this part of Iqaluit The Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre is featured throughout North of North as the building that houses the Ice Cove community centre North of North’s plot centres around Siaja taking a job at Ice Cove’s community centre as she tries to redefine her life The community centre featured in the show is actually Iqaluit’s Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre which also houses the city’s public library If you enter the visitor centre in real life you won’t find Colin and Millie messing around on the radio or Helen working from her administrator’s office you’ll find tourist information staff who are eager to welcome you to Iqaluit with their recommendations of what to see and do The Discovery hotel in Iqaluit plays itself on North of North and doubles as the entrance to a bar The Discovery Hotel is where Alistair and Kuuk find themselves sharing a room during their stay in Ice Cove the Discovery Hotel in Iqaluit is exactly as it appears in the show The hotel’s exterior was also featured as the entrance to Saturdays Bar and Grill in the show’s sixth episode The bar interior in those scenes is not at the Discovery Hotel which is one of the two bars inside Iqaluit’s Royal Canadian Legion The “It’s 5:00 Somewhere” sign also really exists The Iqaluit Curling Club is where the North of North crew built a soundstage for filming last year Its entrance is also where Ice Cove residents lined up to use the post office There weren’t any curling scenes in North of North but the Iqaluit Curling Club plays a central part in the series Without a film studio to build sets for interior shots, the North of North crew rented the curling club to use as a soundstage for much of the first half of 2024. The club has since returned to curling form The outside of the club was also featured in a scene in the show’s third episode where it acted as the community’s post office is located in Iqaluit’s Tundra Valley neighbourhood Siaja and her husband Ting’s house is located in Iqaluit’s Tundra Valley neighbourhood the house is seen throughout the series as Siaja cares for her daughter Bun Pangnirtung’s Fiord landscape is seen in several establishing shots in North of North Heading 295 kilometres northeast of Iqaluit the fiord landscape of Pangnirtung is used in several North of North establishing shots providing more landscapes to highlight Baffin Island’s beauty seen in the finale episode of North of North a map reveals Ice Cove as being located on Prince of Wales Island The island is split between Nunavut’s Qikiqtaaluk and Kitikmeot regions there are no communities there in real life And siaja’s moms house… located in apex It’s mentioned under the photo of the Discovery where do they film the inside of sijajas office The interior location was the curling club It was a set the film makers designed it is not a real place Siaja wears some beautiful jackets and furs in the series I would think they would be too expensive for most normal working people Is there a Etsy shop or consignment shop there My husband and I enjoyed this series so much It’s wonderful to learn more about the arctic circle I came across this article as I’m on my way down a rabbit hole discovering more about the land and people Just happy not being… y’know… Because she is gifted them from her Auntie Watching this makes me feel like I’m back there again working I love it up there im blessed to get the opportunities to be and work up there 🙏 So amazing to see the spectacular far north and learn a little bit about the modern way of life and culture (understanding that it is a work of fiction) Congratulations to the creative team who made it happen and the people of the local communities for their spirit that comes through in the show I am so proud to know we are part of the same wonderful country It is an amazing setting and such a good cast Politics  Feb 10 Akeeagok asks for ‘explicit recognition’ that Arctic developments will be made in partnership with northerners responds to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on his pledge to build a military base in Iqaluit Akeeagok wants an “explicit recognition” from federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre that his Arctic platform will be developed in partnership with Arctic people “While I’m heartened to see political attention on the Arctic Poilievre and his party that decisions about the North cannot occur without significant input from northerners,” Akeeagok said in a written statement Monday The statement comes just hours after Poilievre pledged to build a new permanent military base in Iqaluit if he becomes Canada’s next prime minister He made the announcement at the Iqaluit airport said he only learned about the Conservative party’s platform on the day of the announcement The Iqaluit site Poilievre vows to build would be the first permanent Canadian military base opened in the Arctic since the end of the Cold War Poilievre promised to buy two new polar icebreakers for the Royal Canadian Navy and double the size of the 1st patrol group of the Canadian Rangers to 4,000 members from its current strength of 2,000 Poilievre didn’t say what the price tag for the projects would be Canada’s international assistance through Global Affairs Canada and 19 other federal organizations amounted to $15.5 billion in 2022-2023 “There are many opportunities for Canada’s next prime minister to partner with Nunavut on transformative projects in the Arctic,” Akeeagok said in his statement adding that they should reflect “our rights Akeeagok was not immediately available for comment late Monday afternoon and Poilievre’s office did not respond to a request for comment Seems political from the premier – he doesn’t pooh-pooh other leaders’ plans for the north I’m glad people are starting to know the incompetent Pajamas Maybe others actually have discussions with Arctic leaders before making public announcements not in any way a requirement speaking of national defence Local leaders are subordinate in such matters – as it should be Seeing how Trump thinks he can just take the Panama Canal back because they built it who’s to say he won’t say the same about Iqaluit 867; or Sisimiut (Holdstenberg) or Hall Beach… Maybe at the same time they can clean up all the crap they left behind at their projects pcb,s and who knows what else that we have been trying to clean up for the last 70 years The military should just partner with Baffinland and the Steensby Rail Project to get it built have a northern port at Milne a southern port at Steensby and a rail line and road connecting them all Pave the airstrip at Mary River for their planes use the icebreakers to help transit the ore etc… sounds like a perfect partnership navy and air force on northern Baffin Island have them clean and renovate the asbestos littered building that is the Old Res They can use that building for their military barracks military bases are secret projects or a real reason One; so the Russians won;t torture any old Joe for secrets and he may not be Premier this year after the election want to and will challenge ownership of northwest passage simpleton it will be built it’s called National interest It likely wasn’t s snub by the premier More likely that Skippy Pollievre didn’t think to invite him If you think that fishing and tourism take precedent over national security then you’re part of the problem for the last 10 years that landed us in this mess If you want local infrastructure look at NTI They’re sitting on 1.4 BILLION for the last decade But I did notice a new beer store and brewery though This is a national security issue and takes priority over the needs or desires of any non-federal group that wants to bog down development with endless consultations Military facilities bring nothing by prosperity to communities so get the hell out of the way and let us defend our borders “Akeeagok said he plans to continue his mission of advocating for defence and nation-building projects in Nunavut — such as the Grays Bay road and port and Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link — to improve security help access to Nunavut’s minerals and resources and meet defence-spending obligations.” So he says this but then wont support a military base being built Whether you’re on the left or right you all better wake up all one has to do is look at other military bases that were erected through the easter and atlantic communities across canada the Inuit (men/women) now has access to more hard liquor and once again the family dynamics of the Inuit culture is being colonized but this time its the military government than there is the destruction of the lands and resources Than the contaminations of the tundra’s seas and air are being polluted even more by low flying aircraft Than it will be the migration routes of the caribous Who will accept responsibility for this catastrophic destruction Why buy products when you can hire and provide work for those who need it who was not at Poilievre’s event…” a sitting member of the Parliament of Canada the leader of the official Opposition in the Parliament and the next Prime Minister of Canada comes to Nunavut and PJ tries to act tough instead of rolling out the red carpet and inviting the guy for dinner and small-business owners go to work every day in Canada to fund every dollar that PJ spends and he couldn’t even invite the next Prime Minister to dinner Education  Mar 26 Musical runs Friday and Saturday at Aqsarniit Middle School The Aqsarniit Middle School production of “The Lion King Jr.” runs at 7 p.m according to three dozen student actors and crew rehearsing for Friday night’s première of The Lion King Jr “It’s been incredible to see the students growing more confident on stage,” said director Shawna Thomson a student support teacher at the school in Iqaluit Emmyjoyce Amponsah-Agyemang plays the role of Sarabi in “The Lion King Jr.” at Aqsarniit Middle School in Iqaluit (Photo by Daron Letts) including mastering lines in four African languages Setswana and a finale sung completely in the Zulu language are featured in the musical which is set on a stretch of the African Savannah in northern Tanzania and southern Kenya “The hard work pays off,” said Gianna Hernandez a lioness who comes of age during the play She and her fellow actors have ramped up rehearsals to one per day this month including gathering in the gym to run lines over lunch periods “I like acting and singing a lot — it makes me more confident,” said Nathaniel Austria “It’s awesome working together to make the play better,” he said has carved out time for rehearsals in his schedule which was already packed with hockey and judo practices “Azriel has such good timing and a beautiful voice,” Thomson said are responsible for many of the laughs in The Lion King Jr enjoys the teamwork required to make the musical a success “I sing a lot in the background,” she said The students’ whimsical costumes were handmade by staff members Katelyn Tiktaq and Katherine Mitchell including the iconic “Pride Rock,” was designed by Marc Robinson based on the Disney franchise The Lion King follows a young lion cub who against all odds grows up to be the king of his pride with help from a coterie of unlikely friends The production runs Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m News  Feb 28 Grocer seeks to enhance food security for all residents Iqaluit-Sinaa MLA Janet Pitsiulaaq Brewster and Nunavut MP Lori Idlout tour the Qinnirvik Country Food and Bulk Store Friday The Qinnirvik Country Food and Bulk Store in Iqaluit is officially open for business food centre co-executive director of the Qinnirvik Country Food and Bulk Store displays fresh char for sale Friday at the store celebrated the store’s grand opening Friday Qinnirvik has already paid out $140,000 to 21 hunters from six communities for the country food on its shelves and in its freezers Located next to the food centre at 655 Maattaq Cres. the small but efficiently organized grocery shop has honed its practices since its test run in December and its quiet soft opening in January “Having country food available at the store means reclaiming our power over our food systems,” she said To build a future around country food is to advocate for our health and well-being.” The store offers Arctic char from Qikiqtarjuaq Arctic Bay and Clyde River; seal from Clyde River and Naujaat; caribou from Naujaat and Arviat; mattaq from Taloyoak Arctic Bay and Qikiqtarjuaq; and muskox from Taloyoak The hunters are organized through one of the food centre’s partners an Iqaluit-based organization that works to improve the viability of a harvesting economy consistent with Inuit societal values Friday’s grand opening is the culmination of more than two years of work spent securing funding renovating the space and building relationships with partners and hunters country food access assistant at Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre prepares to pluck a Canada goose donated by the Iqaluit Hunter and Trappers Association Qinnirvik means “a place of cache.” The initiative stems from the food centre’s Food Box program the program aims to supply people in Iqaluit with healthy and affordable food and even environmentally friendly cleaning products which the food centre defines as “wholesale prices The prices are also visually expressed with colour-coded “char nanuq and narwhal” graphics to represent the price points Customers can discreetly and silently point at the graphic corresponding to their choice of price point at the till The prices are being kept below those of other local grocery chains The food centre is even trying to out-price Amazon in an effort to improve food security in the community The food centre is also looking into ways to create regular salaries for the hunters who supply its freezers with country food the Government of Canada under the Community Services Recovery and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency as well as by the Canadian Tilling Foundation and the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Culture and Heritage Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre is run by good people doing good things for the community Politics  Feb 4 Hydroelectric plant could serve the community for a century and replace the city’s diesel-generated electricity the federal minister of Northern Affairs; Olayuk Akesuk president of Qikiqtani Inuit Association; Harry Flaherty president and CEO of Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp.; and Iqaluit Mayor Solomon Awa pose for a photo after a funding announcement for the proposed hydroelectric plant in Iqaluit Nunavut will receive $6 million in federal funding for engineering and design work on the Iqaluit water power plant that’s being planned to replace all of the city’s diesel-generated electricity “By advancing local renewable energy solutions reduce emissions and strengthen energy independence for Iqaluit and the territory ” Northern Affairs Minister Gary Anandasangaree said during an announcement Tuesday at the Aqsarniit hotel in Iqaluit A planned hydroelectric project with a 50-metre-high dam and a powerhouse is intended to replace diesel power for Iqaluit (Photo courtesy of Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp.) Qikiqtani Inuit Association president Olayuk Akesuk Iqaluit Mayor Solomon Awa and Harry Flaherty president and CEO of Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp. the company that wants to build the hydroelectricity generator The new funding builds on the $7 million in federal money provided in 2021 and will help with gathering data The hydroelectric project could be operational by 2033 It would include an approximately 50-metre-high dam and a powerhouse built along the Kuugaluk River Iqaluit’s move from diesel to hydroelectricity is led by Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp. an Inuit-owned subsidiary of Qikiqtaaluk Corp. The company started work on the hydroelectric plant in 2022 Qulliq Energy Corp. initiated the project, but in 2014 put it on hold due to a lack of funding “Our commitment is to be there long-term,” Anandasangaree said adding it’s “premature” to say how the future financing of the project might look The total cost of the project is yet to be determined who was then Nunavut’s minister responsible for QEC told the legislative assembly the project would cost “well over $300 million “We are at a very primary stage,” Flaherty said Tuesday adding there are still several environmental studies to be conducted that will take a few years to complete A proposed hydroelectricity project with a 50-metre-high dam and a powerhouse could be built along the Kuugaluk River “Then we will have a better assessment how that project will move ahead or not,” he said Hydroelectric power generation uses moving water to turn turbines The plant will work year-round and is anticipated to generate 15 megawatts of electricity a year Iqaluit currently requires 10 to 11 megawatts provided by generators that use 15 million litres of diesel fuel per year the hydroelectric plant would provide power for at least 100 years and sustain all of Iqaluit’s electricity needs which account for 19 per cent of Nunavut’s entire demand Nukkiksautiit hasn’t yet determined how the plant will connect to QEC’s electricity grid the diesel power plant would remain in place as a backup energy source for the city In addition to providing electricity to the community the hydroelectric plant might also allow homes to switch to electric heating from oil heaters or provide increased power for industrial demands Nukkiksautiit is still assessing which would be more beneficial to residents This issue has been studied and gone to public consultation to death about 15 years ago less studies and more concrete action please the government is still allowed to blow money when parliament is prorogued Our kugluktuk river would generate a lot of power too but it is prestine river Our diesel is getting too expensive and dirty Always a yellow cloud drifting from the power plants Can a few dollars be spent bringing leaders of the Greenland hydro projects to enlighten us folks here in Nunavut News  Mar 21 co-directed by Iqaluit-based filmmaker Vinnie Karetak co-producer and co-director of the film “In Alaska,” arrives on set in Apex on Friday Members of a 30-person crew shooting scenes for a feature film around Apex and Iqaluit this week are keeping details of their $8-million production close to the proverbial sealskin vest The crew is on its third day of an eight-day local shooting schedule for In Alaska a production by Dutch director Jaap van Heusden co-written and co-directed by Iqaluit-based filmmaker Vinnie Karetak “It’s a co-production between the Netherlands and Canada so we’ve got some Canadians and we’ve got some Dutch folks on the crew,” said line producer Nach Dudsdeemaytha of Vancouver-based Experimental Forest Films in an on-set interview with Nunatsiaq News The film’s plot centres around a 17-year-old youth from a small Alaskan village who becomes a wanted terrorist after shooting a hole into the trans-Alaska pipeline before escaping to Nunavut where he reconnects with his Inuk mother’s roots Dudsdeemaytha would not discuss many other details of the production including how and when people will have a chance to see the completed film The names of the two actors featured in Friday afternoon’s shoot along the mouth of the Niaqunguk River on Frobisher Bay identify one of the actors as coming from Nunavut and said the settings being shot this week will represent Nunavut in the film the land is a character in itself,” he said “Part of the things that we wrote as directors is using the landscape.” The land was ready for its close-up as shooting began midday Friday amid sunny “The weather has been co-operating,” Karetak said It’s been beautiful and sunny for the last three days.” “We’re pleased and happy with how open and willing the people here in Iqaluit have been,” he said apologizing to residents for the crowd of trucks and equipment that descended on Apex at around 11 a.m The road was closed to non-local traffic until 6 p.m After the Nunavut scenes are finished next week The film is funded by the Netherlands Film Fund and Telefilm Canada Filmmakers tight-lipped about movie being shot in Apex and Iqaluit? He talks about it on his tiktok……have a lot I want that vehicle if they are finished with it News  Mar 15 PM to visit Nunavut on return from Europe; NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spends weekend in Iqaluit who was sworn into office Friday with his cabinet Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to visit Iqaluit Tuesday on a stopover following his planned trip to Paris and London to shore up economic relationships with long-standing trade allies a news release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday said It’s the first international trip for Carney, who was sworn in as prime minister on Friday after winning the Liberal party leadership on March 9 Carney is scheduled to meet with members of the Iqaluit Patrol of the 1st Patrol Group of the Canadian Rangers The Rangers posted a callout to members Friday encouraging them to muster in their black and red uniforms for the event as well as to attend a dress-rehearsal to be held Monday Carney is scheduled to meet with Premier P.J Akeeagok “to learn more about the evolving needs and priorities of Arctic and Northern communities,” the news release said “Canada was built upon a union of peoples – Indigenous “My visit to Nunavut will be an opportunity to bolster Canada’s Arctic sovereignty and security and our plan to unlock the North’s full economic potential.” He will reaffirm his government’s support for strengthening the northern economy and emphasizing the country’s commitment to advancing reconciliation with First Nations Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is also in Iqaluit this weekend where he toured the Qinnirvik Country Food and Bulk Store on Saturday afternoon alongside Nunavut MP Lori Idlout Singh and Idlout plan to meet with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association representatives Sunday Carney is scheduled to meet with the French President Emmanuel Macron and in London he will meet with U.K Carney will also have an audience with King Charles while in London Carney succeeded former prime minister Justin Trudeau as Liberal party leader after winning the party’s leadership vote from nearly 86 per cent of party members last weekend Trudeau gave the USA advance money for 16 F35 fighters Those planes are of no use for defending Canada from an attack by the USA because the USA will still control the “start” switch Either the USA will let Ukraine use the planes to control the skies over their country or no other country will ever buy weapons from the USA Correct…because Russia won’t back off and keeps reneging/violating any ceasefire agreements Sending aid now can prevent us from eventually sending troops and losing Canadian lives Pepe Escobar says of Canada and its Liberal administration we are waving the wrong banner There it is… the same War On rhetoric of the Justin/Mark duo There is no need to have us played by Donald he has to have his daily attention grabbing headline as much as his breath to have no military build up on its border with Europe Canada is wrong to not decide foreign policy for itself “Russia’s asks were reasonable…” Since when has Russia ever been trustworthy or ‘reasonable’ Ukraine is what’s standing in the way of Russia taking over the rest of Europe Ukraine has the largest military force in Europe Supporting Ukraine is the opposite of being a ‘foot servant to the USA’ regurgitating the mainstream newsfeed word for word Alternate sources like George Galloway leader of the Workers Party of Great Britain give a clear and detailed breakdown of things This is great that he is coming to Nunavut to speak with Inuit it shows his commitment to dealing with Indigenous issues This is right after his first trip to France and England Let’s bring a Liberal member for Nunavut back to Parliament He has no interest in ‘Indigenous issues’ paying attention to ‘Indigenous issues’ at this time would be counter-productive Your analysis is too simplistic and unidimensional to be of any use Health  Mar 13 Inuit Child First Initiative extended to 2026 but city’s agreement with federal government expires at end of March The City of Iqaluit says its food voucher program is still set to expire March 31 and it is waiting to find out what’s next now that the Inuit Child First Initiative has been extended to the end of March 2026 Now that the Inuit Child First Initiative has been extended the City of Iqaluit is asking the public to be patient as it figures out what’s next for its food voucher program The city has provided food vouchers since November to families with Inuit children using funding from the initiative Eligible families with children under the age of 18 can receive $500 per child monthly to spend on food Families with children under four years of age can receive an additional $250 per child for items like diapers announced funding has been extended for one year Territorial leaders and children’s health advocates welcomed the news However, the city’s $5.4-million funding agreement with Indigenous Services Canada still expires this coming March 31 — the original expiry date for the federal program “We are awaiting further details on how the renewed funding may affect our program including potential changes to the application process,” a news release issued Wednesday by the City of Iqaluit said “We appreciate the value this initiative brings to Iqaluit families and will provide updates as soon as more information becomes available.” Several other Nunavut communities have also signed onto the Inuit Child First Initiative food voucher fund Mean while in Iqaluit they are a lot of job open and yet no parents out there looking for one due to many hand outs from the government Time to go back to the 90s work save up and buy ur own food and stuff which has had the complete opposite effect of leading a people towards self-determination Ivan Pavlov made this clear through classic conditioning experiments They think they are entitled to high paying job right away As a hard working Inuk who pulls my weight plus some in our team it’s very discouraging to see comments like this It is because of people like you who assume things about Inuit that many Inuit with high potential are held back in certain positions when they are very capable of moving up News  Mar 18 Announcement includes $6 billion for Arctic radar system; $420 million for Canadian Armed Forces; and $253 million in investments for Nunavut infrastructure Prime Minister Mark Carney stands with Canadian Rangers after announcing $6.7 billion in Arctic investments in Iqlauit on Tuesday Canada is teaming up with Australia to boost Arctic security and will invest in Nunavut’s infrastructure Prime Minister Mark Carney said in Iqaluit on Tuesday “Arctic sovereignty is a strategic priority of our government,” Carney said during a news conference at the Canadian Armed Forces’ Iqaluit Forward Operating Location near the airport This visit to Nunavut’s capital was Carney’s first domestic trip since he was sworn in as prime minister Friday It followed his whirlwind trip to Europe where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and had an audience with King Charles Tuesday’s announcement includes more than $6 billion for Canada’s Arctic over-the-horizon radar system that will be developed in partnership with Australia Over-the-horizon radar has the capability to detect targets hundreds of kilometres beyond the scope of ordinary radar The federal government will also spend about $420 million for Canadian Armed Forces to have a “greater sustained and year-round” presence in the Arctic according to a government news release issued Tuesday Carney also announced $253 million for Nunavut infrastructure welcomed the initiatives with both saying that Inuit needs were “heard” by the federal government Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout said Carney’s announcements show the Liberal government is not willing to invest in northerners “It’s frustrating that Canada is promising to invest more in another country’s capabilities rather than its own people’s How many-fold is that $250 million compared to the $6 billion to work with Australia?” she said comparing the money for Nunavut infrastructure against the cost of the commitment to work with Australia called Carney’s visit a “re-announcement” of previously introduced projects with no new money It “does nothing to fix years of neglect and state of disrepair our forces are in,” Bezan said in a written statement Tuesday Carney’s Arctic security announcement comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Arctic with calls growing for Canada to do more to secure the region In an article for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute released hours before Carney’s announcement Arctic security expert Alexander Dalziel wrote: “Canada is sleepwalking into Arctic irrelevance Canadian leaders need to ‘think Arctic’ when they think foreign affairs and defence The Liberal government announced its Arctic foreign and defence policies in 2024 promising to appoint an Arctic ambassador and spend $81 billion on defence over 20 years That funding includes $2.7 billion for northern operational support hubs in Iqaluit, Inuvik and Yellowknife, which was reaffirmed in an announcement by Bill Blair Carney is the third federal party leader to come to Iqaluit for an Arctic defence announcement in just over a month On Sunday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh vowed to establish a military base in Iqaluit as part of his party’s Arctic platform Canada would meet the expectation that NATO members spend two per cent of their gross domestic product on defence by 2032 On Feb. 10 in Iqaluit, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pledged to build a permanent military base in the community within two years if he becomes prime minister The proposed base would be big enough to host a Royal Canadian Air Force command unit and to launch and land new F-35 fighter jets and Poseidon P-8 surveillance aircraft The base is part of Poilievre’s plan to “take control of our North secure all of our borders and stand on our own two feet,” Poilievre said Don’t trust the LIEberals and NDP nevers build it now otherwise vote against them in the next election You come across as being strongly in favour of Pierre Poilievre Please allow me to provide some comments on Poilievre Poilievre has a long history of hobnobbing with the superrich and specifically doing this in a way that demonstrates that he is interested in taking direction from the superrich This clearly shows that Poilievre is following the playbook of Donald Trump And given that Donald Trump is following Project 2025 (as written by Russell Vought and the rest of the extreme-rightwing Heritage Foundation which is funded by the Koch Brothers Dark Money Donors Trust Atlas Network) will take Canada down a path that brings us much more inequality and far more corporate power the Atlas Network is active here in Canada too for example through the Fraser Institute and MacDonald-Laurier Institute but the level of damage done to Canadian democracy is not yet at the level of what the Atlas Network has so far done in the USA.) The CEOs of major corporations and the billionaire bankers on Bay Street would be delighted to see Poilievre in power easy-to-understand (but inherently inappropriate or intrinsically antidemocratic or just plain wrong) answers to complex problems (To delve into this in detail would require far more room than is available in the comments section of this online newspaper.) Do you really want Canada to become like the USA under Donald Trump’s second term The Poilievre Project: A Radical Blueprint For Corporate Rule I think this is a book that every Canadian (and especially those who think Poilievre is wonderful) should read You must be ecstatic President Donald Trump has come out endorsing Carney Liberals… “I think it’s easier to deal actually with a liberal.” Putin endorsed Kamala before the election in the same manner It’s not meant to be an actual endorsement it’s a tactic to make an enemy appear weak “it’ll be easier to deal with the Liberals” Make no doubt about it Trump would love to see PP in office because he knows he won’t even have to deal with him PP will follow orders like the bootlicker that he is Your comments are so off-base I’m inclined to think you are being sarcastic if ever support the Liberal Party (or the NDs); they support the Conservatives The vast majority of Liberal Party funding and support comes from all-level government bureaucrats AND the wealthiest the more likely someone is to be antisocial and socialist For you to be talking about someone else being off-base is wild Because David Mastracci compiled a whole bunch of data for 17 media outlets and it definitely shows Conservative lean and Calgary Sun have all been Conservative supporters since 2006 PostMedia is American-owned and controls about 90% of all Canadian daily and weekly news and is incredibly right-leaning and Conservative supporting The CBC does not endorse or support parties You may find they have liberal (small L) views There is no data on how small business owners vote in Canada that I can find I’m willing to consider to your source The average donation to the Conservatives was also more than 50% higher than the Liberals And you’re going to say the Liberals get money from the wealthiest and old-money “Majority of Canada’s Richest Donate to the Liberals” Canadian Business magazine published the list of Canada’s 100 richest families cross referenced with information from Elections Canada and Postmedia’s Follow the Money reveals that 56 of those have donated to the Liberal Party and 61 have donated to the Conservative Party” More content lacking substantiation from S half the water plants in the territory hardly work that’s almost a quarter of what they have given to the Toronto subway system over the last five years… That’s what we have territorial government for It means the Federal government trusts us to look after our shit And the population of Nunavut is almost 1% of the population of Toronto… almost this isn’t about liberal or conservative this is about the same reason why canada sold alaska to the states for a dollar Historical illiteracy is such a problem in our world Us bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for 7.2 million dollars That’s why reading and studying history is important by James Corbett released in January tells of the elite class in which Carney circulates It’s a page turner read revealing truths of the time in which we live Arts and Culture  Apr 7 recreational facilities close for start of annual spring festival Young racers take part in the 2023 Toonik Tyme kids snowmobile race The 2025 kids race takes place on April 11 City of Iqaluit recreational facilities will close April 11 for the Toonik Tyme civic holiday A municipal bylaw designates the first Friday of the annual spring festival as a holiday It is intended to allow community members to take part in Toonik Tyme events sewage and garbage services will run as scheduled Some of the Toonik Tyme events planned for April 11 include sledding and ice golf near Arctic Winter Games arena and the festival’s opening ceremony at the cadet hall The full schedule can be found on the Toonik Tyme website After all that time for a good civic coffee the festival consisted of traditional Inuit games a community feast and an evening of dancing and music at Toonik Lake and other councilors from the Town of Frobisher Bay (which later became the City of Iqaluit) usually picked a person to preside over the festival and granted them with the Order of the Honourary Toonik this honour was given to a distinguished guest invited to preside over the week’s festivities The first Honourary Toonik was the Right Honourable John Diefenbaker Other past Honourary Tooniks have included His Royal Highness Charles the Prince of Wales; former Governor General Roland Michener; three former commissioners of the Northwest Territories: Bent Sivertz Stuart Hodgson and John Parker; former Premier of Greenland Lars Chemnitz and the former Mayor of Nuuk the Honourary Toonik award has gone to an individual in the community on a nomination basis This award is still a special honour as the chosen individual is someone that is considered to be an outstanding volunteer and demonstrates exceptional community spirit The question was “Why do they call it Toonik time?” If you google your question you will get an immediate answer Business  Jan 23 Airline expands on pilot project launched with Canadian North in 2024 Canadian North and Air Greenland are expanding on last year’s pilot project of a route between Iqaluit-Nuuk offering weekly departures and same-day connector flights from April 2 until Oct will return this year and be available over a longer schedule Planes will depart from each city every Wednesday for the summer season from April 2 until Oct. 22, Air Greenland announced on social media last week Through the airline’s partnership with Canadian North there will continue to be same-day connections available to Ottawa Last September, Air Greenland CEO Jacob Nitter Sorensen announced at the Nunavut Trade Show that the company would continue offering flights between Iqaluit and Nuuk in 2025 and hoped to start the season earlier The airline launched the route linking the capital cities last June as a pilot project with Canadian North reviving the direct service that Air Greenland cancelled in 2012 Last October, United Airlines also confirmed it will provide a new twice-weekly direct route from New York City to Nuuk beginning June 14 It was one of eight new routes the airline announced an aviation analyst and lecturer at McGill University in Montreal said he doesn’t believe the United Airlines route will compete with Canadian North in carrying passengers bound for Greenland “I don’t think Canadian North has anything to fear about this competition showing up out of Newark” N.J. “There’s not really a lot of connection feed on the Canadian North operation into Iqaluit to take advantage of that Nuuk service.” Gradek said he believes Canadian North’s market focuses on Iqaluit and the surrounding region to make its operation successful whereas United is banking on approximately 100 American cities to make connections for its flight to Greenland the Nuuk International Airport unveiled an expanded runaway stretching 2,200 metres “The runway extension and the investment that they’ve made into the new infrastructure opens up a number of opportunities for the Greenland government to really enhance the commercial viability of services to and from Nuuk,” said Gradek He added the investment by the Greenland government into the airport as well as new routes from airline carriers may be an example of “testing the waters” to gauge the market demand and commercial viability of traffic to Nuuk A spokesperson for Air Greenland could not be reached for comment The question is how energetically Air Greenland will _market_ the flights — in Greenland They did a seriously poor job of doing so last year The real competition to this flight isn’t United it is Icelandair that offers service from almost anywhere in canada to Nuuk for less than half of what Canadian North or United are charging News  Mar 6 Defence units to also be built in Inuvik and Yellowknife and National Defence Minister Bill Blair answer questions in Iqaluit Thursday after the announcement of three military support hubs for new operational support hubs to serve “critical military objectives” in the Arctic “Each of these locations has been identified as an ideal site for the network based on their geography and the strong military ties that only exist here in this community,” Bill Blair said at the military’s Iqaluit Forward Operating Location near the airport on Thursday The announcement — made inside a hangar where a Royal Canadian Air Force jet was parked — was attended by about a dozen officials along with Canadian rangers The hubs are a key pillar of the Liberal government’s $81.1-billion defence policy that was introduced in April They will cost $2.67 billion over 20 years and the money will go toward airstrips and equipment to help the Canadian Armed Forces better “assert Canadian sovereignty,” said a Department of National Defence news release issued with the announcement The price tag rose from the $218 million that was initially planned for the project after “discussion” with local partners “Today’s announcement is an important step towards the work that we need to do to fortify our defence capabilities,” Premier P.J adding that the hub in Iqaluit will include “multi-purpose infrastructure” that will meet the needs of the local community That would include operational support for emergency response and infrastructure like roads and housing that could be used for civilian purposes as well the Canadian Armed Forces has four operational support hubs Blair didn’t specify the timeline for those projects to be completed but said there is “an urgency to making those investments.” The military has tried to learn from the experience of the Nanisivik Naval Facility, Blair said. The completion of that facility has been delayed multiple times over the past two decades and is now in limbo Blair’s announcement comes a month after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre came to Iqaluit on Feb. 10 to pledge to build a permanent military base in the community within the first two years if he becomes prime minister The base was part of Poilievre’s plan to “take control of our North secure all of our borders and stand on our own two feet,” he said in February The proposed base would be big enough to host a full Royal Canadian Air Force command unit and to launch and land new F-35 fighter jets and Poseidon P-8 surveillance aircraft “I think it would make sense if the protection of the Arctic is done by the military,” Amittuq MLA Joelie Kaernerk said of Poilievre’s proposal Thursday in the legislative assembly “This is very important now and it’s becoming more dangerous [We] start worrying about armies coming or something,” he said adding that he would like to see more military infrastructure in the high Arctic Unlike Blair’s announcement on Thursday, Akeeagok did not attend Poilievre’s event at the Iqaluit Airport. Afterward, he asked for the Conservative leader’s “explicit recognition” that his Arctic platform will be developed in partnership with Inuit “I think he sees the political necessity of at least attempting to demonstrate that he cares,” Blair said Thursday in criticizing Poilievre for not notifying the Nunavut government of his plans before making the promise It’s about the hard work that we have to do together.” Note: This article was updated to include more information on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s proposal and comments from MLA Joelie Kaernerk All of the “announcements” being made are almost identical to what the Conservatives have announced previously I think the NDP/Liberals are in desperation mode They have to get their ideas from some where Most of what is being promised i have heard Pierre say first Name one single piece of legislation and/or policy PP has been able to get implemented… Do they need to ask the people of the north or is that only for the cons Why should they need ‘consent’ when it comes to national defense the liberals will undoubtedly pretend to ask and every base should be recognized that it’s on stolen land the idea that this is stolen land is factually untrue I posted it yesterday but the luminaries at NN decided not to allow the comment I doubt a single journalist at this publication has ever read the Agreement I’ll support that when I see the first Inuk stand up in the leg and express regret for his or her ancestor’s replacing the north’s original inhabitants Population replacement should be acknowledged I don’t think your claims are substantiated by known history Even surface level googling will shoot down your story From ‘Uqalurait: An Oral History of Nunavut’: “Before there were any Inuit but the Inuit killed them and took their land away.” Consent of any one of Canada’s ethnic groups is in no way needed when acting for the good of the whole Nunavut was not founded on the premise that Iqaluit should suck up everything “good” that creates wealth We talk of defending the Northwest Passage So build it in Resolute – which already has substantial infrastructure and is on the NWP Or build it at the terminus of the Gray’s Bay Road Let’s hope a new federal government reverses it you off all people should be able to consider the practical realities of Arctic infrastructure before calling this decision “stupid.” would require billions in additional investment—paved runway and even basic contractors to support that work—to function as a viable military hub which doesn’t even exist yet other then a line on the map already has critical infrastructure in place: a deep-sea port and established businesses to support rapid military expansion This investment allows Canada to strengthen its Arctic presence now addressing immediate security concerns in a timely manner The goal here isn’t just sovereignty—it’s also about capability A large military base needs a sizeable civilian population to support it or the cost is much higher Iqaluit is the only NU place that offers population with a deep sea port in Canada’s eastern arctic Plus it has the military grade extra thick reinforced runway that’s extra long and can land heavy transports and bombers Imagine one day when things have escalated to the point where we get to sit in our homes and look out to the bay and we watch rockets firing off to the fat north-north Akeeagok and his Liberal pals pose in a hangar looking like they’re about to challenge Putin to a thumb war Politics is supposed to be about real work not this endless parade of staged grins and jet-backed platitudes for later This Premier’s obsession or addiction to staged photo ops needs an intervention necessitates an extraordinary amount of image management for some governments this becomes a preoccupation that detracts from the real work you mention Sounds like time to ask Ukraine for advice on how to defend an airport Why is this one welcomed but not the conservatives announcement maybe because the only thing the current conservative leadership can offer is TRuDeAU BaD and nothing else If you haven’t paid attention and are unable to even acknowledge the incompetence and corruption of this government I’m not sure what value you have to add here News  Jan 4 Flight 949 was en route from London to San Francisco Iqaluit’s airport is where a United Airlines flight made an unscheduled stop Saturday afternoon to address a passenger’s medical issue A United Airlines flight from London to San Francisco diverted to Iqaluit Saturday afternoon to deal with a medical issue with a passenger The airline asked for medical personnel to meet the plane on arrival the airline’s media relations department said in an email United did not provide information about the passenger’s age It also did not say whether the passenger remained in Iqaluit or continued with the flight It left Iqaluit for San Francisco at 4:39 p.m FlightAware identified the plane as a Boeing 777-200 International flights crossing the Atlantic or Arctic oceans occasionally make unscheduled stops in Iqaluit for a variety of reasons In May 2024, an Air France flight from Paris to Seattle diverted to Iqaluit when a “heat smell” forced the plane to make a an unscheduled stop In October 2024, an Air India flight from New Delhi to Chicago was re-rerouted to Iqaluit because of what federal officials said was a “bomb threat.” We have enough issues without adding a bomb to the mix There is no place on earth that “needs” a bomb Perhaps I should have suggested that we are not in the position to deal with it like other large communities Good suggestion to bring a bomb-threat flight to North America’s 4th busiest airport that serves 200,000 passengers per day I’m sure those people wouldn’t mind the delays And the people on board probably don’t mind staying on board a flight with a bomb threat for an extra 3 hours to get there What if the Iqaluit airport adopts a two-level fee system for the services it provides One level of fees would apply to airlines that offer scheduled flights to Nunavut or within Nunavut A higher level of fees would apply to airlines that do offer scheduled flights to or within Nunavut require at least 1 flight each week in each direction between a pair of cities Then Nunavummiut get access to much of the world International flights could require a 2-week advanced purchase the scheduled flight becomes a non-stop flight saving the airline the cost of fuel for landing and take-off It appears Canadian North does not want its customers to have alternative options would appreciate the opportunity to fly direct from Iqaluit to Rome or Paris for a vacation for less than the price of a ticket to Ottawa Why do people get so butthurt when a plane makes an emergency landing here There is usually someone complaining about safety and one suggesting we should bilk the situation for every penny Justice  Jan 9 26; police say they’re investigating ‘sudden’ death Kingwatsiak Qinguatsiak at his home in Iqaluit with the photo of his daughter Elisapi Naluiyuk who died on Dec the death of his daughter was the end of life as he knew it “She was my baby and everybody’s best friend,” Qinguatsiak said Monday at his Iqaluit home A photo of 20-year-old Elisapi Naluiyuk sits on his dining room table 3 that they are investigating the “sudden death” of a 20-year-old female in Iqaluit Police didn’t identify the woman or offer further details George Henrie declined to comment on the ongoing investigation But Qinguatsiak said he knows it’s his daughter He said Naluiyuk spent Christmas Day with him and the rest of the family They had their usual turkey dinner and shared gifts “Little did I know that this would be our last Christmas,” he said That had happened before “once in a blue moon” because of his sons’ minor mischiefs over the years Her father says she was a kind person who could make anybody smile (Photo courtesy of Kingwatsiak Qinguatsiak) It’s when the officers asked to sit down that he knew something was very wrong Qinguatsiak has been searching for answers Who is responsible for the death of his “baby girl,” a middle child in the family of three sons and two daughters no charges have been laid in relation to Naluiyuk’s death Akeeagok and several territorial ministers on Jan 2 to tell them the government is failing to protect Inuit women People used to help and love each other in the past Akeeagok’s office confirmed the meeting happened but did not offer further details on the discussion He said that when Naluiyuk returned to Iqaluit from Ottawa about four months ago After working odd jobs for years and dealing with a drinking problem her application for rehab dragged on for months “The system has failed me,” he said And they [government workers] are still gonna have their jobs Waiting for my daughter that’s never coming home.” the family started a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses and flight costs for extended family to attend the service as the investigation into Naluiyuk’s death continues Qinguatsiak said he took down the ornaments from his Christmas tree — all but the one Naluiyuk made in school when she was five years old He filled the rest of the space with her baby pictures Qinguatsiak didn’t take a photo of the redecorated tree “And mostly in here,” he added “Qinguatsiak said he met with Premier P.J 2 to tell them the government is failing to protect Inuit women.” What do people think the government can do in situations like this Especially given that so little seems known about what happened His daughter waited months to hear back about rehab…we have so many transients and can’t help a young inuit who wants to change This idea that we can point at the government with the expectation they can personally take responsibility for every Inuk woman any time she leaves her home home might have a visceral appeal right now but it’s not reality Sadly it can take years to get a bed in a public rehab facility One of the reasons privately operated rehab centers exist in canada Always seeing people doing gofundmes for rehab admission costs This is terrible no parent should have to outlive their own kids I mean no this isnt the case for everyone… I didnt have en extrodinary drinking problem and was able to get into rehab in a few weeks with the option of 5 different locations Someone else I know just left within a month of requesting but the people who work in the system aren’t doing their job You can see the quality of service deteriorating Fewer and fewer people just don’t want to work in Nunavut Rest in peace ❤️ my sincere condolences to the Family as a parent I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to lose a child Be strong for her and ensure you get justice The people who did this better brought to justice The issue here is the fact that she sought help for her drinking problem Why did it take so long for her application to get anywhere If she weren’t drinking she wouldn’t have ended up in the situation she did You have no clue whatsoever about what happened Nor do you know what might have happened had she been accepted into rehab Justice  Apr 8 Three suspects caught on video taking food beverages from Yummy Shawarma on Sunday morning Iqaluit RCMP are asking for help identifying three suspects involved in a break-in and theft at Yummy Shawarma on Sunday RCMP are investigating a theft this past weekend from Yummy Shawarma The incident occurred Sunday sometime between 1 a.m The suspects took food and beverage products from the restaurant after breaking into the building one suspect is seen carrying a stack of canned drinks while another can be seen going through the cash register Anyone with information is asked to contact Iqaluit RCMP at 867-975-0123 Where is your statistic coming that Iqaluit is getting worse Im not defending this but you need to understand cause and effect This will always be happening if income inequality and poverty is not addressed Easier to break into business and steal with no real world consequence than to have to wake up at 6am every day to put in a hard days work and earn a paycheck I am pretty sure they would like to earn a paycheck and unfortunately they faced discriminations throughout their lives and were considered throws if you’re business owner or have the capacity to hire them then start a program for the under privileged No one ever woke on one day or see as a dream to be living in poverty and go hungry Volunteer at a food bank and assist at the soup kitchen appreciate your privilege and that you never have to wonder where your next meal will come from I am not surprised when companies ignore land claim.ahreement and hire their friends over inuit who are qualified Or change job discriptions to put their friends in jobs they shouldn’t have we need to reaffirm Canadian sovereignty by strengthening our military and unleashing the North’s economic potential Prime Minister Carney was today in Iqaluit to announce initiatives in partnership with Inuit leaders to build the Nunavut economy and strengthen Canadian security and sovereignty in the Arctic Prime Minister Carney announced that Canada intends to partner with Australia to develop advanced Over-the-Horizon Radar technology This partnership will include developing Canada’s Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar system an investment of more than $6 billion that will provide early warning radar coverage from threats to the Arctic A key component of Canada’s NORAD modernization plan the radar system’s long-range surveillance and threat tracking capabilities will detect and deter threats across the North Collaboration with Australia on this critical technology will further deepen our long-standing bilateral defence relationship while supporting Canada’s commitment to strengthening North American defences in partnership with the United States The Prime Minister confirmed the partnership in his call with the Prime Minister of Australia Prime Minister Carney announced that Canada will take on a greater and year-round Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) presence in the Arctic – an investment of nearly $420 million to protect our sovereignty across land With an expansion of its Northern and Arctic operations and training exercises the CAF will be better placed to defend Canada’s Arctic presence and sovereignty­ – while enabling greater collaboration with NATO Allies.  to advance reconciliation with First Nations Prime Minister Carney announced over $253 million in new support to build a stronger economy across Nunavut Following a positive and constructive meeting with the Premier of Nunavut the two leaders agreed to continue to work together in partnership on shared priorities in the Arctic The Prime Minister also met with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated as well as the President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami to reinforce the fundamental importance of their leadership and to establish a link of collaboration on major infrastructure projects the Canadian government is improving our military readiness and growing a stronger economy across the North Working closely with Indigenous Peoples and our Allies we will fortify the Arctic by strengthening our year-round presence and reasserting Canada’s sovereignty and security and we can never take our sovereignty and security in the region for granted Our government will strengthen Canada’s Arctic security bolster partnerships with our closest Allies and reaffirm reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples Prime Minister of Canada  @CanadianPM Politics  Mar 12 Current store has ‘long outlived its purpose,’ says Finance Minister Lorne Kusugak The Department of Finance plans to begin the search for a new Iqaluit beer and wine store location this coming year The Government of Nunavut is looking for a new location for Iqaluit’s beer and wine store “It’s there because that’s where the beer and wine was stored referring to the store’s Allannguaq Street location in the city’s downtown area it’s long outlived its purpose.” whose department oversees the Nunavut Liquor and Cannabis Commission shared the news during a legislative assembly committee Monday It came as MLAs were discussing the Finance Department’s $111-million budget and business plan for the 2025-26 fiscal year the GN was in talks with a property owner interested in selling a unit that could be used as a new store the department continues to look for what he describes as a “better location.” Kusugak said he doesn’t have a new site in mind “I think we need to be a little more aggressive in finding a better location for it,” Kusugak said it’s out in the corner of a spot where the traffic flow just doesn’t work there we’ll find something a little more suitable.” Public safety — including instances of violence, theft and public drinking — has been a recurring issue around the beer and wine store in recent years, at the legislative assembly and at city council Iqaluit-Manirajak MLA Adam Arreak Lightstone has repeated his calls for increased safety measures around the store that you’re allocating a budget specifically for looking into relocating the beer and wine store,” Lightstone said during Monday’s meeting Kusugak said he doesn’t have a “hard timeline” for the search he said that in the short-term his department will work with the city on traffic and safety issues “We’ll see what the city wants to do or is doing with the situation and we’ll participate,” Kusugak said so our department will do what it can to make sure that at the minimum they are safe going in and out of the beer and wine store.” Tundra valley or right out front the Leg is my suggestions Tundra Valley is way too far from my house AND my workplace Next door to the Legislative Assembly would be great Put it right next to the RCMP building or the legislative assembly would also be nice if they actually designed it like a beer store in south …walk in fridge and beer is cold I find this interesting how the GN is trying to say they are looking for a better location for the beer and wine store when last year they pretty much decided where the new beer and wine store will be going the warehouse full of beer and wine behind the old canadrill building that has been sitting empty for months now and closed off for renovation seem to have been picked by the GN That area people always get attacked or mugged I’m glad a minister is asking for more safety it’s gotten worse the last few years in that area Apartment and office buildings also face issues of the homeless population who cause scenes stealing and at times being aggressive to ask for smokes We shouldn’t be scared to walk in our home town RCMP seems to be too busy with the craziness They need to stop bringing them to Iqaluit! moderators dont like me bringing up that there is no NU LIQOUR TAX,… Is the government moderating the comments now BUT ITS 100% VALID QUESTION … WHY NO TAX ON BOOZE How about locating the new alcoholic-beverages store over in the general area of the existing landfill site There is ample industrial-type space in that general area then people will be able to easily bring their old bottles and cans for collection in preparation for eventual (future) shipping-out for recycling requiring potentially-intoxicated customers to drive or take long doesn’t sound like something that would increase safety overall Distance from populated areas will mean less likelihood of random inebriated people harassing the sober purchasers of alcohol make the store open from 11am to 3pm daily thereby correlating more closely with daylight hours Because Akilliq Drive would be the sole means of road access it would be easy for the RCMP to set up a checkstop point (during store-open hours) to catch inebriated drivers the store should not be selling alcohol to inebriated people anyway.) Drunk driving can be dealt with by the criminal justice system (we have the facilities right here in town) Giving first-time drunk drivers a twenty-year driving ban would send a clear message Another option for safety would be to make the store “delivery only” and the alcohol is delivered from the warehouse directly to their home there would be zero worries associated with people visiting a retail store or warehouse there would be zero worries about drunk driving associated with the purchasing process itself there would be zero worries about an intoxicated person freezing to death while on the way to or while returning from the point of purchase Another advantage of the “delivery only” model is that known alcoholics would be refused business Only people with a history of responsible behaviour would be customers would protect against the safety risks of cash-handling Given the enormous and tragic harm of alcohol in Nunavut (including the cascading intergenerational costs) I think we should tackle the “engineered consumption” (also known as “manufactured demand”) that underpins this intrinsically illegitimate market (i.e For inspiration on how to attack the marketing we can look at how cigarettes are packaged and sold There are many insights that NULC could transfer to its retailing activities especially now that a new store is being planned If I go the bar and do not drink or I go for a beer and a burger to watch the game why should I not be able to park and drive myself We should not have to legislate common sense The new location has to just as secure as the Big House No joke…summer is down right scary to walk home even for short distance Somewhere far away from the homeless shelter It would be nice if the new location had a drive thru option Or if the new location could have a delivery type service Do like in Kuujuuaq and put it in the Co-op or NorthMart i thought they were gonna move across the weed store on federal road cocaine/crack use need to be a subject open in public and private discussions The harm it does can be better managed and dealt with in this way To downplay the harm by not speaking about it would only make things that much worst How about the road to nowhere near the target range Something needs to be done about the beer and wine store in general Why are they letting so many intoxicated people hang around outside Two days ago I was approached by an intoxicated person while pumping gas at gas bar The individual made me very frightened for my safety getting into my face and screaming that I would be the reason they die because I refused to buy them a bag of chips Not sure that moving the store is the answer here but would really help make the downtown core a bit safer if they could move it and implement security measures Several people are drinking their Molson’s the minute they leave the store in broad daylight ….put the new location at Molson Inlet LOL smouldering ruins are all that’s left of the three-storey Noble House complex on Mivvik Street in Iqaluit following a fire Wednesday night The bottom photo shows Noble House apartments as it appeared in 2013 (Photo by Daron Letts / screenshot courtesy of Google Maps) News  Jan 9 No reports of injuries or missing people but 36 families or individuals were left homeless after Noble House fire Smouldering ruins were all that remained of the Noble House apartment block in Iqaluit Thursday afternoon nearly 24 hours after emergency crews were called to a fire in the three-storey structure Families muster at the Yummy Shawarma restaurant on Mivvik Street on Wednesday night watching as the Noble House apartment building burns Thirty-six residential units were occupied Everyone living there was evacuated and there were no reports of injuries or missing people Iqaluit RCMP said in a news release Thursday “This is a very hard time for our neighbours,” said Khal El-Shamaa who owns the Yummy Shawarma restaurant across the street where many of those who fled the fire gathered Wednesday night as the blaze raged we’ve been neighbours for 15 years here,” he said They watched it burn as they ate pizza, wiped away tears and listened for instructions from Nunavut Housing Corp. staff, who directed victims to the nearby cadet hall where the City of Iqaluit established a warming centre The group — which included families and individuals of all ages — moved from the restaurant to the shelter by 9:30 p.m. as embers from the fire mixed with falling snowflakes Heat from the fire could be felt on exposed skin 100 metres from the blaze even though Environment Canada reported temperatures of -37 C with a wind chill and risk of frostbite “This fire is under investigation by the Iqaluit fire department with support from the Nunavut Fire Marshal’s office and the Iqaluit RCMP,” Cpl when Iqaluit firefighters began attacking the blaze at 1088 Mivvik St smoke gushing from windows above the northwest entrance shrouded the building firefighters wearing oxygen masks and carrying a water hose went inside An excavator tears down the remaining structure as the fire gains the upper hand at approximately 10 p.m Two fire trucks trained hoses on the fire from two angles for hours Flames were visible inside the building at around 8:30 p.m. when firefighters sought to clear the parking lot of vehicles to move an excavator and bulldozer into the area Firefighters made several sweeps back and forth along the building to ensure residents were evacuated The fire spread quickly across the roof of Noble House pushed by wind gusts that reached 60 km/h according to Environment Canada firefighters began tearing down the unburned part of the structure with an excavator after it became apparent the building could not be saved the entire building collapsed,” Henrie said in the release The exact number of people displaced by the fire is unknown but 36 families or individuals were living in Government of Nunavut staff housing units there It’s believed there were also a handful of professional or government offices located in the building said it is “actively working to ensure that all tenants are temporarily accommodated in hotels and relocated to other housing units” and is attempting to secure long-term housing The City of Iqaluit, in its own release, said tenants who were not relocated to hotels should contact Lana Drouillard at 867-975-7210 or ldrouillard@gov.nu.ca or Michaela Smith at 867-975-7204 or msmith11@gov.nu.ca or the emergency contact line at 867-222-1304 if they still require a room or some other assistance City of Iqaluit spokesperson Geoff Byrne declined comment Thursday saying: “Due to the ongoing relief efforts and the diversion of staff resources the City of Iqaluit will be unable to accommodate media inquiries today.” On Thursday, the City of Iqaluit announced it will begin accepting cash or cheque donations to assist victims of the fire starting Friday Fire department and building codes are the City responsibly Yes the GN has permanent building inspectors the Nunavut Building Code Act did not come into force until Sept 2018 and any construction before that date was under the authority of Nunavut’s Fire Marshal Office new construction and renovations are the responsibility of the Office of the Chief Building Official I don’t think vacant building inspector positions or the use of consultants would have had any bearing on this tragic situation Sprinkler systems are a non factor for when fire is located between walls The Noble House Building had been built before Nunavut began adhering to official building codes the issue of whether or not sprinkler heads were present is only a small part of the big picture Equally important is the rest of the system much of which is not visible to the occupants or the casual observer The entire system needs to be engineered appropriately inspected and verified regularly by skilled technicians any alterations to the building layout or usage patterns need to be reflected by the sprinkler system design too if someone converts an office space into a retail space or if they convert a retail space into a restaurant then major changes will be required in many realms relevant to fire safety (Whole textbooks have been written on these topics.) the functioning of whatever sprinkler system was present is heavily influenced by the overall building design Here we get into topics like the structure and layout of the building the materials chosen and in what quantities The presence or absence of firebreaks (and their ratings with respect to time and temperature) is key and its interaction with the rest of the building like the presence or absence of automatic fire dampers in whatever types of ventilation systems were present (Entire textbooks have been written on these topics.) The design of the electrical system is also important the safest way to run wiring is in metallic conduit This provides solid protection against the spreading of a fire It also provides valuable protection against damage to the wiring imagine if someone decides to pound a nail into a wall in order to hang a picture which itself can occur in either parallel or series format.) all sorts of fire-related scenarios are conceivable here There have still been no investigation results released We simply do not know if or when the results will be released it is unclear if the investigation is still ongoing or not I have yet to see any results from whatever investigation was done into this fire A lot of buildings in Nunavut burned down instead of being saved Does every community in Nunavut have trained firefighters or do they just hire firefighters with zero experience I know some communities only hire family members Nunavut communities really need to train their firefighters Save the buildings not just let them burn down Majority of firefighters in Nunavut are volunteers There is no financial incentive other than tax breaks Your ‘only hires family members’ comment is irrelevant here These volunteers risk their lives by going out in harsh conditions to a burning buildings Sanikiluaq has family only firefighters with zero experience I tried volunteering but they only want their family to volunteer I think we need to look at the chiefs and management…. How old was this building/when was it built I think they had the largest apartments in Iqaluit (2 beds and 2 baths with en suite laundry) Over 70% of fire fighters in Canada are volunteer If you have never served please just say thank you Three-storey building was home to 36 residents or families Flames and smoke billow from Noble House in Iqaluit on Wednesday night The multi-unit building with 37 residential units plus some commercial or government tenants Here is a brief timeline of how the catastrophic fire at Noble House on Mivvik Street in Iqaluit intensified leaving 36 residents or families homeless according to the Nunavut Housing Corp and displacing a handful of professional offices Times are approximate and are based on reports from Iqaluit RCMP the City of Iqaluit and Nunatsiaq News reporter Daron Letts who was at the scene shortly after the fire was reported and remained through much of Wednesday night 5:35 p.m.: RCMP are notified by Iqaluit fire department of a fire at Noble House 6:15 p.m.: Smoke is already intensifying around Noble House as the fire continues; 8:30 p.m.: The fire has intensified and flames can be seen from the outside of the building One-third of the building is engulfed in flames; 9:30 p.m.: City of Iqaluit announces a warming shelter for fire victims is set up at the cadet hall; 10 p.m.: An excavator begins tearing down part of the building; 10:30 p.m.: Entire Noble House structure appears to be destroyed by the blaze as fire has now spread through the entire building; 1 a.m.: Entire building at 1088 Mivvik has collapsed 10:30 a.m.: City of Iqaluit announces municipal staff have been redirected to assist with fire relief efforts and that only limited services would be provided at city hall today cash or cheque donations will be received at city hall to assist fire victims; 3 p.m.: RCMP says it was notified that all occupants at Noble House were evacuated from the building and that there were no reports of injuries or missing people is remembered by friends in Iqaluit for his hard work (Photo courtesy of Indigenous Clean Energy) News  Feb 7 The sudden death of an Iqaluit businessman who was “living life to the fullest” has left friends shocked and saddened director of project management for the Qikiqtaaluk Business Development Corp. collapsed at home during a phone call with someone from out of the territory earlier this week A friend rushed to his aide but was unable to resuscitate him the executive director of the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce and a former colleague at the development corporation He was just a likeable guy — always positive Nimchuk advocated for better infrastructure to ensure access to food calling on local leaders to expand training and make use of new technologies in Nunavut communities He also championed wind power in Iqaluit to decrease fossil-fuel consumption and investigated solar panels and tidal-power possibilities “Recently, we had the announcement with the hydro project funding from the feds,” West said “I’m 100 per cent sure Sheldon had his fingers in there Many Iqalummiut might know Nimchuk best as co-owner of the Nunavut Brewing Co. a nightspot and craft brewery on Iqaluit Lane he opened a decade ago with then business partner Stuart Kennedy “We were all shocked when we heard Tuesday morning about Sheldon’s death,” Kennedy said who recalled Nimchuk recently entered his 60s “Sheldon regularly dealt with people across Canada and those people were immediately shocked as well.” Nimchuk moved to Iqaluit from northern New Brunswick when he took a contract as project officer with the N.W.T Department of Public Works in the mid-1990s He was working there when Nunavut gained territorial status in 1999 He moved to a management position with NCC Dowland Construction Ltd managing development of the Inuksigait Plaza land and building Nimchuk also helped lead design and construction of the Aqsarniit Hotel located on the same Inuit-owned property researching and developing a range of business initiatives “Sheldon involved himself in a variety of thoughtful initiatives and in general he felt that Qikiqtaaluk Corporation had provided him with the mandate to search and find ways to improve life in Nunavut,” said Kennedy He said Nimchuk might be best known for his shining personality “Sheldon also displayed a unique sense of humour and the ability to respond promptly with a full understanding of reality,” Kennedy said “Sheldon was a great cook and many of us always looked forward to a great meal Was shocked to find out about a great person Sheldon had b passed went to school with Sheldon til he graduated high school great person athlete condolences to the rest of Sheldon’s family his father Tom who also just lost his wife now a great son rest in peace Sheldon I just saw the news today on the passing of a dear friend Sheldon nimchuck He was so young and vibrant and athletic and mind you I hadn’t seen a spoken to him in a long time but I remember what a great guy he was and I’m just so very sad I’m not sure what happened but my prayers are out to his family My condolences to Tom and all his family with the loss of Sheldon It seems he was loved by a lot of people and from what I read It was such a loss for the family and the community He will truly be missed—an absolutely great guy Tom —BONNIE & I WISH TO OFFER OUR CONDOLENCES HE SURE WAS A BUSY MAN AND WAS INVOLVED IN SOME VERY INTERESTING PROJECTS He didn’t just dream big—he made things happen he left a lasting impact on everyone around him His legacy lives on in the work he started and the people he inspired I worked with Sheldon in the early days of the GN He was a great guy and will be sorely missed Tommy and Wayne.i am so truly sorry hearing about Sheldon’s passing.i did not see him much but heard great comments re his spirit and work ethic He will be joining his mom betty..she was my older sister ..my prayers to you and Wayne. He always brought enthusiasm and encouragement to every project he was involved in One of Iqaluit’s better boosters he will be missed good and faithful servant;‘ (Matthew 25:23) Sheldon has been taken from us far too soon but his lovable memories will remain in our hearts Thank you to Sheldon’s friends in Iqaluit for sharing great memories of him.🙏 we first met 10 years ago when I joined Qikiqtaaluk Corporation as Director of Fisheries always wanting to make a difference and improve the lives of Nunavummiut and on several evenings during the week after work I would join him for a beer at Nubrew We had many conversations on a personal basis in particular I had for some time been wanting to buy a boat and the one I had in mind was an authentic Newfoundland boat which we called the pirate ship I planned on using it as a cabin on the water in his out of the box visionary thinking felt I should buy the boat and put it on land as it would be a great attraction a one of a kind experience for the come from away tourists and as always we got to a discussion on the pirate ship John’s and spend some relaxing time on the pirate ship Our prayers and thoughts go out to his family and friends A good friend to all and an indispensable member of the QC team Condolences to his family and close friends Saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Sheldon We went to Dalhousie Regional High School together He was an easy going man and friendly to all which focused on helping others is aligned with a man who I knew back then My deepest condolences to son Corey and Sheldon’s family I hope you find peace in knowing he made a positive difference in the lives of many We worked in the same building for many years I’m shocked too by Sheldon’s early passing As former chairperson of Inuit Broadcasting Corp there was a couple of times I asked Sheldon for help with tickets to certain events so I could network and advocate for our Inuit regional network There were times over the years I spoke to him about my personal project hopes and so did he I told him he was crazy it would never happen he would just do his big smile and his funny chuckle giggle but he managed to do it He would ask me over the years about my project ideas to encourage me and I would be like “holy shit Sheldon you still remember that?” He never forgot anything Nunavut was lucky to have him as long as we did News  Jan 8 Cadet Hall opened as warming centre for people displaced by blaze; flames heavy smoke as emergency crews work into the night A fire tears through the Noble House apartment building in Iqaluit Wednesday night forcing residents to take shelter at a city-run warming centre set up at the nearby cadet hall Fire ripped through an Iqaluit apartment building forcing its residents to seek shelter Wednesday night at a nearby restaurant and an emergency warming shelter firefighters responded to a fire at Building 1088 the blaze had completely destroyed the three-storey structure Some who fled their homes initially took cover in the nearby Yummy Shawarma restaurant across the street that stayed open and accommodated evacuees Firefighters were in and out of the building since 7 p.m the City of Iqaluit announced a warming shelter was open at the cadet hall for people displaced by the fire about one-third of the apartment block was engulfed in flames Firefighters had contained the blaze to that portion for several hours But wind blew the fire across the roof toward next half of the building Heavy smoke billowed from the front of the building the amount of smoke seemed to be intensifying the City of Iqaluit asked residents to avoid the area around 1088 Noble House and said access to that part of the city is restricted while emergency crews continue to work who lives in the block downwind from the fire moved his snow machine away from the building at 7:45 p.m “I don’t want anything to happen to this,” he said Iqaluit residents on Facebook were organizing to collect donations of clothing and supplies for the affected families an excavator began tearing down the remaining portion of the building the final portion of the structure was ablaze Nunatsiaq News has asked for information from the City of Iqaluit and the RCMP but officials were not immediately available to say how many units and families were affected or if any injuries were reported Nunatsiaq News will have more coverage on this fire and the impact on the building’s residents on Thursday Our fire department has not been able to save many buildings and that catch on fire….what’s going on with them last time I was there to visit a few buildings burned to the ground what’s going on with the fire department in L-A too eh Sprinklers should be mandatory in all buildings There were sprinklers in this as I seen them when I was there The topic of sprinklers has come up repeatedly with people noting that they have seen sprinkler heads inside the building simply observing the presence of sprinkler heads in a building does not mean that the building is equipped with a working sprinkler system the entire system needs to be designed and engineered properly including all the piping and ancillary aspects a sprinkler system needs proper maintenance and regular inspections by expert technicians who specialize in this kind of work any changes in the building layout (such as renovations or change of use of space) will likely require any sprinkler system (as well as other systems such as HVAC etc.) to be re-engineered and updated accordingly someone decides to convert an office into a restaurant that has huge implications for multiple systems There are many other aspects of building design that are also of relevance HVAC systems need to be designed for fire safety Examples include automatic fire dampers in the ductwork and the presence and documented professional maintenance of numerous other safety-related subsystems and components intrinsically fireproof construction should be located around all “hot items” it always amazes me to see boilers and furnaces installed with nothing but drywall around them even standard residential kitchens should have fireproofing around their ranges it is still considered acceptable to have wooden cabinets above and around a kitchen range Now imagine what happens if heated oil catches fire on the range all while the homeowner happens to fall asleep on the couch (or maybe have a medical event of some type) this also takes us to the topic of building codes I note that Nunavut only adopted building codes starting in 2017 the Noble House (1088) Building was clearly much older than that we still have no formal insight into the cause of that fire It is up to the authorities to decide what information to release from their investigative activities Building apartment buildings saves money on land and construction But when fire strikes a wooden building like this Iqaluit gained 18 one-bedroom apartments last year Time to re-think residential planning in Nunavut The City of Iqaluit fire department responded quickly and did their best I did marine firefighting myself and I know how difficult it is to fight a raging fire Even with the best gear (and the City of Iqaluit has high-quality equipment) and even with the most dedicated best-trained staff (which the City also has) apartment-building fires are very difficult to quell It is very common for the entire building to be a total loss This is especially the case for older buildings or poorly-built (or poorly-engineered) buildings It is also important to remember that the highest priority of the fire department is that all the people are safely out and accounted for Although the cause of the fire is not yet known potential causes include hot-oil-type cooking and faulty heating boilers it will be interesting to see what the investigation reveals Given how easily the whole building burned and given how the fire progressed (as can easily be observed through a zoom lens) it seems to be a safe bet that this building did not have a sprinkler system All that I can find online right now is the land-survey documentation registered with Canada Lands That gives no insight into the actual building age.) is that every MURB (multi-unit residential building) should have a sprinkler system Existing buildings would need to be retrofitted 2014 at Résidence du Havre seniors’ home in L’Isle-Verte The formal cause was ascribed to a cigarette Various other engineered features could also be included to improve safety fireproof cooking enclosures around kitchen ranges would be valuable induction-type only) would also be helpful Fireproof boiler rooms would also be immensely valuable (and would have averted the loss of the Nunatsiaq-Ayaya Building back in February 2024) But given rampant inflation (a complex topic in itself) the cost of construction today has ballooned so much that better engineering is always the first thing to be cut This is why we are paying through the nose for housing in Nunavut (for example each unit in a MURB can cost roughly 1 million dollars to build) but we are not getting the quality that would reasonably be expected from such a princely sum In a place where our infrastructure and housing is so critical you’d think we would invest in the protection of it Where the f was the the airport fire truck This is getting out of control and people need to be held accountable for mishandling these situations and find people who can do the job with experience Can you imagine spending all night fighting a fire in freezing weather only to wake up to read comments such as these These people are heroes that you don’t deserve Go work in a field where you have to rush to an emergency you coward behind keyboard I can’t believe the amount of complaining in the comments I believe the majority of the first responders who show up to these fires are volunteers I realize that we have some full-time firefighters but we also have some great volunteers The conditions in the North do not make it possible to effortlessly fight fires spraying water onto a fully engulfed building I think we need to be grateful to the people who protect the items we cherish I believe the City may have openings to volunteer to be a firefighter It was great housing and served many purposes over the years… I KnOW the Firefighters put up a valiant fight but that’s a huge building with a lot of common space for the fire to travel AND it’s very dry Add the wind and the size of the building and it becomes a whirlwind I’m glad nobody was hurt but I feel for everyone that lost so many personal items TVs etc don’t matter but all the personal stuff hurts I have always wondered why the airport fire department never gets involved in helping when fires happen in Iqaluit but they were there last night trying to help put it out obviously you don’t know anything about the right thing to say if you are saying baseless information Real classy comments from people who didn’t step up and try to put the fire out last night Thank you to Iqaluit Firefighters for putting their lives on the line to help the community It is a thankless job from Nunatsiaq commentors I hope nobody got hurt and that all tenants had property insurance From completing insurance claims to applying for new identification cards All of this is not as important as getting a new place to live all of your belongings are gone and this is very sad those are of material value and replaceable I am so sorry for those who lost their homes It’s a sad turn of events that will cause a massive ripple effect in Iqaluit and beyond for some time to come no brave firefighters who showed up to give service Shame on all of you criticizing the fire department For a building of this size in the south you would have multiple town responding with equipment and fire fighters and still buildings are a total loss Even if the fire is put out the smoke and water damage would be enough to have to completely rebuild The fire fighters worked hard to the best of their abilities but the wind picked up and that is something they can’t control Go from a sound sleep to a full out adrenaline run in under 1 minute with a temp change of 50 degrees Do this thousands of times over you career then share your thoughts For now though go to your nearest fire house police station or hospital emergency and say” Thank you” 24 2- bedroom units and 13 1-bedrom units and commercial spaces For the buildings the fire department has not saved Firefighting in Nunavut poses so many challenges including isolation from neighbouring fire departments in other communities Generally in the south there are just more fire fighters and fire trucks to respond from fire halls close by The freezing cold risks lines getting frozen and the state and design of buildings in isolated communities exacerbate the problem in the event of the fire For all the buildings lost over the years all around Nunavut even resulting to the point where home owners are unable to obtain insurance we don’t know how many building they have saved subjecting themselves to traumatic stress so that they can limit the damage as much as they can All this so the community can live in as much peace as possible The issue is complicated and it deserves a more complicated multi faced solution Maybe they need a change in the Fire Department management Can council answer to why they allow this to happen Not criticizing the fire department here but I have to wonder were all those vehicles parked across the Caribou Cabs garage a hinderance to the fire department They’re a hinderance when coming from west 40 and having to slowly creep past the stop sign to see if there’s on coming traffic I can’t imagine the FD having a difficult time trying to get as close to the building as they can and having the line up of vehicles in the way Politics  Feb 14 Awa ‘not surprised’ by Poilievre’s military base announcement because councillors have discussed possibility themselves Solomon Awa is seen at the Nunavut Association of Municipalities meeting in Iqaluit last November As president of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities he says the territory’s mayors are worried by the loss of the universal hamlet food voucher program Hosting a military base could put demands on Iqaluit’s water system the idea also presents an economic opportunity “There’s a question of do we have enough water?” Awa said in an interview, a day after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced his party would build CFB Iqaluit if his party wins the next federal election But having an adequate water supply is one of the considerations the city would have to face we’re going to have to ask [for] more funding to create more water for the city.” Iqaluit’s long-term water supply and distribution upgrades to which the federal government contributed $214 million in 2022 is one of the city’s major ongoing projects These upgrades are meant to bolster a system that often struggles to meet the city’s needs Plans call for the construction of a new reservoir and water intake system to be completed by 2029, a timeline presented at a community open house last November said Awa also spoke about the potential economic impact a military base could have on the city Poilievre said Monday during a press conference at the Iqaluit airport that Canada “must take control” of the North amid threats to Arctic security from Russia and China In addition to building a base that could host a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron within two years of forming government Poilievre said he’d double the size of the 1st Patrol Group of the Canadian Rangers from 2,000 to 4,000 members and buy two new icebreakers for the Royal Canadian Navy He didn’t say how much his promises would cost but said the price of the base will be covered by cuts to Canadian foreign aid The idea of putting a military base in Iqaluit is not a new one adding that it’s a topic city councillors have discussed before The next federal election this year is set for Oct. 20, but it could happen sooner if the Liberal government, under a new leader loses a confidence vote when Parliament resumes or if the new Liberal leader calls a snap election before October “We don’t know who is going to be elected we don’t know if they’re going to be a majority government,” Awa said And if Poilievre’s Conservatives form the government “We also don’t know if they’re going to keep their promise so there’s a question here,” Awa said at least Iqaluit council is being more practical and useful than the Premier and his fluffers The biggest geopolitical shift in decades presents a plethora of opportunities for Nunavut but only if we have the leadership to take advantage of them The Canadian military should contact Agnico Eagle to start discussions to repurpose Meadowbank Mine site as new base Nunavut has %9 of worlds fresh water if I’m not mistaken 😂 water shouldn’t be an issue I think we need more than just one military base in this big land as long as one of the bases is not in my community Just because southerners are coming in to occupy our land You guys are going to have better water supply Editorials  Feb 8 A bit of federal money gets the wheels turning but an Iqaluit hydroelectricity generator will require hundreds of millions of dollars to build in for a pound,” but what about in for a watt The $6 million in federal funding for a hydroelectricity project in Iqaluit that Northern Affairs Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced Tuesday is a drop in the bucket for an electricity generator whose total costs have been pegged at between $300 million and $500 million the price tag has gone up since then; the price of everything has Before Iqaluit gets too far down the road to build a hydroelectricity generator Anandasangaree’s $6 million is meant to cover the cost of engineering and design work — the stuff that has to happen before the really expensive work of putting shovels in the ground can happen But why spend $6 million on design now unless you’re ready to commit $500 million for construction later The federal government chipped in $7 million in 2021 Ottawa is already in for $13 million on a project whose proponents say they’re counting on government funding to build Money to build a hydroelectricity generator sounds good It would create jobs and shift electricity production to a cleaner source But with a federal election just weeks a way it’s fair to wonder if Ottawa is signalling its commitment to the Iqaluit hydro project for the long haul or is Anandasangaree’s $6 million a nice pre-election funding announcement wants to build a hydroelectricity generator on the Kuugaaluk River more than the city’s demand of about 10 megawatts At a public meeting in Iqaluit last week Nunavut Nukkiksautiit representatives said the company would rely on government funding to pay most of the costs of building its hydro plant Qulliq Energy Corp., Nunavut’s publicly owned electricity provider, had considered the hydro project more than 10 years ago but put it on hold then because of a lack of funding The current plan raises some questions about why Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp — and not QEC — is now leading the charge for the hydro project A half-billion dollars for a hydroelectricity generator is an enormous sum by Nunavut standards the Government of Nunavut’s annual operating budget is about $3 billion When the federal government announced funding to replace Iqaluit’s water infrastructure, it kicked in $214 million Hydroelectricity is one of the cleanest ways to generate electricity As long as there’s enough water running downhill to turn turbines Building a hydro project in Iqaluit will shift the city’s power generation to a cleaner source It will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions although realistically that reduction is a miniscule part of what Canada needs to do overall generating electricity is cheap and maintenance is easy so it makes sense for the federal government and the Nunavut partners to decide how it will be paid for before diving into hydro Iqaluit today is now hitting almost 11 megawatt normally on a daily basis at peak power 8 years from now you are going to need a whole lot more than 15 megawatts Iqaluit is growing as fast as anything in these days and that water near the “dam” ain’t going to stay forever Government putting a so much money to a project that will never work in the arctic Diesel will forever be our best friend whether you like it or not Ready to give and let the status quo rule When the Federal government provides 6 million dollars for preliminary design work on a project that will ultimately cost 500 million experience tells me that this 6 million is at high risk of being flushed down the proverbial toilet “Hydroelectricity is one of the cleanest ways to generate electricity As long as there’s enough water running downhill to turn turbines.” That is great but where is all this water coming from but I do think it’s dumb for the Premier to be promoting this (or the Kivalliq Hydro Fibre project) as somehow contributing to sovereignty or grand nation-building It doesn’t do anything that isn’t already possible with existing infrastructure (i.e plus internet for 5 Kivalliq communities in the case of the other project) Grays Bay and Qikiqtarjuaq port are different they have not problem diverting $$$ to far off war somewhere in Europe Maybe figure out the funding before putting millions into designs😂 I think a good way to finance it would be through offering carbon offsets Business  Feb 20 hopes Nunavut capital city will be off diesel by 2033 Heather Shilton of Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp speaks Wednesday at a panel discussion on energy efficiency at the Aqsarniit Trade Show and Conference in Ottawa Archeological and environmental studies over the summer will help determine the cost estimate for a proposed Iqaluit hydroelectric plant that could replace all of the city’s diesel-generated electricity “This project can bring about transformational change and can truly empower a thriving community,” said Heather Shilton of Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp during a panel discussion Wednesday at the Aqsarniit Trade Show and Conference in Ottawa The corporation is a subsidiary of Qikiqtaaluk Corp and has been leading the project since 2022 It would include an approximately 50-metre-high dam and powerhouse built along the Kuugaluk River the hydroelectric plant would provide power for at least 100 years generating 15 megawatts of electricity a year The price of the project is yet to be estimated who was at the time Nunavut’s minister responsible for Qulliq Energy Corp when the public utility was considering the hydro option told the legislative assembly it could cost “well over $300 million During his visit to Iqaluit in February, Northern Affairs Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced $7 million in funding to conduct research Anandasangaree didn’t commit to federal funding to build the project but said the federal government will be there “every step of the way.” Shilton emphasized in her speech the importance of hydroelectricity to Nunavut’s energy security and climate action Iqaluit currently burns 15 million litres of diesel fuel per year at its generators which accounts for 19 per cent of Nunavut’s entire demand Southern companies transport diesel to the North making its price tag “subject to the volatility of global oil markets,” Shilton said adding that consumers depend on geopolitical forces that are “far outside of our control.” “It represents an economic model that once made sense and allowed Nunavut to grow early on but I don’t think it will enable Nunavut to thrive,” she said Shilton spoke along with Anne Raphaëlle Audouin from Nukik Corp. and Jamie Hewlett from Nunatsiavut Government with around 200 trade show delegates attending if QEC estimated it to be $300-$500mil in 2017 that cost is easily doubled if not tripled They should ask QEC as the area is already “studied” by QEC I thought the QEC dam project wasin a diffrent location… south east… toward Kimmirut Not much room for growth in no time Iqaluit will be topped up again with the power dam in no time The diesel fuel used to provide power to Iqaluit comes from either the USA or overseas (the middle east) This is even though Nunavut passively sits on at least 18 billion barrels of oil If that is not a matter of national security and sovereignty Certainly more so than whether or not there are soldiers walking around in CadPat on the streets of Iqaluit One of the best and most cost effective options to replace this foreign oil would have been the Energy East pipeline This is another energy project that has been the victim of cost estimate hikes Canada cannot quickly develop infrastructure anyone who is elected and has a voice should be shouting this from the rooftops instead of standing mute and leaving it to their junior staff to carry water on this Anyone who loses out on their personal land use from this project needs to be reminded in no uncertain terms that this is a better option than the continued assault on Inuit land use caused by Climate Change Canadian governments (municipal/provincial(territorial)/federal) are going to have to adopt a Can-Do attitudes pretty darn soon or we could indeed end up the 51st State and Keira Belle Cooper play an Inuit family in Netflix’s North of North This article is part of a series celebrating communities, culture, traditions, and adventure throughout Canada. We’re spotlighting exciting people and places across the country’s provinces, from British Columbia in the west to Newfoundland and Labrador in the east. Read more stories on our Canada guide page about 1,600 miles from my home in Minneapolis our plane carried not only passengers but also pallets of cargo and supplies as it traveled beyond the so-called treeline the border north of which large vegetation simply can’t survive I watched the subarctic boreal forest disappear before my eyes giving way to an expansive frozen landscape dotted with rocks and glaciers I noticed pops of Native culture around every corner such as Indigenous-crafted art on the walls and regional foods like Arctic char on the menus “It’s incredible to see Inuit culture on display throughout Iqaluit,” says Stacey Aglok MacDonald who co-created North of North along with Alethea Arnaquq-Baril and Arnaquq-Baril was born and raised in Iqaluit.) “Every Inuit region and territory has their own parka style and you can usually tell where someone is from by what they are wearing Iqaluit really showcases the diversity of Inuit a common mode of transportation in the Arctic Highlighting that rich culture was the main goal of the creators of North of North which made its global premiere on Netflix on April 10 (The show was co-produced by CBC in association with APTN) The whole community adopted the project: During my visit last May it was evident that many of the city’s 8,000-some residents were involved in the production serving as everything from extras to carpenters Many locals saw it as an opportunity to help overcome outdated assumptions about life in the Arctic—as did the show’s cast “I’m really excited for people around the globe to see Inuit represent themselves,” says Anna Lambe Lambe grew up in Iqaluit and turned heads in last year’s True Detective: Night Country on HBO before scoring the role of Siaja a young mother in the fictional village of Ice Cove who attempts to build a new life after a divorce our stories have mostly been told by non-Inuit and we’re often romanticized or shown in this skewed understanding of who we are—oftentimes framed in a very historical context rather than a modern context people can see us as we see ourselves and see the reality of our day-to-day lives It’s such an authentic representation of how I understand myself a visit to Iqaluit provides the chance to get a real taste of Arctic life The highlight of my trip was snowmobiling across the frozen tundra in pursuit of caribou herds with Inuit operator Tikippugut; I was in awe of the stillness of the natural world around us disrupted by only the buzz of our Ski-Doos (as locals tend to call all snowmobiles) Then during a special dinner focused on “country food” (the colloquial name for traditional dishes) I relished local delicacies like maktak (whale skin and blubber) I had the opportunity to learn about the many Native cultural traditions that are still practiced today thanks to the efforts of knowledge keepers who preserved them despite the oppressive colonial-era policies that sought to eradicate Indigenous communities across Canada many Inuit homes still have soapstone qulliq lamps Inuit women continue to use traditional ulu knives to cut and prepare harvested game such as fish and marine mammals Iqaluit is a testament to Inuit culture being alive and well and North of North showcases this place and these people from their own perspective “It’s about time that we show our culture from our own gaze,” says Inuk actress and Iqaluit native Maika Harper I really hope people get a chance to visit Iqaluit and experience Inuit culture at its finest.” was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987 when its Inuktitut name was officially restored Want to experience life in the Arctic for yourself Here’s how to make the most of your time in Iqaluit The Iqaluit International Airport (YFB) got a new $300-million terminal in 2017, part of an ongoing effort to bring more tourism to the area. Most travelers will arrive via Canadian North airline is a longtime favorite for both its contemporary accommodations and the French-inspired cuisine at the on-site Granite Room restaurant within easy walking distance of many attractions though cabs are available with flat rates of C$9.25 for in-town trips if needed AFAR participates in affiliate marketing programs which means we may earn a commission if you purchase an item featured on our site.© 2025 AFAR LLC Environment  Feb 12 City emergency services remain open as Environment Canada warns of limited visibility Several offices in Iqaluit are closed Wednesday due to poor weather Environment Canada has the Nunavut capital under a blizzard warning Several offices and organizations in Iqaluit were closed Wednesday as the city sits under a blizzard warning Environment Canada issued the warning at about 4:30 a.m. forecasting winds as high as 50 to 60 km/h and gusts up to 80 km/h as well as 10 to 20 centimetres of snow through the day and into Wednesday evening Visibility was limited in the city Wednesday afternoon and blizzard conditions were expected to last until Thursday morning The City of Iqaluit’s emergency services and road clearing crews were still operating Wednesday at around 2:30 p.m sewage and garbage trucks were pulled off the roads the city said in a public service announcement City hall and recreational facilities closed Wednesday the city advised residents to take precautions and prepare for other possible service disruptions Qikiqtani Inuit Association and the Amaruq Hunters and Trappers Association also closed their offices Power was out in the downtown for a time but it was restored at around 2:15 p.m. Canadian North is cancelling flights and the Iqaluit airport was closed Several other Iqaluit restaurants and stores announced their closures on Facebook posts Oh lord restaurants are closed how are we supposed to feed our family’s now?! Blizzards on Monday’s and Friday’s are the best blizzards Business  Feb 6 Location along Kuugaluk River could become city’s main electricity source by 2033 An entourage of government officials and business leaders takes a plane ride Wednesday to see the site of a proposed hydroelectric project northeast of Iqaluit In the foreground from left to right are Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp Qikiqtani Inuit Asocciation president Olayuk Akseuk and Northern Affairs Minister Gary Anandasangaree A small river northeast of Iqaluit could become the source for the growing community’s electricity demand and replace all of its diesel-generated power “Inuit have always used that area for harvesting so I have been lucky enough to go around,” Premier P.J Akeeagok said after a plane tour over the river Wednesday Kuugaluk River is seen from a plane with low cloud covering what could become the reservoir for the future hydroelectric plant near Iqaluit Akeeagok got a bird’s-eye look at the potential site of the future hydroelectric plant near Iqaluit joined by Northern Affairs Minister Gary Anandasangeree president and CEO Harry Flaherty and some staff members The Kuugaluk River flows from the northern end of Tasialuk Lake northeast for 40 kilometres before reaching Baffin Bay was chosen as a potential location for the hydroelectric project that would include an approximately 50-metre-high dam and a powerhouse Anandasangeree made the hour-long tour a day after announcing $6 million in federal funding for engineering and design work on the plant With low clouds over the area and having to wipe the plane’s foggy windows it took a bit of work to see the site but it was worth it the secretary-treasurer of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association was also on the plane and said the proposed location was a special place for him as he caught his first wolf around there at the age of 15 A group of politicians and business leaders poses for a photo after taking a plane tour over the site for the proposed hydroelectric plant near Iqaluit From left are Qikiqtani Inuit Association president Olayuk Akesuk Northern Affairs Minister Gary Anandasangaree Iqaluit’s move from diesel to hydroelectricity is led by Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp. Qulliq Energy Corp. initiated the project, but in 2014 put it on hold due to a lack of funding The proposed power plant could be operational by 2033 and serve for at least 100 years It’s meant to sustain all of Iqaluit’s electricity needs Iqaluit uses about 15 million litres of diesel fuel a year to power its generators who was then Nunavut’s minister responsible for Qulliq Energy Corp. told the legislative assembly the project would cost between $300 and $500 million when flying in the north this time of year These ppl are trying to solve a future problem for Nunavut A site should also be considered for Kivalliq Hydro for our future needs I alone will determine what is waste for my TAX $$$ s about 35K but hey Nunavut keep exploring how my grandchildren will have energy source in the future… I would guess this would be city municipal project but I expect GN and Feds will also be considering and taking small aircraft tours around Baffin to help fund hydroelectricity in smaller communities Or is it just Iqaluit again who get special attention from these elected officials?????? Assuming a cost of $1 billion in the money of today–and if you’re lucky this estimate is low!—this project is hopelessly uneconomic compared with staying with diesel generation The cost of diesel would have to be at least four times what it now is even to begin to justify this project Is this another make-work project to benefit the promoters Better to wait for compact nuclear generation currently under development use Nunavut’s own oil to generate electricity as the mine on Little Cornwallis Island did Politics  Mar 7 Amber Miners and Emery Maksagak honoured in ceremony at legislative assembly accepts Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council’s Wise Woman award from Margaret Nakashuk the territory’s minister responsible for the status of women have faith in people and every little bit of kindness helps.” Those are the words of wisdom offered Friday by Dr an Iqaluit pediatrician based at the Umingmak Child Advocacy Centre which provides healing services for children and youth who have been abused Miners was presented the Wise Woman award for 2024 by the Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council during a ceremony Friday afternoon at the legislative assembly “She has dedicated her career to combat child maltreatment,” said Margaret Nakashuk Nunavut’s minister responsible for the status of women this woman goes above and beyond to protect Nunavut’s children and families.” Nakashuk named Emery Maksagak of Cambridge Bay as the recipient of the Outstanding Young Woman award Maksagak is a future early childhood educator and a “highly involved” volunteer Qulliit presents the two awards annually on or around International Women’s Day Past Wise Woman award recipients include former Iqaluit mayor and MLA Elisapee Sheutiapik North of North star Anna Lambe is a past Outstanding Young Woman Award recipient Miners said she was “touched and surprised” to be named the Wise Woman With a career in Nunavut dating back to 2003 she told reporters she never thought she would be honoured this way and Nunavut has really shaped me and built me,” she said “I’m so grateful to the people that I’m able to work with and to have this recognition So happy our kids here in Nunavut have Dr Miner’s and caring for her (kid) clients with her heart on her sleeve Nunavut is lucky to have her – the most competent and dedicated and humble Pediatritian in the territory This award couldn’t have gone to a more deserving recipient both as a colleague and as a fellow parent and she continues to inspire me and everyone she encounters in every way The care she provides to Nunavut children is truly exceptional Dr.Minrrs brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge in the field making her an invaluable asset to the children and families she serves Working with some of the most vulnerable members of our society it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and defeated The children she works with are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated and compassionate advocate in their corner The Uquutaq Society received $10 million in funding from the federal government for its Butler housing project at 803 Aiviq St A conceptual image illustrates what the interior will look like (Photo courtesy of Laurel McCorriston/Uquutaq Society) Housing  Oct 30 Three organizations benefit from the funding Three Iqaluit housing projects received a financial shot in the arm this month totalling nearly $13 million for its Butler housing project; Pairijiit Tigummiaqtikkut (the Iqaluit Elders Society) for its elder housing project; and YWCA Agvik Nunavut The money flows from a $281.5-million fund announced in the 2022 federal budget to address Indigenous housing needs through Indigenous Services Canada National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc. an Indigenous-led national non-profit housing organization established in December 2022 is the arm’s-length administrator of the money The non-profit organization announced the funding Oct Uquutaq Society gets the lion’s share of the money — $10 million for its Butler housing project at 803 Aiviq St The Butler project will add 27 single-occupancy rooms to downtown Iqaluit Laurel McCorriston, Uquutaq’s out-going executive director, said the federal contribution builds on $2.7 million the society had already received from the territorial government as part of its Nunavut 3000 fund The total price tag for the Butler project will end up at around $30 million the society is preparing a capital plan this winter “It depends on when we have it fully funded Pairijiit Tigummiaqtikkut received just over $560,000 to start developing plans for an elders’ housing project including what the design for the 45-unit building will look like an Iqaluit lawyer working with the elders society The organization has already secured land for the building beside DJ’s Convenience Store in the 300s area of the city YWCA Agvik Nunavut’s building, the Tumikuluit Saipaaqivik daycare at house 3044 in Apex She said the non-profit organization plans to offer apartments for rent above the daycare The organization received the remainder of the federal funds — approximately $2.4 million — which it used to solicit further help from the Department of Education along with additional support from the federal government $277.8 million has been distributed to 75 projects across the country aimed at building more than 3,800 units communications manager for National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc $30 million for 27 single occupancy rooms… why not just give 27 people their own mortgage-free brand new 3 bedroom houses and save $7 million far too many mouths at the table now in building in general across Canada but especially NU where consultants who know exactly how easy it is to exploit the government and various organizations a 3 bedroom single detached home now to build in NU is pushing 1.3-1.5M and that’s for nothing special I tried looking to builds in an attempt to utilize NHC’s new Hap 2.0 and the 250K didn’t make anything feasible I don’t know what we’re supposed to do Band together with a bunch of individuals who all want to live in an 18 plex building for build efficiency in efforts to reduce cost and ll try to use HAP 2.0 people don’t enjoy living in row-housing Single detached dream is dead unless you find a reasonably priced older one on the market Even then now those are 800k- 1.2M in IQ for a 3 bedroom… and then grab a $1.1M bed over at Uquutaq’s new facility A lot of struggling taxpayers paying for facilities for the jobless that look a lot nicer than my own house I’m not as far along in the process as you seem to have gotten My intent is to do almost all the work myself The only costing I’m getting from NHC is the material contribution I am not in a position to do all the work myself All work is contracted out at that 1.3m price If you’re able to and meet modern code I’m sure it can be done vastly cheaper but most of us who can afford the upkeep on a home to begin with have full time day jobs with kids Certainly not saying it’s not possible for some but for an officer worker with minimal carpentry some construction company is getting a juicy profit off of that one This gotta be a scam getting on for the scale of the ArriveCan app That supplier had what passed for Indigenous “ownership” and then charged the government at an hourly rate of $2,600 I have a question – Does any of the people work who will be receiving all this free housing all these millions of dollars are going to jobless people who will never be made to pay any of this money back So many new buildings going up around Iqaluit and planned to build Looks like the people who work and pay huge taxes are footing the bill AGAIN I think there are 23 others that could have used the money more than Iqaluit Politics  Mar 27 Simon Nattaq her ‘door is always open’ if he wants to discuss incident further Simon Nattaq speaks at an Iqaluit city council meeting in July 2021 Simon Nattaq included a clear message in a meandering speech to RCMP Tuesday evening: I can get you fired “I have numbers in my pocket,” Nattaq said in Inuktitut through an interpreter during Tuesday night’s council meeting “I will be able to report certain RCMP members that are not serving like I expect and they can be removed.” Nattaq offered the warning as part of a lengthy comment after RCMP updated council on crime and police activity statistics for the months of January and February in Iqaluit Nattaq did not provide names in his account of an interaction with police he said happened when he called them to his house even though I called for another person to be held They asked if I wanted to leave the community Zhivka Ivanova offered Nattaq an apology for his experience and told him that every officer in Iqaluit is there to serve and protect She told Nattaq she couldn’t comment on his experience because she didn’t have the details “But I can tell you there are processes for that if you wish to come in and discuss further,” she said People can file official complaints about RCMP through the police public complaints process. Nunavut RCMP’s handling of complaints has recently come under fire The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission released a report in November describing years-long backlogs of complaints and a higher than average rate of withdrawn complaints The report recommended Nunavut RCMP take into account the territory’s unique circumstances and hire a special constable to review complaints It also noted the number of complaints — 75 over four years between 2018 and 2022 — was lower than the national average which may be attributed to a lack of trust and lack of awareness of the public complaints system George Henrie said the RCMP had made several improvements to the system including hiring a dedicated employee to investigate complaints Henrie did not respond immediately on Wednesday when asked whether that role is still filled and what other improvements may have been made since then Nunatsiaq News was unable to reach Nattaq via phone or email for further comment People can make complaints against the RCMP online or via fax through the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission or by contacting Nunavut RCMP directly There comes a time when I believe it’s time to call it quits This is not the first time I am hearing Nataq use council meetings to complain Do you have a source to back up your claims It amazes me how often everyone is quick to attack police and have a million ideas what they can do but where is that same energy for the people that the police are called for How about working on a plan to have people a ton more well behaved so we do not need to have the tiny little police force that is in Iqaluit dealing with something every minute of every day the comments by the council member are WAY out of line ““I will be able to report certain RCMP members that are not serving like I expect and they can be removed.” No individual citizen should be able to flex that power and this is something no city council member should be able to say This is almost the kinda stuff you should be resigning for instead of being proud of saying It is no wonder the RCMP struggles to get people to come up here and why the locals have no desire to become RCMP officers is it appropriate for a city councillor to tie up city council time on a concillor’s personal matter Not very professional for a member of city council to scold and threaten the police because he didn’t like the way he was spoken to I wonder if this type of behavior is accepted by other city council and the Mayor I’d like to talk to you about getting a raise” Nattaq is abusing his position on Council and wasting my time and money The rest of Council should address this behavior – immediately then it is a sign that Council members are abusing thier mandates My late father in law once said ” just because one is an elder My comment should read “Does the Government of Nunavut and Hamlets” Every councillor in every community thinks they have the power to do anything but they are only preventing some changes because they are still living in the past and are afraid of changes like people of Sanikiluaq Arts and Culture  Dec 16 60th anniversary edition of popular celebration opens April 11 Two snowmobilers race neck-and-neck around a corner on Frobisher Bay during the 2023 Toonik Tyme festival Iqaluit residents can look forward to a municipal holiday in the new year That day marks the official kick-off for the 10-day annual Toonik Tyme festival Organizers announced the 2025 dates on the festival’s social media pages on Sunday Next year will be the 60th anniversary for the festival “A civic holiday will be held to coincide with the festival again in 2025,” said Geoff Byrne citing a local bylaw that declares a full-day civic holiday “to enable the employed to participate in Toonik Tyme festivities.” The festival typically features events such as igloo-building contests Toonik Tyme will incorporate a noticeable increase in youth [ages 14 to 17] participation in the planning and hosting of events,” said Stephen Johnson the organizing committee behind the festival “Expanded live music events are planned featuring Inuktitut music from Nunavut and popular headliners from other parts of Canada.” The snowmobile race from Iqaluit to Kimmirut and back and the bannock-making competition are among the events that will return hosted independently by other participating organizations The festival is named after the singular term for an individual of the Tuniit The Tuniit inhabited what’s now Greenland and the eastern Canadian Arctic before the region came to be occupied by ancestors of today’s Inuit who migrated from what is now Alaska approximately 1,000 years ago Cool that it is named after the Tuniit I guess… didn’t the Thule expropriate their lands though the Tuniit knew all the best hunting and fishing spots and the incoming Thule moved into those spaces effectively pushing the Tuniit out which lead to their extinction Some deny any of this and pretend the disappearance of the Tuniit which coincided with the arrival of the Thule remains a mystery Uqalurait: An oral history of Nunavut delves into this history quite well and is worth a read Arts and Culture  Jan 24 Solomon Awa acts in 4th episode of Nunavut-based sitcom which follows Anna Lambe’s Siaja as she hosts elders’ activities Anna Lambe and Iqaluit Mayor Solomon Awa appear in the latest episode of ‘North of North.’ (Photo courtesy of CBC/APTN/Netflix) have likely recognized some of the faces and places seen on screen during the show’s first four episodes Iqaluit Mayor Solomon Awa plays a prominently featured character in the latest instalment of the Nunavut-based series as she takes on the responsibility of hosting her community’s elders’ night That is where the audience is introduced to Lazarus While he is featured in several key scenes of the episode Awa said he was on set for just “a short time.” He described an overall positive impact the show’s production has had on the community “not just from Iqaluit but other communities as well.” Awa was not the only familiar face to appear in the fourth episode who is a celebrated artist in his own right Simon Nattaq also appears in the elders’ night scenes author and executive director of the Isuarsivik Regional Recovery Centre ­— was in this week’s episode as well in the opening scene with the fictional hamlet’s senior administrative officer Helen North of North airs Tuesdays on CBC and APTN, with episodes available to stream on CBC Gem and APTN Lumi. The show, co-created by Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril is set to stream globally on Netflix in the spring Why won’t my comments be posted what the truth hurts to much eh 😂 Loved hearing them speak their traditional language in the last episode Business  Feb 27 Councillors ask about how 85-room building will impact traffic has the approval from Iqaluit city council to build a new hotel on Astro Hill (Photo courtesy of Nunatsar Properties Inc.) A second hotel is set to be built on Iqaluit’s Astro Hill after city councillors unanimously approved a development permit for Nunastar Properties Inc six-storey building with a basement will occupy an area near the Canada Post office “It’s a little bit different of an offering than we have anywhere else on the hill,” Nunastar’s chief operating officer Ben Cox said in an interview 28 suites are included for visitors planning longer term stays such as rotational workers “There’s a lot of people that don’t necessarily need an apartment for a full year,” he said conference space and new outdoor pedestrian walkways but how that shapes up is to be determined councillors asked about how the hotel would impact emergency vehicle access “We’re not expecting a lot of traffic from the guests staying at the hotel,” said Scott Hanson A traffic study concluded that hotel guests at the Frobisher Inn weren’t typically occupying parking spaces unless they were renting a car for their stay Astro Hill’s ring road helps emergency vehicles navigate the site but first responders would be able to pass through “We’re willing to allow access to emergency vehicles if there was an event where that bridge was shut down,” Hanson said Another consideration was regarding ongoing work to upgrade Astro Hill’s water infrastructure Hanson said Nunatsar and the city are working together on that “[City engineers] know the full extent to which Astro Hill will be developed,” Hanson said “The infrastructure is being sized for this new proposed hotel.” Cox said the plan is to start shipping materials up on this year’s sealift With housing developments also going up on the hill this year, Cox added that the hotel is part of Nunatsar’s vision to grow the Astro Hill property but described this hotel as Nunastar’s “largest” Iqaluit investment kind of had a master plan of how we slowly incrementally will kind of build and densify Astro Hill,” he said “We decided to prioritize this one right now just because of the demands of Astro Hill and what we see the community needing.” With all the success the Frobisher Inn has seen the past 6 years and the demand from people to stay with you it only makes sense that you will double your capacity Well done to the City Councillors for unanimously approving the new hotel More short term accommodation in town will bring more travellers who will spend more money in the community and more tax collection No mention of a walk way on the exsisting bridge hopefully Inuit will be trained at all levels of jobs Probably won’t train any Inuit to work there The City should pose that as a prerequisite on such buildings since they are building on our territory When was the last time you saw an Inuk person working at the Frobisher Inn They’re actually building on the City of Iqaluit’s property you’ll see that the entirety of Nunavut is not Inuit-owned Every business in Iqaluit is constantly hiring This notion of no one wanting to hire Inuit is false Most business are actively looking for Inuit to hire There are a lack of applicants or when some who is Inuit is hired there are major attendance issues There are so many people that think by posting on public service announcements “who’s hiring?” means they are trying to get a job If you really want a job it is out there and most businesses will train you if you show up and work hard People get all upset and downright racist about new Canadians coming to Iqaluit and getting jobs Take your faith in your hands and get out and apply There are some jobs that offer great money with no formal education or skills required and its six-level design demonstrates excellent use of space Nunastar is demonstrating thoughtful long-term urban planning This complements Nunastar’s existing multi-unit buildings This building is also nice in that it adds to the housing stock that is within walking distance to all amenities Iqaluit already has a problem of too many cars nearly all of which are carrying just one person each That is a sign that we need more walkable communities and Nunastar’s offerings answer that call.) This building combines both hotel rooms and medium-term suites thereby clearly answering a very strong need I know many people who have been looking for a move-in-ready suite in which to stay for a period of time less than one year Iqaluit is overcrowded——hotels and residential People who want to visit Iqaluit beg on Facebook for a resident to rent them space in their home for a tiny stay Meanwhile HTO gets millions for toy giveaways Better to build a 200 room hotel now than regret building only a 85 room hotel 2 years after its built Justice  Dec 9 Charges against Michael Hatch adjourned to February — first opportunity a ‘conflict’ Crown is available forcible confinement and four firearms-related offences relating to an alleged 2023 incident A “conflict” Crown lawyer will prosecute an Iqaluit man facing six charges forcible confinement and four weapons offences in connection with an alleged incident last year was charged in October and released with conditions Justice Paul Bychok adjourned the case to Feb the next date that a “conflict” Crown prosecutor will be in court A conflict Crown is a prosecutor not affiliated with the Nunavut regional office of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada spokesperson Nathalie Houle said in an email to Nunatsiaq News “The PPSC engages a conflict Crown when a regional office is in conflict due to a connection with an accused,” she said Houle said she was not able to provide further details because it is an ongoing case Contacted by phone and asked about the case and the possible connection between Hatch and the Nunavut justice system Hatch’s lawyer Scott Cowan said he could not comment The charges against Hatch stem from an incident alleged to have taken place in Iqaluit in September 2023 In addition to the assault and confinement charges and possessing a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence Monday was the third time he was scheduled to appear in court since the charges were laid in October Conditions of his release include that he’s to have no contact with the alleged victim that he remains under the supervision of a surety Neither Hatch nor Cowan were in court in Iqaluit for an appearance Monday Lawyer John Yannakis appeared as an agent on their behalf Politics  Dec 11 Capital plan totals $73.9M; operating budget runs on $5.3M surplus Iqaluit councillors approved the city’s capital plan and operating budget for next year at Tuesday’s meeting Millions of dollars will continue to flow into Iqaluit’s long-term water upgrades following passage of the city’s 2025 budgets Iqaluit councillors approved the city’s capital and operations plans for next year at their final meeting of 2024 Tuesday night The capital budget — which covers equipment purchases and major projects — totals $73.9 million $29.1 million is allocated for water infrastructure improvements around the city The money comes from $214 million the city received in 2022 from the federal government for these upgrades that spending will include $8.3 million on a new water intake valve and $6 million on infrastructure upgrades to Astro Hill Money will be spent on other utilidor and pipe upgrades as well Another $21.7 million is planned to be spent on sewer work The city is also planning several vehicle and equipment purchases at a total cost of around $4.9 million four new garbage trucks and two new ambulances “It’s not as much of a fun and shiny capital budget or plan as we’ve had in past years but I do think it is a necessary step for our city to take for a while to deal with some of the critical infrastructure shortages that we’ve had,” said deputy Mayor Kim Smith That comment was directed to Peter Tumilty the city’s director of corporate and financial services who presented both budgets at Tuesday’s meeting “I think anything to do with water and sewer is fun and shiny and I’m excited to see this much being allocated to that this year,” Coun “That’s the backbone that’s going to allow us to build more housing in years to come.” Sheppard said he hopes the city will spend “every cent of this plan.” The city’s 2024 capital plan was set to total $82.4 million, but that amount was reduced to $65.2 million following a review The 2025 operations budget — which covers salaries and day-to-day costs — is again running on a surplus The expenses on this spending plan total $74.7 million which is an increase from $58.7 million approved for 2024 Water and sewer costs take the biggest chunk at $14.9 million Approximately $4.2 million goes to salaries and benefits and close to $6 million goes to running the city’s utilidor system emergency services and community development departments will all see an increase in spending The city is expected to take in $80 million in revenue next year Water bill revenue is one of the biggest changes with the city projected to take in $25.4 million Earlier this year, city council voted to cut residential water rates in half and increase the rates businesses and government are charged That rate change explains the new expected revenue Business  Dec 11 President credits cleared property tax bill and membership drive for recovery Members of the 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group participate in the annual elders feast Tuesday hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion branch 168 in Iqaluit The dining room was abuzz Tuesday morning at Royal Canadian Legion branch 168 in Iqaluit as the organization hosted its second annual elders feast alongside members of the Canadian Rangers and RCMP V Division “We couldn’t have done that two years ago,” said John Graham “The last four or five years have been pretty desperate around these parts the legion owed more than $1 million in property tax arrears to the City of Iqaluit John Graham was re-acclaimed this week for another two-year term as president of Royal Canadian Legion branch 168 in Iqaluit The legion settled the bill in August by selling off its three properties to the Molloy Group from which the organization now leases its space This year also saw a successful membership drive The COVID-19 pandemic shutdown “decimated” membership with numbers plummeting from 1,800 to barely 200 That was closely followed by a spike in food and freight expenses that put the legion into a financial tailspin as debts piled up Today the legion’s membership is back up to nearly 800 though membership fees dropped from $80 to $50 for the year Online membership applications and renewals through the legion website made a difference too we’re not totally out of the woods yet but it’s encouraging to see the amount of membership,” he said “It jumped really substantially in the last 12 months The legion has increased its dining room food prices while lowering drink prices at the bar The legion dedicated $68,550 to eight charitable and social initiatives in the community this past year ranging from Rotary Club food hampers to Iqaluit Bombers softball but the legion is being slowly revitalized A barrage of break-ins has not helped with the recovery estimating the legion has seen about $96,000 in damage and loss incurred by thieves The legion operates with 28 full-time staff and five regular volunteers Politics  Feb 26 Councillors support elders’ name suggestion Akausigiarvik Road means “to feel better road” in Inuktitut Councillors voted to adopt that name for this street which means “to feel better road,” will be the name of the street that leads to Aqqusariaq Nunavut’s new addictions recovery centre which is under construction in Iqaluit City councillors voted in favour of the name Tuesday night The city’s planning department proposed it after consulting elders “By selecting a name that resonates with the centre’s purpose it strengthens a sense of unity and intention behind both the road and the recovery centre,” said Maiya Twerdin “The decision to have an Inuktitut street name is a clear demonstration of the city’s commitment to preserving and promoting Inuktitut particularly in spaces that will be a positive healing space for Nunavummiut.” The city began looking for a name for the new street in April last year with several options including those of famous Nunavut leaders such as Paul Quassa One of the top suggestions at the time was Saagiatuq Road in honour of Nash Sagiatook the elder who picked Aqqusariaq as the official name of the new recovery centre meaning “the way to Suka,” was also one of the city’s suggestions In the fall, the City of Iqaluit, through its planning and development website, opened a forum online for residents to submit name suggestions Road to Somewhere was a popular suggestion drew upon other famous Inuit and characters from legends Even Roady McRoadface — a nod to an internet joke about people uniting to name a British research vessel Boaty McBoatface — drew several thumbs up city planning staff met with elders at the Elders’ Qammaq where they came to the decision they presented to council “Let’s let them make recommendations on all future roads before it even comes to council,” Coun calling elder consultation “a good way of involving elders in our community.” Deputy Mayor Kim Smith called it a “wonderful name,” and echoed Sheppard’s sentiment of consulting with elders on street names Smith also shared her appreciation for the residents who chimed in more comical name ideas “One thing I will always support is the right to be silly,” she said we found a backstreet somewhere that really didn’t matter that we could name Streety McStreetface.” the Government of Nunavut is working to complete construction of Aqqusariaq this coming fiscal year Note: This story was updated to note council approved the new name in a 4-1 vote An earlier version had a different vote count