Resolute Aug. 30 3 PM

Stuck in Resolute.

Mars crew sets up shop again on Nunavut’s Devon Island

NEWS: Nunavut August 02, 2017 - 8:00 am 

You don’t have to travel through the solar system to get to Mars. That’s because you can find a bit of the Red Planet on Devon Island in Nunavut’s High Arctic, about 200 kilometres south of Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island. Many consider Devon’s Haughton Crater, a 20-kilometre-wide hole punched out by a meteor collision 23 million years ago, and its surrounding red rock formations—seemingly plucked from a Star Wars film—to be similar to what you’d find on a warmer Mars. So much so, there are many who believe NASA’s Rover shots from Mars are indeed shot on Devon Island— and they have produced many Youtube videos documenting the alleged hoax, prompting many semi-serious news stories with headlines like “The Wild Conspiracy Theory That NASA Is Faking Its Mars Rover Missions In Canada.”On these, you can see photos of rocks from a NASA Mars Rover shots which some say show a walrus bone or a lemming, as in this NASA photo. (more)

Winners of the 2017 RCMP Name the Puppy contest have been chosen

 May 11, 2017   Innisfail, Alberta
The RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre (PDSTC) received close to 21,000 entries to this year's Name the Puppy contest. The names of the first 13 puppies to be born at the PDSTC in Innisfail, Alberta, have now been chosen. They have been suggested by boys and girls representing every province and territory in Canada.
All names had to start with the letter K. For multiple entries of the same name, a draw determined the winning entry.
The winning entries are:

Kage – Andrew Chin from Richmond, B.C.
Kai – Lexi Blandford from Yellowknife, N.W.T.
Kammo – Mia Sharpe from Leduc, Alta.
Kaos – Evan Bambury from St. John's, N.L.
Karma – Layla Crouse from Lunenburg, N.S.
Kate – Joey Argento from Montreal, Que.
Kato – Joseph Knutson from Prince Albert, Sask.
Kaya – Audrey LeBlanc from Beresford, N.B.
Kayla – Kally Penner from Winnipegosis, Man.
Kazoo – Stefano Giordano from Toronto, Ont.
Knight – Aiden Murnaghan from Donagh, P.E.I.
Koda – Rorie Bundt from Dawson City, Yukon
Kullu – Nallinniq Kiguktak from Grise Fiord, Nunavut

The 13 winners will each receive a laminated 8×10-inch laminated photo of the puppy they named, a plush dog called Justice and an official RCMP baseball cap.

RCMP police service dog teams are an important part of front line policing. They search for missing or lost people, track and apprehend criminals, remove illicit drugs from the streets, detect explosives and search for evidence used in crimes. The RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre is the training centre for all RCMP police dog teams in Canada. Ninety-four percent (94%) of the German shepherds working today as RCMP service dogs were born at the PDSTC as part of the RCMP Police Dog Breeding Program.

Canada's northernmost community seeks PM's help to weather climate change

Nunavut has a population of about 33,000 people, spread out over 25 communities. The biggest is the capital with about 6,800 people; the smallest is tiny Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island with 148 people. (Government of Nunavut)

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By Sara Frizzell, CBC News Posted: Mar 25, 2017 12:10 PM CT

The mayor of Canada's northernmost community is looking to top officials for help adapting the hamlet to climate change. After high tides last summer crashed over snowmobiles and carried fuel tanks out to sea, Meeka Kiguktak wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to visit Grise Fiord, Nunavut to see for himself their infrastructure needs. She approached MP Hunter Tootoo's office in Nunavut with this request at a meeting of Baffin mayors last week in Iqaluit. Tootoo's parliamentary assistant Henry Wright, said the MP is planning on visiting every community in his constituency over the next year, and would like to bring the prime minister, but nothing has been scheduled for Grise Fiord at this point.
The federal budget tabled on Wednesday, includes $83.8 million over five years beginning in 2018 to integrate traditional knowledge into understanding climate change.The budget proposal commits to improving Indigenous communities' resilience to climate change with northern infrastructure investment, especially in communities at risk of flooding. Kiguktak says she's seen "rapid change" with tides rising every year. For the first time, the hamlet's water supply — which runs off from a glacier — was brown. "Aujuittuq, that's the name of our community, meaning the glacier or the ice cap never thaws, but it's thawed," she said, noting that the glacier is no longer visible from town, where she used to be able to see it on top of the mountain. Kiguktak has been a resident of Grise Fiord since her family moved from Pangnirtung in 1966 when she was two years old. he community was founded in the 1950s when the Government of Canada relocated Inuit from Northern Quebec and Pond Inlet to the high Arctic.
 (more)

Nunavut sees biggest population jump among provinces, territories: StatsCan

NEWS: Nunavut February 08, 2017 - 1:10 pm

NUNATSIAQ NEWS Nunavut's capital, Iqaluit, is now home to 7,740 residents, as of Statistics Canada's census day on May 10, 2016. That's an increase of 15.5 per cent from the city's 2011 population estimate. Nunavut’s population isn’t just growing, but it’s also growing faster than any other province or territory, new census data shows. Nunavut’s population grew by 12.7 per cent over the last five years, from 31,906 in 2011 to 35,944 in 2016.
This marks the first time that Nunavut has surpassed the population of another territory, Yukon (35,874), while it inches closes to the population of Northwest Territories, which now stands at 41,785.Nunavut’s growth is due to the fertility rate in the territory, where women give birth to an average of 2.9 children, compared to the national average of 1.6 children per woman.

While growing, Nunavut’s population makes up but a tiny sliver—0.1 per cent—of the country’s overall population of 35,151,728, whose numbers have risen five per cent from the 2011 census. Statistics Canada released the first of its 2016 census population data Feb. 8, statistics gathered across the country in May 2016. And that data shows Nunavut’s capital grew at an even faster rate that of the territory: Iqaluit’s population rose from 6,699 in 2011 to 7,740 in 2016, representing a 15.5 per cent increase. All but three of Nunavut’s 26 communities saw population increases, with the greatest increase sent in in Chesterfield Inlet, whose population grew from 313 in 2011 to 437 in 2016, or 39.6 per cent.
Resolute Bay and Kimmirut’s populations both shrunk slightly, while the territory’s smallest community, Grise Fiord, held steady with a population of 129. In line with its population growth, Nunavut also experienced the country’s biggest increase in its number of private occupied dwellings, or permanent homes, from 8,661 in 2011 to 9,819 in 2016, a jump of 13.4 per cent.

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/

No injuries reported as earthquakes rock Nunavut’s High Arctic

(Updated Jan. 9, 2:45 p.m.)  NEWS: Nunavut January 09, 2017 - 8:30 am

Seismic event centered near Resolute Bay measured at magnitude of 5.8; second quake Jan. . People in Grise Fiord, Resolute Bay and Arctic Bay felt the impact of a moderate earthquake that occurred at 5:47 p.m. central time Jan. 8, centred at a spot about 93 kilometres east-southeast of Resolute Bay. Earthquakes Canada said the seismic event was of a magnitude of 5.8—or “moderate”— on the Richter scale, which is used to measure the severity of earthquakes. A 5.8 earthquake can cause damage to poorly constructed buildings. The Earthquakes Canada agency, a unit within Natural Resources Canada, later revised its 5.9 magnitude estimate to 5.8. On Jan. 9, a second earthquake was reported to have hit the same region at about noon central time, Natural Resources Canada’s website noted. This time around, the magnitude was slightly less, at 5.1 on the Richter scale. Following the Jan. 8 earthquake, community reports say the earthquake’s shock waves were were also felt in Grise Fiord, Pond Inlet and Arctic Bay. There have been no reports of injuries, although Facebook postings said houses moved and that a window had been broken. And, if you felt the ground move, you can fill out a “felt report form” for Natural Resources Canada here. According to data gathered by the Geological Survey of Canada, the northeast coast of Baffin Island and the High Arctic islands have a particularly high incidence of earthquakes. In the polar regions, scientists have noted that earthquakes are on the rise, and that some of these may be associated with global warming. That’s because the pressure of glaciers suppresses earthquakes, so when this ice melts, the pressure release can trigger earthquakes in a movement known as post-glacial rebound.

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/

GRISE FIORD

A few pictures from Grise Fiord:

Arctic Report Card 2016 points to increased Arctic warming

NUNATSIAQ NEWS Climate Change December 15, 2016 - 1:10 pm
http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674arctic_report_card_2016_points_to_increased_warming/

NOAA has issued its Arctic Report Card every year since 2006.

You can read the 106-page report card here.

Remembrance Day 2016 Grise Fiord

Don Quixote Note:
Quality of pictures is caused by lack of daylight at this day in Grise Fiord. (original pictures were rather dark and I did my best to make them more presentable.) (rather small crowd compared to Kal Tire Place in Vernon today)

Entire Detachment at Remembrance Day Ceremony Grise Fiord, Canada

Raising of the Flag 2016 Grise Fiord

Halloween Warning in the Great White North

Nunavut schools close due to territory-wide bomb threats

NEWS: Nunavut September 22, 2016 - 10:48 am
“This type of threat is taken very seriously" The territorial government closed all of Nunavut’s schools early Sept. 22, following a wide-spread bomb threat sent to the RCMP the same morning. Nunavut RCMP said they received a threat at 9:00 a.m., Sept. 22, that bombs had been placed in schools in all three regions of the territory. The schools have been temporary closed and will reopen once confirmed to be safe, police said Sept. 22. Police and government officials are asking all parents to pick up their children immediately. The threats are similar to those received in other parts of Canada and the U.S. earlier this week, all of which proved to be hoaxes. But territorial officials said they must prioritize the safety of students and staff. “This type of threat is taken very seriously and the Government of Nunavut is working with the RCMP to take every precaution to keep students and school staff safe,” the GN said in a Sept. 22 release. “The RCMP is responding to this threat by conducting thorough walk-throughs of all schools and school property and facilities.” As a precaution, police are also checking in at all Nunavut Arctic College’s community learning centres and campuses, the GN said. Earlier this week, RCMP in Ottawa received a faxed threat claiming bombs has been placed in schools throughout Prince Edward Island, prompting the evacuation of all the province’s schools. Police in Nova Scotia and Winnipeg received similar threats Sept. 20. In each case, the threats were unfounded. “Although RCMP does not believe the threat to be credible, we are working with the department of Education to ensure the safety of Nunavutmiut,” the RCMP said Sept. 22.
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Don Quixote Note:
School in Grise Fiord was closed and all students sent home. Local RCMP is conducting walk throughs and will determine when school will reopen. The GN says once the RCMP has determined that schools are safe, principals and local DEAs will be informed and will decide when to resume classes. 

Budweiser visits Grise Fiord

Since Grise Fiord is the most northern community in Canada it seems to have become a magnet for unique and exciting events. It was Budweiser’s turn to utilize Grise Fiord’s northern claim to fame. During the Superbowl, Budweiser came out with this commercial, which outlined their plan to put a goal light at the top of the world (aka Grise Fiord) for when Canada would be hockey-battling it out against the world in September.

Picture taken in Grise Fiord
day before Canada beat the Czechs 6-0

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Budweiser then made a video showing how the goal light would get to Grise Fiord in real life. The truck pulling the goal light in the previous video was not really feasible – so instead they sent it by ship.



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Budweiser also hosted a dinner for the whole town and gave away door prizes (like hockey jerseys, puck and hats). They made a special video about the town just for us. It was a really nice gesture and kind way to say thank you and goodbye

Astronaut Chris Hadfield Visits Grise Fiord

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My son and daughter and some of her students appear in this video.
This video will be part of a documentary after the Arctic Voyage is complete.

Nunavut’s official bird stars on new Canada Post stamp The humble ptarmigan part of Birds of Canada stamp series

NEWS: Nunavut September 07, 2016 - 10:00 am NUNATSIAQ NEWS

The humble rock ptarmigan, known throughout most of Nunavut as the aqiggiq, is featured on a new stamp that Canada Post issued last week. Because the ptarmigan is Nunavut’s official bird, a stylized image of a ptarmigan done by illustrator Keith Martin has found its way into a new Canada Post stamp series called “Birds of Canada.”“Recently unveiled, the stamps are the first in a three-year series that celebrates the diversity of Canada’s bird life. Each species was selected because it is the official bird of its respective province or territory,” Canada post said in a release. Harvested frequently and in large numbers by Nunavut hunters, ptarmigan live year round throughout the Arctic. Their feet are covered with feathers to help them retain warmth and walk on the snow in the winter, when their mottled brown summer plumage turns white. Another bird familiar to many Nunavut residents is also featured in the new stamp series: the common raven, which is the official bird of Yukon.

High waves batter Nunavut’s most northerly community

JANE GEORGE Nunatsiaqonline

Big waves threatened infrastructure in Grise Fiord, Nunavut — Canada’s most northerly community — during the late evening of Aug. 19 and into the early hours of Aug. 20. The waves battered and ran over the coastal road, although winds in Grise Fiord, population roughly 170, were not strong, said Bernard Ungalaaq Maktar, who took photos of the water pouring over the road. The severe weather took place at a time when the sun in Grise Fiord still shines nearly 24 hours a day — with the sunrise occurring at 2:53 a.m., not long after sunset at 16 minutes after midnight. (more)

Also See: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/grise-fiord-waves-shoreline-rain-1.3732079

Grise Fiord in August

Potentially toxic Russian rocket left no debris in Canada’s waters, Ottawa says

NEWS: Around the Arctic June 07, 2016 - 11:30 am NUNATSIAQ NEWS
 "The government operations centre is keeping an eye out, but nothing has landed in our territory at this point" The federal government says a Russian rocket launched over the Arctic last weekend has not sent any debris into Canada waters. The rocket, launched early June 4, was expected to fall into Baffin Bay, creating fears about the potential of its toxic fuel, hydrazine, to pollute Arctic waters. “The government operations centre was monitoring the rocket launch this weekend,” said Mylène Croteau, a spokesperson for Public Safety Canada. “The government operations centre is keeping an eye out, but nothing has landed in our territory at this point.” The Russian government planned to launch the SS-19 rocket to carry a scientific satellite into orbit. The first stage of the rocket was expected to fall into the Barents Sea north of Norway, while the second stage would fall between southern Ellesmere Island and Greenland. “Inuit live here, Inuit use the animals in these waters to feed our families,” Okalik Eegeesiak, Inuit Circumpolar Council’s international chair said last week. “This is our home.” The Nunavut minister of Community and Government Services, Joe Savikataaq, also expressed concerns about hazardous waste being dumped into the territory’s waters, noting the GN only learned about the launch days before it happened. When asked about the issue at Nunavut’s legislature June 6, Savikataaq said though nothing fell in Nunavut waters or on land here, it would have been nice to have been informed earlier of Russia’s intentions. Not that it would have made much of a difference though, he said. The environmental risk would have been the same had they known weeks ago. Nunavut can’t tell Russia what to do. “I think Nunavut should be well informed but we don’t have the facilities or the know-how to deal with this stuff — and it is dealing with another country so I guess the federal government is running the whole show,” he said. “But the people of Nunavut show know what’s happening in their own territory.” For its part, the Russian government has said the old SS-19 rocket would have burned up all its fuel before it hit water. The federal government said the California-based Joint Space Operations Center continues to monitor the issue.

Inuit hunters worry about toxic splash from Russian rocket

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3 June 2016 Eyes on the Arctic:
Despite assurances by Russian and Canadian authorities that a Russian rocket engine slated to fall in northern Baffin Bay this weekend does not pose any danger, Inuit hunters in the eastern Canadian Arctic worry about the potential environmental impacts from its highly toxic rocket fuel. An international aviation authority has issued a notice warning that debris from a Russian rocket launch is slated to fall Saturday into Baffin Bay, in international waters between Canada and Greenland. The Rokot (Russian for rumble) launch vehicle, a repurposed Cold-War-era intercontinental ballistic missile redesigned to launch commercial satellites instead of nuclear warheads, uses hydrazine for fuel, a highly toxic substance. The launch vehicle is expected to come down in what is called the North Water Polynya, an 85,000-square-kilometre area of Arctic sea that naturally remains ice free year round.
‘A slap in the face’
The polynya (Russian for ice free water) is a vital habitat for narwhal, beluga, walrus and bowhead whales. Its waters attract shoals of Arctic cod and other fish species, which in turn feed thousands of seals, polar bears and millions of seabirds. The area is a prime hunting ground for Inuit from Canada and Greenland. “Our animals come from there,” Marty Kuluguqtuq, senior administrative officer for the tiny hamlet of Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island told CBC News. “It is quite alarming that a foreign object with contaminants might be affecting our way of life, with us literally seeing the thing coming down from the sky.” (more)