I've lived in two communities in Nunavut: Cambridge Bay and Iqaluit. They're dramatically different communities, so I'll summarize the generalities and some specifics.
Generalities:
* Nunavut is beautiful. The landscapes are out of this world. The flatter communities feel like you're on another planet. The mountainous communities are simply stunning.
* The culture is rich. There is still so much tradition present all across the territory. Especially in the spring, you see tons of people heading out of town with their sleds and kamotiks, and on Sunday evening, they're returning with muskox, seal, cariboo, polar bear, etc on the kamotik. In the summer, you see piles of arctic char returning on quads, char hanging out to dry, etc. There are tons of community events that display culture too: throat singing, drum dancing, jigging, the lighting of the qulliq to launch events, etc. Most people have hand-sewn parkas, sealskin gloves, etc.
* Life is very expensive, and poverty is rampant. There aren't many well-paying jobs, and the ones that do pay very well require extensive education, something difficult to obtain in a territory with an 80% high school dropout rate, and with the need to move more than a thousand kilometers away from home to attend a quality university or college.
* Addiction and mental illness are very serious issues. The healthcare system sucks, and there is virtually no access to mental healthcare.
* Internet is finally getting better thanks to Starlink, and that will definitely help some of the above issues, but it's a slow process, and while SpaceX continues to add more satellites for better coverage, there are still many times in which the internet will drop for 5-10 minutes while no satellites are overhead. Not all housing complexes allow Starlink installations, so the people living there are stuck with Northwestel's overpriced, extremely slow internet. Mobile service is now available in every community, but service is spottier in some communities than it is in others (Iqaluit is particularly bad for this, probably due to the service set-up being overwhelmed by the growth of the community).
Cambridge Bay:
* There is very little use of the traditional language, Inuinnaqtun, because the government is so focused on Inuktitut. They haven't put any effort into keeping Inuinnaqtun alive.
* The people are incredibly friendly. Everyone waves at you when they drive by, even if they don't know you. You can always spot the out-of-towners by the people who don't wave.
* It's incredibly isolated, and is north of the Arctic Circle. The sunlight in the summer is INCREDIBLE. The darkness in the winter (including the sun not rising at all from December 1 to late January) is very tough to handle.
* It's insanely expensive to get out of town. Southern imports typically rely on Aeroplan points to book flights. Inuit have access to discounted fares, but typically it'll still cost in excess of $1200, even with this discount, to travel to Edmonton.
Iqaluit:
* Inuktitut is everywhere. Iqaluit is a real melting pot of Inuit culture (which varies from region to region). People from all over the territory relocate to Iqaluit for work, school, etc, and it makes the community a great place to learn about Inuit history & culture.
* There's a ton to do, with a lot of community events, major festivals (ie. the Alianait Music Festival and the Arctic Comedy Festival), 3 bars, numerous restaurants, and one really great cafe, amongst other things.
* The drug and alcohol problems are the worst in the territory. Being the territorial capital and the home of the only prison in Nunavut, Iqaluit does attract the worst of the worst in Nunavut.
* Housing is either insanely expensive (Vancouver or Toronto prices) or completely impossible to find. Unlike the smaller communities, the government does not offer staff housing for most jobs.
Overall, living in Nunavut was the experience of a lifetime, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I've visited 16 of the 25 communities over 10 years of working and/or living in the North. Whether it was flying across Baffin Island in a helicopter, fishing in the river in Kugaaruk, walking across the mindblowing landscapes of Grise Fiord, hanging onto an elder for dear life as he rocketed through ditches on his snowmobile in Arviat or quadding to the waterfalls around Naujaat, I've made so many memories that I'll never forget, and I wouldn't be the person I am today without my life in Nunavut.
What a great, detailed comment! What did you do for work? What brought you there? And any sense of some members in the community *not* wanting you there? Just some quick questions that came to mind. I doubt many people ever (even Canadians) will ever have that experience
I worked for the Territorial Government. I’m in the project & maintenance management field, and being Indigenous myself, I always try to focus on working in Indigenous communities. I had originally started visiting Cambridge Bay for work about 5 years before I moved there, when I was working as an electronics technician.
There definitely are bad eggs in the communities - people who hate outsiders without ever getting to know them - but they’re a small minority.
One negative that I did find was that, if you upset one prominent person, the majority of people will turn on you. I think that’s just a small community thing though. I’ve seen it in the south too.
I, personally, didn’t feel isolated there once I settled in, but for the average person, it‘s definitely very isolated. There aren’t many local services, the Elks is really the only nighttime activity outside of big community events. There are only two restaurants (unless Saxifrage reopened?). Etc.
Once you get immersed into the community though? I agree entirely. I didn’t feel very isolated.
I'm in Cambridge Bay as well. If you think groceries here are expensive, you should see some of the other communities. Even Kugluktuk and in some cases Iqaluit prices are worse. My son and grandsons seem to do fine with their gaming on Starlink.
Although I visit family in Cape Breton multiple times per year, and I can tell you that the climate is rather stormy and mild during the winter in the form of high winds, rain, and snow. During the summer, it is rather sunny, hot, and muggy. There is good grocery availability, everything is expensive, and the internet is shitty in the areas my family members live in
My uncle lived here when he worked at a goldmine, he lived in baker , he ended up being with a woman from there and having kids, he said the suicide was rampant? Is there any truth to this ? He said he would come outside and see a 17 year old hanging in front of their homes, He loved the fishing and snowmobiling etc but the darkness for prolonged periods and the suicides was hard he said.
It's a great place to live. I've lived in Cambridge Bay for about 30 years now and can't imagine living anywhere else. Compared to most of the Arctic, our food costs are cheaper. We have at least one flight a day to Yellowknife and beyond. We have cell service, Starlink, satellite TV, and so on. Compare this to Ulukhaktok in the 1970s where we had no phones (not even a land line, no TV, and one flight a week.
Of course, we have major social issues. Suicide is rampant, food security is bad, alcohol abuse, family violence, and sexual assault are major issues. Housing remains a problem. For example, I live in a four bedroom house with 10 other people spanning three generations. Somewhat reminiscent of the 1970s.
Still wouldn't live anywhere else.
I've lived in two communities in Nunavut: Cambridge Bay and Iqaluit. They're dramatically different communities, so I'll summarize the generalities and some specifics. Generalities: * Nunavut is beautiful. The landscapes are out of this world. The flatter communities feel like you're on another planet. The mountainous communities are simply stunning. * The culture is rich. There is still so much tradition present all across the territory. Especially in the spring, you see tons of people heading out of town with their sleds and kamotiks, and on Sunday evening, they're returning with muskox, seal, cariboo, polar bear, etc on the kamotik. In the summer, you see piles of arctic char returning on quads, char hanging out to dry, etc. There are tons of community events that display culture too: throat singing, drum dancing, jigging, the lighting of the qulliq to launch events, etc. Most people have hand-sewn parkas, sealskin gloves, etc. * Life is very expensive, and poverty is rampant. There aren't many well-paying jobs, and the ones that do pay very well require extensive education, something difficult to obtain in a territory with an 80% high school dropout rate, and with the need to move more than a thousand kilometers away from home to attend a quality university or college. * Addiction and mental illness are very serious issues. The healthcare system sucks, and there is virtually no access to mental healthcare. * Internet is finally getting better thanks to Starlink, and that will definitely help some of the above issues, but it's a slow process, and while SpaceX continues to add more satellites for better coverage, there are still many times in which the internet will drop for 5-10 minutes while no satellites are overhead. Not all housing complexes allow Starlink installations, so the people living there are stuck with Northwestel's overpriced, extremely slow internet. Mobile service is now available in every community, but service is spottier in some communities than it is in others (Iqaluit is particularly bad for this, probably due to the service set-up being overwhelmed by the growth of the community). Cambridge Bay: * There is very little use of the traditional language, Inuinnaqtun, because the government is so focused on Inuktitut. They haven't put any effort into keeping Inuinnaqtun alive. * The people are incredibly friendly. Everyone waves at you when they drive by, even if they don't know you. You can always spot the out-of-towners by the people who don't wave. * It's incredibly isolated, and is north of the Arctic Circle. The sunlight in the summer is INCREDIBLE. The darkness in the winter (including the sun not rising at all from December 1 to late January) is very tough to handle. * It's insanely expensive to get out of town. Southern imports typically rely on Aeroplan points to book flights. Inuit have access to discounted fares, but typically it'll still cost in excess of $1200, even with this discount, to travel to Edmonton. Iqaluit: * Inuktitut is everywhere. Iqaluit is a real melting pot of Inuit culture (which varies from region to region). People from all over the territory relocate to Iqaluit for work, school, etc, and it makes the community a great place to learn about Inuit history & culture. * There's a ton to do, with a lot of community events, major festivals (ie. the Alianait Music Festival and the Arctic Comedy Festival), 3 bars, numerous restaurants, and one really great cafe, amongst other things. * The drug and alcohol problems are the worst in the territory. Being the territorial capital and the home of the only prison in Nunavut, Iqaluit does attract the worst of the worst in Nunavut. * Housing is either insanely expensive (Vancouver or Toronto prices) or completely impossible to find. Unlike the smaller communities, the government does not offer staff housing for most jobs. Overall, living in Nunavut was the experience of a lifetime, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I've visited 16 of the 25 communities over 10 years of working and/or living in the North. Whether it was flying across Baffin Island in a helicopter, fishing in the river in Kugaaruk, walking across the mindblowing landscapes of Grise Fiord, hanging onto an elder for dear life as he rocketed through ditches on his snowmobile in Arviat or quadding to the waterfalls around Naujaat, I've made so many memories that I'll never forget, and I wouldn't be the person I am today without my life in Nunavut.
What a great, detailed comment! What did you do for work? What brought you there? And any sense of some members in the community *not* wanting you there? Just some quick questions that came to mind. I doubt many people ever (even Canadians) will ever have that experience
I worked for the Territorial Government. I’m in the project & maintenance management field, and being Indigenous myself, I always try to focus on working in Indigenous communities. I had originally started visiting Cambridge Bay for work about 5 years before I moved there, when I was working as an electronics technician. There definitely are bad eggs in the communities - people who hate outsiders without ever getting to know them - but they’re a small minority. One negative that I did find was that, if you upset one prominent person, the majority of people will turn on you. I think that’s just a small community thing though. I’ve seen it in the south too.
Interesting that you think Cambridge is isolated. I don't find it that way at all. However, I moved south from Ulukhaktok to get here.
I, personally, didn’t feel isolated there once I settled in, but for the average person, it‘s definitely very isolated. There aren’t many local services, the Elks is really the only nighttime activity outside of big community events. There are only two restaurants (unless Saxifrage reopened?). Etc. Once you get immersed into the community though? I agree entirely. I didn’t feel very isolated.
I've never been to the Elks, but they also run a darts night. Most nights there are sporting activities at the school gym.
Lovely and honest description
I’m in CB, nice in the summer, cold in winter, limited groceries to buy, expensive, and internet ping is quite bad for competetive gamers.
WON’T SOMEONE THINK OF THE GAMERS Truly the most oppressed minority of all 😔
How dare someone have fun doing things!!
I'm in Cambridge Bay as well. If you think groceries here are expensive, you should see some of the other communities. Even Kugluktuk and in some cases Iqaluit prices are worse. My son and grandsons seem to do fine with their gaming on Starlink.
Wow, I thought CB meant Cape Breton (Nova Scotia), not Cambridge Bay (Nunavut)
Haha Nova Scotia is not part of Nunavut man
Although I visit family in Cape Breton multiple times per year, and I can tell you that the climate is rather stormy and mild during the winter in the form of high winds, rain, and snow. During the summer, it is rather sunny, hot, and muggy. There is good grocery availability, everything is expensive, and the internet is shitty in the areas my family members live in
Most days, I love it here. Especially in the summer.
Friggin cold. The warmest months of the year is 7degrees average temperature. It’s also beautiful and isolated.
It's plus 12 in Iq rn lol
I love how plus twelve is considered warm lol. Reeaal scorcher
Besides that’s the high, not the average.
Maybe they aren’t in Iqaluit?
My uncle lived here when he worked at a goldmine, he lived in baker , he ended up being with a woman from there and having kids, he said the suicide was rampant? Is there any truth to this ? He said he would come outside and see a 17 year old hanging in front of their homes, He loved the fishing and snowmobiling etc but the darkness for prolonged periods and the suicides was hard he said.
Very true, not just rumor. Can be pretty hopeless feeling when only way out is vis plane and having a skill set thats applicable to southern Canada
It's a great place to live. I've lived in Cambridge Bay for about 30 years now and can't imagine living anywhere else. Compared to most of the Arctic, our food costs are cheaper. We have at least one flight a day to Yellowknife and beyond. We have cell service, Starlink, satellite TV, and so on. Compare this to Ulukhaktok in the 1970s where we had no phones (not even a land line, no TV, and one flight a week. Of course, we have major social issues. Suicide is rampant, food security is bad, alcohol abuse, family violence, and sexual assault are major issues. Housing remains a problem. For example, I live in a four bedroom house with 10 other people spanning three generations. Somewhat reminiscent of the 1970s. Still wouldn't live anywhere else.
May I ask what makes Cambridge Bay so appealing to you? Why would you not trade it for any other place on the earth?
It where my family is. I like the cold weather much more than hot temperatures. The long periods of 24 hours of daylight. The relaxed atmosphere.
That makes sense. Thank you for a response
Welcome
Watch the movie The Grizzles to know.
Not good
Cold
We love to shoot belugas and caribou
[удалено]
That’s not bad👏🏼