Briggs' Arctic Adventure

From The Bloggers Desk

2008-01-25T17:11:00.000-05:00

From your feedback and emails, it’s been obvious that many have been following this blog in the past 4 weeks. It was my hope to be able to document this trip. I think I’ve accomplished that, possibly more. With photo and text you have followed my exploits. You’ve asked if it was lonely or what I did, but you’ve been looking at and reading the results. I mentioned once that I couldn’t have bought this education. It's true. I learned things about myself and about others.

By my telling this story, you can better understand the people of the north and the tribulations that occur there. Perhaps, the next time a story appears in the news you can have a better understanding of the what, when, and why. Things work differently in the north, they have to.

In the Arctic, dangers exist and tragedies can easily happen. Life is hard but rewarding. This 6-day blizzard refocused me to that. In each community of the north, there is a search and rescue group that is dispatched when someone is reported lost. Often times the results can be a good outcome and the individual(s) is recovered successfully. Many times, though, the results are tragic and the outcome saddens all. The elders who travel in blizzard conditions do so at their personal peril. Such are the ways there. Neighbours help neighbours. Friends are friends for life..and family is important...whether they all get along on not.

It’s not a simple life. It is a simple practice.

12 noon Thursday....1 a.m. Monday

2008-01-25T06:31:00.000-05:00

Those were my arrival times. Actual vs Original. What's the difference? 3 extra days of managing to cope in what is now known as the worst blizzard in 30 years in Rankin Inlet. My source...the prairie edition of the Globe and Mail (Thursday January 24, 2008) read while heading on my toronto-bound flight. You couldn't trade those three days.

First, most folk would not believe you. Up to 70 kph winds and yet, at night, you could see the full moon. The resultant drifts and my shots don't due justice since I was leaving at the first break of good weather. The one in the Globe showed the snowy town named lettered on the airport building. I had that shot two weeks ago.

Second, the howl of the wind. Anything that was movable had moved in the previous four days of blowing. There were no garbage bags rolling down the street. There was the occassional person or group walking slowly along, with a certain destination in mind. Steady in their pace, they made it.

Third, the warmth. With Monday's break for about five hours, people had had enough. They wanted out for fresh surroundings, conversation and the fact that they had been holed up for four days. This allowed me an opportunity to have the Health Centre staff sign my Nunavut territory flag. This is a full sized flag that I had bought at the Ivulue store. I had hoped to take it in on my last two days at the centre. It never happened.

The blizzard did instead. So my Sunday 9 a.m. Calm Air flight was postponed to 4 p.m. Monday but the break early monday morning allowed everyone to head into the centre. My bags packed, I made my way there to thank them, personally, for their warmth and kindness over the past almost (at that time three weeks). I had my flag, some chocolates I had brought from home and also in tow was what was left of another couple of trays of muffins (minus what Joe and I had consumed on the weekend) with our tea.

Apparently, I'm the first to have brought in the territorial flag and have the staff sign it. Flag signing in a big thing in Rankin Inlet. They often send signed flags. They're small, easy to pack and mine will have a whole host of memories. Many sent their wishes along with their english and Inuktitut names. Everyone from the building maintenance guy to Marie. Marie is not the rad tech but is trained as a radiography worker.

She had flown out on Tuesday before the storm started with a relative and was to return Thursday so I would have been able to thank her on Friday. Never happened. Instead she was on the First Air flight that landed in the good weather window at noon. (remember the second flight was within fifty feet of landing and aborted). That was the only plane to land in Rankin airport until Wednesday morning when the airport, swimming in water, became a beehive of activity.

Maries' daughter also works at the centre and smiled ear to ear when she told me that Marie had gotten back. I asked if she was coming into work this afternoon or heading into the "Northern" for groceries. She wasn't sure, but said call her, which I did.

Now in Rankin Inlet there is one telephone exchange 645. You know the area code. so the important thing is those last four digits and that's how they say their phone number. That may change this summer as it is rumoured that cell phone service may be coming to town. So I called Marie and thanked her for her time and support and help during my time. I mentioned the flag and that my flight was at 4 p.m.

Its' now one thirty and time to head back to the barn to finish stowing my gear, have a shower and prepare for the journey home. The next thing Marie arrives through the staff entrance. Her husband brought her there on snow machine. She signs my flag. I head home to find out....I'm cancelled at 4 but rebooked for 5:45, The wind is now picking up and the snow is swirling. My Inkshuk still stands quiet and snow covered out my window. I fear Alice is right. I dont feel I'm flying today but what about Tuesday.

I turns out Alice should work part time for Environment Canada. She was right about Tuesday as well. It socked in worse than some of the other days. Again, the health centre was closed and the moon was bright overhead that night.

Wednesday morning I get up at six and start to repack for my trip home. Will it be today or not. I call airlines and make bookings. It's 8:35, the phone rings. You are leaving now, they want you at the airport NOW. What I said I don't know but I'm now in panic mode, not wanting to miss my plane but making sure I have all my stuff. The three second shower, cold water be damned. My ride is here. Room mate Joe has brought the truck and loads my carryon. I'm still trying to fit the last pieces into the suitcase.

I get the case sealed and struggle to the front porch. Joe takes it and I get my cold clothes on. I run to the truck still running and we rush the five minute jaunt to the airport. The main entrance is closed but there is activity on the other side of the drifts. We go down one road and then another and finally poke through an area with a narrow set of tracks that loooks quite used this morning. We have arrived. I rush in to find some of the staff of the centre heading out to Whale Cove on this flight which continues to Winipeg. Will I be among them? Almost a half hour later my fate is doomed. The flight is full. I'm again on the 4 p.m. Will the weather hold?

I take a moment and realize I've been sweating so much my head is dripping. This is a reality game but no game. This same scene is being repeated for many at airports all over the area as I soon see. The emotions are all over the map. The airlines are taking names by hand since their computers are down due to the water. The lobby clears after the Calm Air flight leaves by Gate three. Townspeople go home. There 's less than a dozen people still here and most are ariline staff. Me and my luggage remain.

I find out that First Air has put a bigger plane on for their 1405 flight. A 737 that also carries over 20,000 pounds of cargo. I'm on the written list. They check my bag. Will my ticket be approved in time? I will then have a half hour to catch my flight on westjet in Winnipeg, I spend time on the phone and book it (again). Will I make it? Don't know, but it's worth the try. I call the centre and get a ride back so I can do the online check in since I will be airborne.

The day is sunny with the brightest blue sky imaginable. They all laugh that I haven't left yet. Someone asks did you come back already? I laugh. I send out emails to those at home telling them my fate so far. I do the web check in. Get the paperwork for tickets and all. The fax telling me I'm booked on First Air and it looks like a go...this time. I arrange another ride to the airport for 1 p.m. My baggage is checked, I only need my boarding pass.

I get to the airport to find the plane is late. NOT a good sign. It went to Thompson first then back to Winnipeg then is coming directly here. The goods and people have been building so they are trying to get the most moving and undo the backlog. There will be a half hour turn around. I'm now going to miss my connection in Winnipeg..if I get out. Back to the payphone, I call Westjet and proceed to uncheck in she puts me on hold. After 15 minutes and taking up one of the two phones here I hang up. I let that backlog clear and try again. Westjet people have been pleasant every time. At forty dollars each cancellation I would hope so.

I am now booked for 6 a.m. departure to Toronto thursday morning. I will check in on the web from the hotel, if and when. The lobby of this airpot is packed and the crowd growing. I meet people I've xrayed, staff from the restaurant, grocery store and health centre. In the space of an hour three 737's land. One heads off to Iqaluit having arrived from Yellowknife. At least, 6 fixed wing prop planes have arrived. Friends and family have been greeted and say goodbye as some meet on their way to their destination. Connie's sister arrives. She was to be here last thusday and be leaving today but, alas, that did not occur. Instead, she became houseguest/manager at the Four Points Sheraton across from the Winnipeg airport. She felt part of the staff there, she'd been so long.

Others hover and wait to see what's happening. The ground staff move crates and baggage and eventually two golden retievers, crated their names and photos and owner details printed on top, arrive into the waiting area warmth. Their owners are not happy since the dogs have been waiting on the ground by the plane for what seems like an eternity. Ironically, the next day at the Tim Hortons in Winnipeg airport, I meet the ground baggage handlers who loaded those dogs onto the plane five times before they finally got to Rankin (can dogs collect air miles and do you have to land to get the credits?).

The sun is starting to go down. An hour of daylight has been added on each end of the day since I got here. This is scarry I am starting to know too much. Airport staff lead group after group out onto the runway and into the various planes. They taxi and take off. It's almost 3:35. Some congestion in this hall has changed but it's still busy. Finally, they call our flight just as I am preparing to get Connies' sisters luggage off the belt. I say goodbye and exit Gate 1 across the snowy ground lugging my carryone. The sun is now lower and a four o'clock takeoff looks good. We might make it...We do!

From my window seat, I see the bay known as Hudson's, snow covered. It's dusk all the way to Thomson where we will have to deplane and go throught airport security. Going further south, the daylight remains the same for that hour and five minute flight...with one exception. I see trees. Yes, lakes and riverbeds and hills and roads and trees.

We land. Deplane and go through Airport Security. All our bags are removed from the plane and put through the scanner and reloaded. I get frisked and the laptop gets swapped and the camera gets swapped and the cases etc. I have to steady myself and raise each boot seperately while he "checks". Eventually I tell them you guys don't have anything here in Thompson to do, do you? Knowing the levels of terrorist activity that I seen in Rankin, I'm surprized the GRC aren't escorting me back to the plane in bracelets.

The next hour into Winnipeg is flawless and by 8 I'm into the hotel, have called home and ready to get some grub. I head to the desk, do my check in for the morning flight, get my paperwork and arrange a 4 .m. wake up call. I head to the bar. TSN and Rogers Sportsnet boast games. I watch the red and white junior game on SPORTSNET. I choose the beer battered fish and chips along with a Fort Garry Dark. My tired mind laughs when I think "How come the animal rights people haven't got after those people that batter fish?" The soup is good, the fish is superb, most of the fries I leave. The game continues and another Fort Garry Dark evaporates before me.

Returning to my room I look out my window. My familiar Inukshuk has been replaced by another concrete structure. A water park attached to the indoor pool. I close my eyes. My life has changed.

homer

2008-01-23T22:37:00.000-05:00

"Welcome to winnipeg" it said above the terminal entrance. At 8.p.m. wednesday 23rd, I arrived here. it's been an interesting trip all the way around...Arctic blizzard or not, I would not have traded this adventure for most things in this world.

Number one day in town, at the health centre, I had gazooks of people welcoming me to Rankin Inlet. On day 20 while getting ready to leave, having to go back to the health centre to print documents for flights leaving rankin inlet, I can only say it was like leaving friends I had known for years. There were no tears. Here, people move in and out like a merry go round.

The airport has three gates, not two as first reported here. They also have a sprinkler system. I have become somewhat of an expert in sprinkler systems and -37 degree temperatures. "Get the bucket" is the most appropriate response. I felt quite at home amid the fluid running along the baseboards and across the terminal floor. I missed it "by that much" as they used to say on Get Smart. Needless to say my early arrival at the airport allowed me to miss an encore presentation of fluid delight as the sprinkler head was replaced in the xray room. No pictures are available, unfortunately. The score was tied until near the end. The sprinkler heads won in a shoot out.

At the airport, in the space of 3/4 hour we had three 737's land and at least four maybe five fixed wing propellers planes fly in and out. Such was the backlog of people and goods needed to move and keep the economy of the north moving. The ground crew was amazing given the logistics of what had to be moved and what needed loading and unloading. Half the town arrived or left today, I think.

The sun was shining. People were smiling, except those expecting relatives from other settlements (remember, you can choose your friends). The airport crew were busy removing snow piles and trying to open the main entrance. Fifteen to twenty foot drifts blocked the main road and we all had to go along another airport access road to enter. Four hours later, the "cats" were still working to open the access.

At the airport, I saw many people I knew. I finally met the CEO of the health centre. On Monday, he was on the flight that went to within 50 feet of the runway and then aborted the landing and returned to Thompson-Winnipeg. I told him if he had paid full fare he would not have had the Rankin aerial tour but an actual ground tour of the town. We both laughed. I'll see how long it takes before my paycheque arrives.

Some of my first patients were there. I recognized them. I'm sure they recognized me. We chatted and one had been waiting six days to get back to town. It was the first time I could say "Welcome Back to Rankin Inlet". In hindshight, a more appropriate greting would have been "Welcome Home".

Today marks three weeks since I left Niagara Falls. I don't know where the time has gone. Almost 50 posts and over 450 viewers from england, scotland, spain, besides the North American continent have shown me there is interest in the Canadian North. The area is huge. The problems are also, but there is a constant effort to improve services to those living there.

If I were to thank anyone in particular, I would be missing someone. So, let me say it this way.

Thank you, Rankin Inlet.

NOTE: There are no photos tonight. It's been a long day. I'll make up for it soon with more posts with photos. Thanks for stopping by. This has been a great experience and another yet as good just telling it. The blog desk closes friday!

THE BLIZZARD of ‘08

2008-01-22T12:30:00.000-05:00

This is Monday January 21. I was to land yesterday in Toronto. Toronto is currently a jigsaw puzzle hung above my couch at the “barn” Unit 506. I am resting comfortably here in Rankin Inlet. It’s 5 p.m. and I’m waiting for some co workers to head out for some chow.

To those survivors of the Blizzard of ’77 in Niagara, this has been a similar occurrence with one great big exception. This one lasted longer but the same rules apply. You hunker down and ride it out. Here everyone drives around in a snow machine or four wheel drive most of the time anyway. We had four cars at the same time at the four way stop the other night and everyone took their turn. Patience is something you learn here quickly.

You wait for people to get dressed. You wait for cars to warm up in the morning. You wait for the taxi. He picks up several fares at the same time and drops you off when he gets close to your destination. He may have dropped some others that came in after you first, but you are patient. You line up at the airline counter, you wait while flights are checked, rescheduled and cancelled all over again. It’s a five minute car run to the airport terminal. The drifts around it are 15 feet tall.

Even the lineups in the grocery stores and banking machines are social events. I was recognized last week standing in line at the bank’s insta-teller. She told me you work at the health centre, I recognize your coat. In a town of three thousand, word travels fast. Just because you are inside doesn’t mean that people don’t communicate. They do. They phone and talk and walk to each others houses since they get a northern cabin fever. Eventually tired of their spouses, kids, dogs, etc., they come back to work.

It’s been a busy day. The health centre re-opened today, after being officially closed for this storm since last Wednesday morning. This storm moved in on Tuesday and the last four blog stories were written at the beginning of this event. Much has happened so it’s time for sharing. The CBC finally put us on the map about midday on Thursday reporting severe weather conditions…yeah we had them so we sent them south! Want to borrow some mitts?

I arrived at the health centre this morning with my Nunavut Territory flag for all to sign as a memento of my “excursion”. I had baked muffins on Thursday night to take to work Friday in appreciation for their efforts and help during my stay here. Let’s just say that since work friday was cancelled there were about half the number of muffins that there should have been…but it was the thought that counted. I also had some chocolates.

I was outdone by John, the lab tech. He brought in some delicious looking Belgian. Sweets…I kept my control and left them for the staff. They love their sweets. At morning coffee, I thanked those that were present for making my first trip north such a warm memory and told them that my flight home was 4 p.m. and I was heading home one day late.

I heard Alice mumble something in Inuktitut. I asked what she said as she shook her head from side to side. “Not tomorrow either” she repeated in English. I’ll let you know if Alice should get hired by Environment Canada. My four p.m. got cancelled. I got rescheduled for the 5:45 that at 4:30 got cancelled. I’ll keep you posted on the delayed departure. I’m now on the 4 p.m. Tuesday. In the meantime, you really can appreciate the snow and wind howling from some shots I was able to take around the medical centre at noon. You can compare them with the ones taken a couple of weeks ago and see the difference yourselves.

In the meantime stay warm…we are. Check the weather link…and remember, we are one day closer to spring.

R.I. ART

2008-01-19T15:41:00.001-05:00

Coming up here I had little time to prepare for the art that I’ve seen. Often times, through the day, carvers and handcrafters arrive at the health centre to sell their wares. The receptionist is heard over the intercom…carvers are here…mitts for sale front desk. Everything arrives in stages from fired pots, stone carvings, mitts and dolls.

His name is Sam Gusak but you may have met him by his signed name “Yvo” . Sam brought in two large pots, one decorated with faces and the other creatures of the sea. I thought we were into a mud wrestling scenario in the front lobby as two women were more than interested. I took his photo and looked over the booty.

I also met Kelly there. He’s from Baffin. He’s a carver. He gets his soapstone from the local coop. What he does with it is something else again.When I first met him he showed me a mask that he had done, dark black stone with a menacing stare. It was a wall hanging. Very nicely polished and finished. He looked disappointed when I told him that walls at home were mostly covered and I had little space left to hang things. It was a neat piece of work but I really couldn’t take it from him.

Not to be outdone, he arrived two nights later to my apartment. Many carvers stop by since they know many of the people staying in the Barn are “short termers”. Some people ignore the faint knocks at night, but this is new to me. I am curious so I open the door. I introduce myself as they tell me what they have to sell. You have to remember that many of the locals don’t lock their doors here, no one knocks and you are expected to walk in before you knock. So with some reluctance, I feel safe.

Kelly is there carrying another mask carving in his hand, signed and dated. It’s quite nice again dark stone with open nostrils and mouth and eyes. He tells me it took him a full day to make this one. He has a twist with this shaman mask though. This one stands on its own.

He just reduced my reason for not buying. Him, his girlfriend and daughter all live here year round. Originally from Pond Inlet he tells me he’s been in Rankin for about 9 years now. We talk price. I don’t haggle, his work is top notch in my limited opinion. I’ll know later when I show one of the “short termers that stayed” if I got a good deal. Before he heads out into the night, I ask if I can take his photo. He agrees. We do it.

I show the piece around and the general consensus is that it’s unique since no one has seen a self standing mask before, the quality of stone is good and the carving is finished nicely. I’ve got a good deal.

Two nights later, Kelly arrives again. In his hand is….another mask. I can still smell the grindstone burning smell. This one has taken another day plus to finish. This time the mask has a similar shaman theme but on angle with a “phantom of the opera” type side style. Again, it stands on its own. We talk. We deal. I tell him no more. I can’t carry anything more in my luggage. We both laugh. For me it’s true. For him it may mean the difference of food on his table.

The caribou antler carvers have also arrived. One knows me by name having been in for xrays. The cold wind is blowing outside and I invite her inside to warm, even though I really don’t like this particular carving. I tell her no and she tells me a sob story. I offer her coffee. From the kitchen, I ask how she likes it….eight sugars she says…I tell her four is the max is this house. And then start to heat it in the microwave. She tells me she wants it cold. The hot liquid will cause her to sweat and later I realize that could be fatal in this cold. She takes four quick gulps and then is off in the night, to other doors…for possible sales.

The Layered Look

2008-01-19T15:30:00.000-05:00

The heavy winds and blowing snow provide great timing to reinforce the importance of layering. For those of you who are wondering if I’ve been cold here in R.I., the answer is yes and no. The only cold you feel is on your face when the wind is blowing in toward you. At your back it’s much better. The inside of your nose feels dry from breathing in the extraordinary (for southern Ontario anyway) cold air.

The facemask and balaclava have helped. That old OPP winter hat has worked out perfectly though, thank you Ontario. The double set of glove/mitts have been replaced with local issue that are much warmer. The others were fine but these are quicker on and off. I’ll have to keep a spot in the freezer for them this spring. My Sorrel boots have kept my feet warmer than anything I ever have owned. It was only after being here that I noticed that my snow overpants were Sorrel as well and those I had bought for working the golf course in late November.

The goose down coat has blocked the wind and kept me warm. There are those coming into the health centre that sport seal skin coats. The colours are most interesting as well. The back of the seal is a different colour from the underbelly and so both sides can create some interesting effects.

If you’ve been following this blog, I showed earlier the famous Amoti and how they are used. But the most amazing thing that these coats are all hand made here. The attention to detail is quite phenomenal. The piping and embroidery are exquisite. The kids coats are the same and appliqués adorn them as well. There are some very talented folks in this area with a sewing machine. The materials are available locally at the hardware store. I do not know who repairs them when they break but someone must. They are very resourceful here.

It took me a while to realize that those kid’s coat were also handmade. The ribbons of colour and decals are applied, I believe, so that people can recognize their kids by their coats individualized at home. Some coats even sport special autographs. There is a certain red coat in town that has the front shoulder panel signed by that famous numero 22, currently with Nashville Predators of NHL and wearing number 55 who returns to this hamlet every so often..

The hoods and cuffs are often trimmed with fur. Arctic fox and arctic hare (in winter) are the favourites for women since they are pure white and fluffy. With the hood raised an area of warmth is created in front of the face from the exhalation of that person’s breath. The fur causes the wind to swirl within the facial area. So now you are breathing in warmed air, much better for the airway and the lungs as well.

The down side of all this is the same as for the skills our forefathers possessed. The elders of the community seem to be the ones performing the talented tasks, This is changing though as seen in the arctic college brochures. There are new programs teaching about the old ways. The big question is who will be teaching those ways in 20 years or more.

These Boots Were Made…

2008-01-19T15:14:00.000-05:00

...for walking and that’s just what they do. But, they do it so beautifully. From the first day at the health centre through to this week’s blizzard, you can see the importance of proper winter weather wear. Tomorrow it’s coats, but today, it’s footwear. I’ve taken some time to post a few shots of the various boots that I’ve seen and people have allowed me to shoot. Thanks to all for your input.

My scheduled time here in RI is fast coming to a close. Sunday, I’m supposed to leave at 9:00 with arrival at home sometime in the wee hours of Monday morning. The long range forecast shows sunny weather for the weekend, but only time will tell. Winds (max. plus 60 kph) and blowing snow had commercial flights yesterday and medivac flights the night before, diverted and cancelled but the storm has moved on and so should this story.

Many of the female staff wear their “boots” proudly. Various furs, intricately sewn together for various designs are display on feet upon arrival in the morning. Noon and five o’clock show the same parade. There are seal, beaver and the others. Susie, for example, has two pairs. One set are her Baffin Boots as she told me while the others are her West Coasters as I call them since we are on this side of the Hudson’s Bay.

Storage in the south for these boots presents a problem. You have to keep them cold for them to retain their flexibility. They will dry out especially the way we heat our houses in winter. Most people wouldn’t store these boots in the freezer or fridge but that’s exactly what you need to do. In this dry climate, they seem to remain flexible despite the summer heat but that is such a short period during the year.

The younger generations do not have the skills needed to put these things together. Like those our grandparents once possessed, we have lost the talents so necessary to survive and flourish. Once the animal skins have been harvested, they must be prepared. They are cleaned, stretched and blocked to dry. Then the must be worked to be made supple. The selection of skins is as important as is how they are cut, trimmed, and assembled.
And after they are put together and the stitching is completed, how they look is only important to the tourists. Well, yes, the look is important. Here, however, function is the guide. Furs here are part of the culture. Their warmth surpasses synthetics hands down. Fur mitts are warm and toasty even in the most bitter winter winds. During this past few days of blowing snow and bitter winds, I’m glad I’ve had my hands inside a couple of beaver ones.

AN ARCTIC BLOW

2008-01-19T10:08:00.001-05:00

Last week, Environment Canada (those guys that only have to be right 40% of the time, I’m told) issued a blizzard alert but I didn’t think it was bad. I had been here five days. Eventually, the sun came out, the howling winds were less so and we had four nice days. Late Tuesday night, it was supposed to come. You could hear the wind. Off and on, it roared during the night. Would we be snowed out at work?

By morning I was showered, lunch made and ready to leave for the health centre. I never made it. In that blowing snow, fresh and dry, dropped the day before…someone was out there. It just wasn’t me. Our lights flickered twice and the telephone rang once. No one was on the line. A few minutes later our rooms, still warm, were bathed in darkness.

I went to my laptop case and found my penlight flashlight, made my way across the dark room and looked out. The familiar neighbourhood of my past two weeks was gone. You could see nothing. Looking left I saw a glimmer of light in the old health centre which is literally a stone’s throw across the parking area. Emergency power, they had it, would we have lights soon?

The neighbour called on the phone. We had communications! Did we get the message the health centre is closed due to storm today? No, but we figured that might have been the ring on the phone about 20 minutes ago. The neighbour on the other side invited us over since she had candles lit and coffee made. We took our mugs and went through the connecting back door entrance and climbed the stairs. The penlight was no longer needed.

Awash in light and with a varying assortment of scenting, we sat down and talked. The lights flickered, tried to stay on again and then they did. We had power just as the dawn was breaking. The south-facing roof-top windows were able to deliver the available light of the day, but it wasn’t needed now. It might be later.

We adjusted the VCR/DVD combo unit, sorted our fine collection of three movies, put fresh coffee in the maker and waited out the storm. The radiophone crackled in the corner as we waited during each interchange…nurse on call to patient in need.

No work today, we might as well relax and enjoy our movie. The choices were: The Perfect Storm, 300 or the remake of the Shaggy Dog. Sometime later, I’ll let you know what we watched.

Friends by storm and oblivious to the outside weather, we nursed our coffees, watched our movie and prepared for the noon hour call to see our revised status.

Update:
The winds continued all day and night.
Thursday: the winds have increased to 60 to 80 kph and the phone just rang…no work today either. Update at noon…2 movies to go. At least I still have two packets of popcorn.

Further Update: It’s now Saturday. The health center has been closed except for emergencies since Tuesday. Even the RCMP were stuck yesterday for a while. The front end loader had cleared our parking lot (one sweep each time) once per day. The oil truck stopped by yesterday to top us up. The wind has not stopped howling. Sometimes, its slows a bit but then comes back with a vengance. This was supposed to stop Friday then today and it now appears that Monday may be sunny. Too late for my flights. I had written some bogs in advance but have not been able to upload them. Enjoy and we will keep you posted. The video below will give you a sample. IT WILL TAKE TIME TO LOAD

5 Animal Taste Sensation

2008-01-19T09:35:00.000-05:00

There is no denying the health problems in these communities. Everything from diabetes to RSV, mental and physical health, public health concerns and the private concerns of individuals, these are everyday events here in Rankin Inlet. They are in other places too, but here the resources seem stretched.

Everywhere Diabetes is one of the most rapidly increasing diseases. It’s a concern in the south, but up here, with the constant deluge of media advertising, it’s much worse since people are inside more in the bad weather. The cost of canned pop is high here, but so is the demand. Dental care is sadly lacking for many Inuit since the introduction of sugar into their diets. Some of the elders have fewer teeth than those damaged gears in my processor rack.

Smoking, and its link to health problems, is even tougher. Many of the staff, here at the health centre, take a smoke break. They dress for the cold weather and a few minutes later, they return. The “Imouti” (those lovely coats with the built in baby carriers) provide a safe haven for the child but become a chimney if the wearer is also a smoker. The exhaled smoke can hang directly above the infant. Vehicle windows are always closed so everyone in the car is always breathing the same air. Respiratory disease is something that will also increase in the future.

Pamphlets and brochures are available and written in both Inuktitut and English. Everything from spousal abuse, prescription drug dependency, colorectal cancer, Hepatitis A and B, coping with loss, smoking while pregnant, family violence, conflict resolution and post traumatic stress are all topics that are available in printed matter. Free condom machines are at the centre, but I just realized I never tried the machine to see if they are ready for dispensing.

Posters and flyers are everywhere, anything from increasing your awareness in hand washing to the various diseases especially RSV here in young kids. So important is this that the posters have overshadowed the large poster of local NHL star Jordin TooToo in our main waiting area.

On the sexual front, teenage pregnancy and std’s are commonplace like many communities. Prevention and education are at the forefront of the war on health risk reduction. In the north, they have found novel ways to encourage that the message gets across.

The most novel approach that I’ve seen though, is the five flavours as shown above and their slogans. The five animals shown are familiar to anyone raised in the north. The Muskox, Char, Caribou, Seal and Muktaaq (whale) are known to anyone locally. That The Canadian Inuit HIV/Aids Network would incorporate them into a program about disease and aids prevention is uncanny. Each of the “5” is printed on cardboard that when folded becomes a holder for a condom. “BRILLIANT!” as the Guiness guys would say. These were handed out at the Arctic Games…the condom holders not the beers.

Change won’t happen overnight and attitudes take time to adjust with everyone. The internet and the access to all the satellite and cable channels continue to affect people’s health here, both positively but many times negatively. There are gyms to workout here in town. Many people walk everywhere as well. The outcome of future generations will continue to evolve. What it will be like here in RI, G.O.K. (God Only Knows).

Waiting in Line...Patiently

2008-01-15T09:39:00.000-05:00

There is a sense of patience here in Rankin Inlet. People here have places to go but they just take their time getting there. It takes you ten minutes to finish dressing for a ten minute walk and then another few minutes to undo what you just did, before you did it. There is also some confusion at times. Not sure if it’s language or what but the thermostat photo shows the results. After two service calls the correct temperature range and the lower/higher thermostat was functional.

There are four way stop intersections that are only busy at five o’clock when all the government buildings empty. They may also be busy at 12 noon when everyone heads home for lunch but this is only conjecture since I stay in for lunch. I’ve seen those short school buses and the kids get dropped off for lunch and picked up again after for their afternoon classes. There are no other bus services but there are two taxi services in town. One is Silu`s and we just the last four digits. 645 is the exchange and you can get his number from information if you need it.

There is no stoplight here and many times people slow for the 4 way stop signs and then creep along. Often times they are accompanied by snowmobiles or four wheel “quads”. The roads are not plowed by plows on trucks. I haven’t seen any in town since I got here. There are some at the airport, I was told, and also a sweeper. Plows couldn’t handle it.

The streets are snow covered and not scraped down to the pavement. Is it pavement or gravel? I’ll have to ask. Instead, front end loaders continue to rearrange the snow piled along buildings, in parking lots and on the streets. It blows in. They remove it. I’m told the snow really starts to build up the end of march and in april. They tell me I should come back then. I smile.

This can be nasty weather especially when the winds blow like last week andf aginn with fresh snow this morning..gusts to 74 kmph. People take their time to bundle themselves and their kids before they head out into the weather for schools, stores or appointments. It’s cold here but the daylight hours have increased. I have adjusted to not wearing my facemask unless walking a distance. I carry it with me, though, just in case. It still takes you time to get ready.

You see cars sitting and idling away with no one in sight, in driveways and parking lots. They are plugged in at night so the oil is thin enough to allow them some cranking power in the a.m. Everyone carries an extension cord with them in their vehicle. Remote control starting is a big thing here, so you can have your car started with some heat by the time you go out. The gas station is out of town over on another hill. Theses four wheel drive SUV’s take about $80.00 to fill up.

It costs anywhere from $1800 to $2800 to ship a vehicle here. They usually come from Montreal on the barges or in containers. Factory trained warranty work is available. Parts are flown in as required. Every once and a while there are dealers who show up with some brochures and sell a few and next spring your car arrives. Don’t know if the “don’t pay a cent events” count here.

You don’t see rust and decay on the vehicles. On a warm -23 C day here in Rankin Inlet there are no lineups to get your vehicle “looking new”. There are no carwashes open this time of year. You notice that there is no salt stains on peoples clothing, boots, cars, or floorings. It’s too cold for it to work. They did spread some gravel on the parking lot of the health centre yesterday. If I had known, I would have been out there taking pictures.

Larry the Cable Guy

2008-01-15T09:32:00.000-05:00

Larry the Cable guy hales from others parts, y’all. We are in the north, but more accurately in the south of the north. If you search Google Earth, and see where Rankin Inlet is located. Then checkout Iqaluit in Nunavut and Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories and you see where you see where we sit. We sit here without our full cable service.

The Health Centre serves the communities of Rankin Inlet, Repulse Bay, Whale Cove, Arviat, Chesterfield Inlet, Coral Harbour, Baker Lake, and Sanikiluaq a slight bit across the bay. The local Cable service runs out of the Co-Op and with the cold weather of last week, well, water and cold weather turn icy and the results were last Monday night we had no football on TV nor cable service of any kind.

During the week this changed as we started to see more and more channels restored. My roommate saw someone on Friday at the top of a pole. I asked if he was Larry’s cousin or brother or if he was there looking good to everyone who went by thinking that he actually was working on the problem. He might have been thinking about the telephone guy and the polar bear story, not doing anything but simply enjoying the milder weather.

Weekend NFL playoff football…it might be available. Saturday I couldn’t find it on the tube. I normally watch the US networks. I have a TV tower, rotor and 18 year old antenna at home. I’m not used to cable. I get the HD signals OTA (over the air) as they say.

Sunday afternoon my brother called and during conversation he told me TSN would be showing the Giants Cowboys game…and they did. CTV had broadcast the earlier game but that channel hadn’t been restored either. Well scouting around town yesterday, I saw why Larry’s cousin, brother, uncle or whoever was not in that much of a hurry to fix the problem. I wish I had called their service number but it would have rang and rang and rang. They were all home watching the games.

Arctic Chill

2008-01-14T09:40:00.001-05:00

There was a town meeting on Saturday at 2. I didn’t go since I was out on the tundra and I haven’t been listening to the local radio station for my news like most in this hamlet. It was held at the local catholic church, since it is the largest in town, but it was an Anglican service. It was the funeral for our young friend of Wednesday evening.

I met him only once, as the paramedics brought him through the door applying chest compressions that in time had proved in vain. The team of professionals had tried their best but this time they came up short. In his mid teens, his life now over, the process of a family and their community handling the aftermath had begun.

We have a morgue in our building. It’s located at the back door right next to the staff entrance. I hadn’t been toured that area but suddenly I was there. The nurses serve as morgue attendants and act as funeral directors communicating between the families and the local clergy. It’s that part of the job description, we all know, that says “Other duties: From time to time, etc.”

Once the news has been relayed to the family, the same emotions occur in the north. Sudden loss and the emptiness that it brings is the same no matter what the culture. Often times the family will stay for a while before heading home and return to the health centre again for viewing before the service. The family receives their condolences at home from family, friends and their community neighbours. Food is brought and memories are shared. Grief knows no boundaries.

A casket is brought in and the loved one is placed therein. I was called in to the health centre on saturday to do three patients (It’s nice here that sometimes everyone comes in at the same time). The nurses asked me if I’d help lift the coffin for placement before the family arrives for their final viewing before church. It’s the least I can do. Once completed, the casket will be transported by fire department vehicle to the church and then to the local cemetery following the service.

Whether by choice or by duty I noticed that one of the paramedics who brought him into emerg on Wednesday is taking him to the church on Saturday. Such are the roles in a small community and I’m sure that this same scenario is played out across the world and not just in the north.

Saturday was a beautiful cold clear and sunny day, a nice day for a funeral. Sunday was even nicer. I went for a walk around town on Sunday. I was getting quite brave in my travels. I got some great photos of the snow and ice and the Inuksuk looking out over the Rankin Inlet from his perch near Lake Wilcox in the middle of town. I went down some streets and around a few corners and came upon a road leading to a hill that I thought would give me different shots with a height advantage.

I climbed the road and found myself approaching the cemetery. The crosses mark the graves with names and dates. There is a fence around it. In the snow you could see that it was metal. And at each post there is a steel heart welded on. It looks like it been there a while but it’s built strong atop the wind blown hill. It has to be. I look over and see tracks…dirt, tires, footprints and rabbits. I realize that the grave would be here and should be the newest.

I look around and find it and travel towards it. I stop and pay my respects. I notice how the grave is circled by rocks like so many others and I now have to ask someone what this means. His name and dates of birth and death are freshly applied to the cross. I assume it’s wood painted white but I don’t go nearer to find out. I leave and travel down a big hill at the back of the cemetery. It’s a cold place. On this sunny bright day, I know I will not be the last visitor today.

Caribou on Ice

2008-01-14T09:31:00.001-05:00

The past 10 days have been an education that you couldn’t buy. I have learned more about the traditions, history and ways of the Inuit culture. This afternoon, while going through town, snow machines lead wooden sleds (known as a kamotik) piled with the caribou carcasses on them. Out in the bay you could see more headlights of the snow machines bobbing and weaving as they slowly worked their way back to town. By nightfall, about 3:30 p.m., there were even more parked along the bay shore.

Apparently, there is a herd just about 10 miles out from town and the hunters have been out there so that there is fresh meat for their families. One fellow Friday sat in my waiting room and told me he got three this week. Everyone in town seems to enjoy going out on the land. You can see it in their eyes when they look out the windows onto the great beyond.

Yesterday I saw a few cabins that they travel to and stay in out on the tundra. The Inuks, and the white as well, talk about how beautiful this land can be with the wild flowers are bursting forth their colours. Using quads (also practical for the snow on the roads here in town) they go to their cabins. Family events include camping, fishing and picking the fresh berries, those small blueberries not the big ones that have no flavour.

While talking about the local fishing here, I asked how big are the char…5 pounds? The reply was “we go fishing…we don’t go fishing for minnows!” They talked about lake trout that were huge…and I believed them. They use gill nets with floats and they told me that as you work your way along the net, you see the float lower in the water. You expect fish to be in the net.

During the winter there is hunting. One of the drivers at the centre has told me that she and her brothers go out every weekend. Everything from wolverines, arctic hare, arctic fox …her list went on. I have met some of the elders from town this week at the centre. Some still enjoy going out but most now are content to let the others do their hunting for them.

The ways of the past are only some of the future. The skills and knowledge these elders possess about the land, the weather, the animals and fish and how they interact is unsurpassed. The younger crowd listens with intent. If they don’t, once the elders have passed, that knowledge, will surely be gone as well. This they know.

The Inuktitut language is very interesting as it is an ancient language. I asked if there was a word for log since trees do not grow here. There is, in fact. Being nomads and travelling further south, they would find trees. I then asked about the Inuit or Inuktitut word that would be used for computer and internet. It was then I was told an interesting story about the language and the thinking of the Inuit people. Since using the computer and the internet is an extension of using your mind, it has been accepted that is the way the wording would be. I’m sure it looses in the translation but it gets the idea across.

On the Land - Part Two

2008-01-14T09:24:00.001-05:00

I think this is as close to the land as I’m going to get this trip. When you consider how far we are from town, etc., it makes me a little nervous. The Inuks think nothing of it. They travel 10 hours by snow machine pulling their sled on their way to visit family and friends at Baker Lake. The folks living at Whale Cove are just a stone’s throw in comparison. No GPS (I don’t know if they even work up here) they use subtle landmarks seen in the distance to guide and steer their way.

They talk here about those that were lost and found. Most recently and I think it was last year. Search and rescue guys found them after quite a few days. They were placed of the sleds covered with skins for warmth and by the time they got back to town only frostbite was on one guys heel. Two days later the same guys headed back to their original destination by snow machine.

Yesterday, while out on the tundra we looked far to the horizon. The beautiful blue sky looked spectacular. In the distance you could see a haze of sorts. Sam said he wished he had learned more from the elders about the sky and the weather. He said he was taught as a youngster how to find his way back to Rankin Inlet. A certain star should be followed.

We went out quite a distance to where we could see cabins. He explained that these were the cabins of relatives. He pointed out other far in the distance. We then turned around and passed the golf course again and went out past the end of the runway to where the new municipal dump is scheduled to open. It may not ever…more later. Arriving back into town we past the large lengths of snow fencing that protect the hamlet’s houses from the severe blowing of snow that happens here in march and early april. We went back along another road and over to the side of town where the barges arrive and the docks are located.

This year in September, I believe, several barges were being towed by a tug into the area when a storm hit and they were quite a ways out from town. The severe blowing winds and cold formed ice on the load and it almost sunk. New cars, both in shipping containers and on deck, were ice coated as well as products for other communities that haven’t made it there yet. The containers are still here and may be shipped overland by huge sled trains across the snow and ice later in the winter. A similar thing happened to the oil tanker. It almost stayed the winter but got out after much ice breaking. It was in a larger bay area the other side of town.

The sun was starting to fade as we headed home after a long excursion in daylight hours.
The colours reflecting on the ice changed as the sun was setting. You could see headlights coming back to town across this frozen desert. They moved and bounced and jiggled as they made their way home for the night. The sled of caribou carcasses, sitting by the road, decreased by one, each time someone came from the shed to butcher the meat.

Talking to one of the hunters there today he told me that those caribou were shot in late September or October and buried in the ground in order to get the moss scent to permeate the meat and act as a tenderizer. How do I know if he’s pulling my leg? I don’t. I’ll let you decide.

ON THE LAND - Part 1

2008-01-13T21:38:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was clear and sunny with a gorgeous blue sky. The five day from Environment Canada says we should have the same for a few days. The snow is less crunchy underfoot and I must be getting climatized since I only wore one set of gloves yesterday, no balaclava and no face shield. It was noon and the sun was high off the horizon. It only climbs here about 30 degrees, makes about a 45 sweep across the sky and then it goes down.

The temperature was supposed to climb to 23 (for those new people following along the minus here is still understood until about July). The weather channel has still not returned to the cable lineup and my local internet wireless connection has failed to re-establish so I have become more of an observer as of late.

I had a tour of the area yesterday. I got called in to the health centre (I had to return the truck there anyways). I finished my three cases expecting to walk home taking some shots along the way. That never happened. I was walking across the field shooting some of the drifts with that sky and the sun, there were some interesting shadows. I put on the flash and was popping away when a truck stopped over on the road and sounded the horn.

It could only mean one thing. The time had passed, they needed me at the centre, and I hadn’t heard the radiopager. So I hiked over to the truck to see one of the health centre workers sitting behind the wheel. I walked over and he told me that he was taking his dog for a run and did I want to ride along and see some of the area.

I asked why he stopped and how he had recognized me that far away. He said there’s only one guy in town that would be taking pictures in the sun with a flash. He has a great sense of humour that way and as I climbed in his dog jumped into the back. Now his dog is a cross sheppard and husky, about three years old. He told me that he loves to run and you could see that.

The dog remained inside until we got past the kids playing hockey in the street. We waited. They moved the net and shortly got to the outskirts. He told me that if I want to stop anywhere just tell him and he would. We stopped I took some shots and we let the dog out. He ran slightly ahead of us along the road and looked to me how I imagined a sled dog would run.

We didn’t go fast, you can’t here, but we did go what I think would be about 5-8 kilometers to where some of the cabins are built. These are used all year round. It was hard to imagine riverbed and bay areas with the frozen landscape that we were seeing. The road had been built high so it would blow free from the drifting, but a couple of times we made our own paths though the snow and ice. Here I was, FOUR WHEELING ON THE TUNDRA in mid-January. Arctic Action figures sold separately. The Sirius Satellite Radio aboard played on.

When we stopped to take photos either out through the window or standing outside the vehicle, his dog would bury his snout, blow the snow and proceeded to roll in the snow drift. He was like a kid playing for the first time, but it was repeated so many times that I think he just loves the snow. I said to Sam I think you just need to add a harness to him and he would go. Sam smiled.

Another Notable Sighting

2008-01-13T21:16:00.000-05:00

The paparazzi in this town (me…all the other tourists are smart and in Mexico this time of year) have had a field day meeting with the local celebrities. Earlier this week, I met Isabelle’s daughter, the Calender Girl. Yesterday, I met a pamphlet queen. Her name is Saskia and both she and her mom were on a brochure created about the new Health Centre and dated 2006. Obviously, the photo of Saskia and her mom were taken some time before.

The photos inside show a newly installed xray table and Marie Tiktak, our resident Basic Radiographer, standing proudly beside it. Also, there is a group shot showing the centre staff at the time. Looking over the brochure I can only see a few that I have met…Sam A. and Sam T., Marley and Marie. The other faces are not known to me and some are standing in behind others so they may be there but unrecognizable. The one side is written in English with the other one in Inuktitut. It talks about the future plans of the health centre.

Some of those plans are currently in a holding pattern for the same reasons that hospitals and communities in the south share. There are shortages of trained medical personnel…nurses, doctors, midwives and technologists both medical lab and medical imaging. Currently we (notice that now that I am an employee) have a full time position for an ultrasonographer. The interesting thing about the posting is that it claims The closing date is “OPEN UNTIL FILLED” and housing is “allocated for this position”.

This just shows what turnover there is here in the great white north. The ongoing juggling of medical staff coming in here is quite remarkable. That it works and continues to do so is even more interesting. I now have a roommate at the apartment. His name is Joe and he is from Selkirk, Manitoba not Ontario. This is his second trip to Rankin and he’s here until February 2. He has travelled to a lot of other sites in Nunavut with his job.

This week he’s been busy with some support work for the health centre workers, friends and the family of our recent tragedy. He is with the Mental Health program. It’s a good thing I’m not a resident of Nunavut. He might have me committed by noon Saturday.

TGIF

2008-01-12T12:37:00.001-05:00

We made it through the week. Actually so did the entire health centre. Staff and building, we survived. I don’t think I‘ve had a week of work that was more of a more roller coaster ride in a long time. I told you about the floods at the centre and while they could have been a catastrophe, that proved not to be the case. There was a flood that did affect the entire town this week. It seems that over at the CoOp, a pipe burst sometime Monday during my first arctic blizzard.

What resulted has affected most residents very deeply. The burst water shorted out the cable TV system for the entire community. Hence on Monday we had no stations. They’ve been coming back slowly but a few are still not “on line”. We had the movie channels but not the listings station. OLN was great and I learned so much about sled dog racing one lunch hour.

I had been making a list of the stations we were getting on sunday and their home towns. NBC and ABC were Detroit as well as WGN. the Chicago superstation. What really amazed was that WIVB out of Buffalo was the CBS affiliate, so I was watching basically some familiar newscasts. The local Buffalo-Niagara Falls weather and news presented with a smattering of canadian content, eh?

Sunday night while watching the news, we had a polar bear sighting. I’ve included a photo for those that are non believers. I don’t think I’ll ever look at those “swims” the same now. But hey it’s Friday so what’s everyone doing for the weekend? There’s a whole bunch of activities.

I found out there is bingo down at the hall. Well I asked a stupid question, if they called the numbers in English or Inuktitut. Eyebrows were raised and the question was answered. What they didn’t tell me was it wasn’t a social occasion down at the hall, you just picked up your cards there. Then you went home and played alongside the radio as the numbers were called. As soon as you got a bingo, you called the station. I didn’t dare ask if they answered in english or…

But hey it’s Friday, and we are ready to party...but a slight catch. Across the parking lot from the health centre there was a building with a snow covered sign. Finally today at noon the sun came out. I ventured forth from the safety (and warmth) the health centre. Without bundling up I was able to take some photos with the long lens from the front and rear entrances. Lo and behold, across from our parking lot less than 150 meters away was...The Canadian Legion Branch #169. TGIF. I’m not sure anymore with some things they are telling me. I’ve become somewhat cynical…possibly 12 dollar beers?

As always, there is a “gotch ya” here in RI, as I’ve now come to know it. Branch #169 only opens at 8:30 p.m. It has a maximum number of patrons allowed (due to fire regulations) and that’s all provided they can find a bartender for the evening. It closes late but how can you tell when at 845 this a.m., the sun was just starting to show itself in the most beautiful of sunrises.

What will Saturday bring…GOK (God Only Knows…at first you thought it was an Inuktitut word didn't you?). Under the B 15…

When is the rainy season in Rankin Inlet?

2008-01-11T09:15:00.000-05:00

I’ve received a few comments and many emails from those who have been reading about my trip. This is number 32 in the series and I fully expected to hit fifty before this arctic adventure is complete. Thanks to one of my neighbours, however, that may not be possible. You see, for the past week, I had been using a wireless connection to the internet to check facts and details about the territory and hamlet. That ceased today with “linksys” now using a WPA. There is good news on the horizon though. I can access the internet through my Nunavut government connection. Yes, tech support finally came through yesterday (as well as my contract today) and now I am both connected and officially an employee. bbriggsjude@gov.nu.ca will reach me at least until the 18th. I hope the cookies arrive soon! I HAVE ONLY 10 DAYS LEFT !!!! Where has this time gone?

I will tell you I have developed a new skill set while here…baking and bailing. Today was cleanup day (again). I talked about our flood of requests on Tuesday at three p.m. After yesterday’s final case of the day, I expected it to be a somber day of both reflection and mourning. Everyone who comes to the clinic knows everyone. They smile and hold each other kids and pass the time while they are waiting to see the clinic staff. They may be a neighbour, relative or friend. In a town of 3,000, people pick up their mail at the post office and when death occurs everyone knows the person, the family and many times they were friends as well.

Folks here meet each other at the various stores and socialize at each others houses. Only outsiders lock their doors and knock when they enter a friends house. I thought I would be able to report how death is handled in a small town “north of 60” but that didn’t happen.

Instead it was raining cats and dogs when we arrived at the centre today. That’s tough to do when the outside temperature is 25C (again please note the minus is understood). Water was everywhere on the floor from the elevator all the way down the hall to pharmacy. We had at least an inch of water on the floor ranging from reception to medical records into transcription and registration and into a couple of the nurses stations including the fridge and the coffee maker room.

Again, the crew of staff members from the entire centre pitched in until within an hour, the place was bailed and we could turn our attention (once again) to the flooded boiler area. This time it was less water, in the hold, than before but it had to be done. What happened today you might ask? I’m starting to get the blame. Some of them are now counting the days till I leave town. It seems that the effects of xray room’s sprinkler demise of Tuesday afternoon had also affected the elbow at the end of the run directly in the front storm porch entranceway of the health centre. It must have happened just before the NOC (nurse on call) had arrived at eight. The ceiling was spewing gallons of water. It got shut off just as I got in. Nobody changed. They dropped their gloves but no fight broke out.

Instead, bailing, vacuuming, and general mopping as well as sweeping occurred. I was asked if I was bringing in muffins, again, on friday. I replied “sorry guys but today xray is dry!” And so, what had thought to be a somber day was a genuine diversion of huge importance. We had all pitched in and moved medical records, computers, faxes and gallons upon gallons of water. It had a huge therapeutic effect. People had accomplished the near impossible with the most minimum of losses.

I have suggested that floor drains be installed this spring so we just have to mop up the boiler room. It would save a lot of work. I’m still looking for the employee’s suggestion box now that I am one. Maybe I’ll get a free trip to Winnipeg!

The KIVALLIQ Health Centre

2008-01-11T09:06:00.000-05:00

I have shown and talked about the various commercial things in town but until yesterday I didn’t have an opportunity to show the health centre. I guess it would be more realistic to call it a health showplace.

This is the third health centre to be built in Rankin Inlet. The others, I believe, had been built in the late sixties and early eighties by the Northwest Territory government, who at that time, were the central government in charge of health. The last one had a fire, started in the boiler room, which cause extensive damage just as our current centre was nearing completion. You can imagine that with no heat in a building this far north, severe consequences occur. I’ll have more on that tomorrow.

Anyways the good news was that they were almost finished building and three years ago this facility officially opened. You’ll notice from the accompanying photos that I will post today and tomorrow there are many features that some of us are less than familiar with. First the building stands on the top of a knoll with lots of drainage all around it. There are no basements here (One of the local fellows asked me “who would want to live in the ground anyways?”).

In the main heat of the summer you can dig about four feet until you come to permafrost. You then wait a week until it melts and then go further in. Hence there is a lot of heaving and shifting in their structures. The designs reflect that. The next most striking thing about the outside is the size of windows. They seem small and are for a very good reason. You loose heat from those components so this reduces heat loss. The building is huge.

We have the only elevator on the west coast of Hudson’s Bay here in Nunavut. There are usually up to three midwives working from the centre with a birthing centre onsite and the midwives travel out to the surrounding communities as well. The Laboratory has three techs, xray has one, and ultrasound is currently looking for a full time person. They come in for a one to two week stint at the moment.

The building is two story and has a main entrance in front and a staff entrance located off the rear parking area. The parking area is equipped with plugs so those with vehicles can keep the oil warm. The outside entrances have metal steps and ramps for handicapped access. The tops of the steps allow snow and ice to fall through so that you always have a footing. The building is raised so that snow can blow away from it rather than building up at the entrances and a moat like area can fill with the blowing snow as well. There is a rampart across the ambulance entrance.

The heated ambulance bay that is equipped with no less than four snow shovels so that the area can be cleared quickly if needed. We have a loading dock for things being shipped to receiving and stores. We have a Central Service area and a staff lounge of course. Our television is perched on the wall and doesn’t seem to wander as in some places, I’ve worked. Currently, we do not have inpatients. Anyone requiring care and treatment not available here, or hospitalization, is shipped out to either Churchill or Winnipeg by Kivillaq Air, the medevac service. The option to transport to Iqaluit across the bay is used occassionaly. We have a morgue and the nurses work as the attendant if required.

My first patient was a chest and the second a person was injured in a dog sled race. This week I’ve done hips, knees, hands, and an assortment of other things including a finger on a guy who cut some tendons while butchering his caribou in November. I’ve done a set of facial bones who’s owner was immediately transferred to the plastics on call at the Winnpeg Health Sciences Centre. My Friday callback snowmobiler was medevacued to the ortho on call in Winnpeg that same night. Sometimes I get the impression that health care here has a higher priority but, hey, this is the north!

HEROES

2008-01-10T03:04:00.000-05:00

Each of us has a definition of a hero. It’s usually thought of as someone who has rescued someone from a burning building or but can be someone who has spent time giving support and providing care for a friend. There are all kinds of heroes out there. Today I met the local Fire Marshall. And today I brought in a couple of dozen of carrot muffins that I had baked last night to thank the support staff of the health centre (remember there is no Tim Horton’s is all of NUNAVUT territory). Their combined efforts yesterday kept the xray equipment from suffering extreme water damage. Let me tell you what happened.

When I arrived a week ago today, and reported to the department the first time, the xray room was quite cool…18 or 19C. But when you are new to an area you hate to go around looking for thermostats to change so I didn’t. Maybe I should have, in hindsight, but I was warm, had extra layers with me and found I didn’t need the Henry’s fleece I had brought, just in case, to keep me warm at work. I still haven’t had to use it.

There was a portable electric heater present so I used it. Later in the morning, the area was still cool but bearable. We were busy since the department had really been closed since Christmas. Nothing emergent but everyone was returning. When the manager of the centre came by, she noticed that it was cool and in conversation about a lot of things told about the problem last year in the room next door. Cold weather had burst some overhead pipes.

I found a thermostat in the office and turned it up. It didn’t seem to make much of a difference by late afternoon but it was hard to tell from the added heat of the viewboxes and the processor. On Friday, I had fewer people being introduced and the work flow was a bit easier since the processor problem of the day before was behind me and I was a bit more comfortable with the equipment. Saturday evening I got called back to the centre and found the room was extremely cold but the doors had been closed and the equipment had been off for twenty four hours.

No calls on Sunday. Monday a.m., I arrive at the department to find some oil or grease splatters at one end of the room just a couple of feet from the xray table and the generator panels. I looked above it and there was a fire sprinkler head. We contacted the building people and then notice there were splatters of the same substance on the wall. We cleaned up the mess and decided to put some plastic just along the generator panels just in case and moved any unnecessary equipment from the immediate area. I figured the plastic would reduce our cleanup of the goo. I told the staff helping me that we had just found oil and PetroCanada had nothing on this find. Room temperature remains cool but we are now in a blizzard at this point with winds and a wind chill factor of around 50C (the minus is still understood).

They decide to keep the access panel above the xray table open to let in some warmer room air and we kept the doors open for added circulation and heat. Just to be sure we also add more plastic over the Image Intensifier, xray table, and added additional plastic from the ceiling down over the generator panels. I fully expected a call back that night. It didn’t happen. The weather continued cold and blowing and on Tuesday a.m. there was a little more goop on the floor but hardly anything. I though we were in the clear.

About three o’clock that afternoon, there were a few of us talking about my hometown of Niagara Falls while having our break in the staff lounge. Some of the local Inuks had been there. One had done a course with Fort Erie Fire Department Search and Rescue so we were talking about the river and how important it was to our region when someone yelled that the sprinkler had burst. We all responded and the steady stream of people exiting the staircase grabbed mops and pails as we tried to soak up the water spewing from that sprinkler head.

They had to shut down the sprinkler system and drain it so no more water would come out. That took some time but we all worked hard and soon the floor was dry and we had dried the plastic coverings as well. The sprinkler head was removed and a temporary plug was inserted. I was relieved that the xray equipment had been saved and decided that no more xrays would be done with that machine until the morning when it had a chance for any moisture to dry. We have portable for backup. The danger had been averted.

Not so fast! Down in the boiler room we had another flood. It seems that the sump pump that drains the sprinkler system had froze solid. So all the water from the entire two story building was now underfoot in the boiler room. My area was already dry so I pitched and we mopped and bailed…and eventually the problem was resolved. I told the Inuks “tomorrow at lunch you guys are getting swimming lessons.” They all laughed. I was serious…so were they!

Today, our department thanked those heroes. It was a small token of appreciation for what could have been a major disaster to the community. The second boiler has now been going a full day, several sinks with no water running are working again. The xray room was up to 19C before lunch. That access panel remains open and we close it when we have a case that requires the table bucky since it hangs down and would interfere in the overhead tube crane travel. So by the end of today all was good with the world here in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut Territory, Canada.

That was, until about 4:45, when I heard the siren. It was eerie and reminded me of my early years at the General in St. Catharines before 1970 when ambulance services were run by the fire department. We had no radio link with them and so when there was a bad case they would sound the siren at the street entrance to Emerg. You then had about thirty seconds until things were flying through the door.

As bad as the flood in our xray room yesterday from the fire sprinkler and the flood in the equipment room, they pale with the realty of late this afternoon...another suicide in this community. Fourteen years is awful young...hug your kids tonight!

The Twins are HERE!

2008-01-09T19:54:00.000-05:00

Today I met the twins. I‘ve been in town a week now and thought it was time. More to the point I had to. You see I was down to an extra work shirt and a couple of pair of gotchies. Socks had just about maxxed out. The twins are located just under the staircase. The same one I climb several times a day.

When I get within two steps of the top, I have the most amazing view out my dining room window. It’s the INUKSUK, the stone marker. I have to find out if he/she/it has a name. But day and night in swirling snow and sunny bright periods it’s there constantly reminding me of the heritage this place holds so dear.

The residence is serving me well. There are other apartments closer to the health centre but this one has an aura about it. Its distinct shape and design make it quite unique. I’ve figured out that it faces due south, hence, the reason for the three 14 x 36 inch windows across the top of the ceiling. Duh, mention Solar heating? The living room is bright with this feature. At least, it was Sunday (three days ago) when I was last there during the daylight hours (count ‘em). The official forecast does not list blizzard anymore.

The daylight hours are getting longer now. Someone said it’s increasing at 11 minutes a day here. I think that they are in denial of the weather. It’s amazing when everyone comes into the centre in the morning. The staff entrance has a rack for holding your boots, When you arrive you are supposed to place your boots on the rack to reduce the wet floors and mess that melting snow can cause. If we did this at home our foot wear would have wandered. And salt and mud are a southern person’s nightmare…none of that here.

So when you greet folks the first thing they complain about is weather related…sound familiar? Susie, with the nice boots, the other day complained how cold it was and then without pause said “But I’m half white, I feel the cold!” That just about sums up the vast diversity of people that are working with “up here”.

I met Santa, yesterday. He was in to the health centre getting his annual check up. He didn’t need an xray though, so I was a little disappointed. He wasn’t dressed in his famous red suit that the Mounties have adapted. No, he was in street clothes, so if one of the workers hadn’t introduced him, I would never have known. It seems this time of year things are winding down and he gets his checkup so he has time to get ready for next season.

It’s hard to believe I’ve been here a week and its now the second week of January 2008. I had that shocking reminder in a phone conversation with my wife yesterday. I guess the charge card bill has come in. The $200 in cold weather gear (actually over $300 if I include the boots that she may have missed on the other card) didn’t seem to be as much of a problem as those golf clubs that I bought her for Christmas. The trouble is with the nice weather back home I think she wants to go practice and right now she’s ready to hit my balls!

Grace had a hard time calling Rankin Inlet last Friday. After she had educated about four telephone assistants (is it proper to call them operators these days?), she eventually got hold of the health centre. It was after hours, of course, so she got the nurse on call and had a radiophone experience. I finally got a picture of one and will post it as well.

Well I’m off to visit the twins. I have choices of hot/cold, warm/cold, warm/warm and hot/hot. If it’s anything like the first four seconds of the shower each morning cold/cold will be an arctic awakening.

Communications up here!

2008-01-09T03:02:00.000-05:00

Phone, fax, emails, and the occasional snail mail package are the means of communication in most places these days. The phone is now accentuated with text messaging and blue tooth access and for those that don’t like the aural adornment you can always hold the handset to your ear.

Up here, cellular technology appears to have a replacement. As I said earlier I haven’t seen any cellular towers and my phone hasn’t found system access so I have to assume the service doesn’t exist. Enter the famous radiophone. I tried to get a photo of one today but we had a flood of requests and I couldn’t get to it.

Our health centre is open 8:30 to 5:00 and closed for an hour at lunch. I’m one of the few who doesn’t go home for lunch. Here’s my reasoning. By the time I dress up and get home and have lunch, get dressed for the outdoor temps again and head back, I can spend the time more wisely exploring the health centre and reading things on the various bulletin boards.

For medical services after hours and on weekends, there is a nurse on call to handle the emergencies, consultations and general inquiries. If you call the centre after hours, you get two numbers - one for midwifes and one for the nurse on call. The nurse on call answers your telephone call by means of their radiophone. They immediately ask for your phone number and call back on a land line directly instructing the caller what actions to take.

If the fire department gets a call for the ambulance, they too, inform the nurse on call by radiophone and then will relay more information about the call as it becomes available. The nurse is already on their way to the health centre to meet the ambulance upon arrival.
Those of us on call and away from our phones have pagers to keep us attached to the health centre. I know it happens for xray and I believe it happens that way for the lab folks as well. Use phones first, then pager if needed.

As you can see from the outside shots that I’ve attached there is no end to the number of cables and lines that are on posts here in town. Everything from electricity, cable TV and telephone service depend on those “life” lines. With the winds that have been blowing the past few days I’ve been amazed that we haven’t had power or phone interruptions.

The cable, however, is partially out since Monday night. I was all set ready to watch THE biggest college football game of the season LSU vs. Ohio State. It didn’t happen. Well, the game happened, but not the viewing (at least not in my apartment). A blackout seemed unlikely from a sports franchise standpoint since I don’t think there are a lot of LSU and OHIO STATE interests locally. Naw, it was just the cable out from the storm.
I could get Fox from Detroit, The Toon channel, Discovery and the Outdoor Life Network and that was about it!

That same afternoon at coffee, I had been talking to some of the staff. Here it seems we go from topic to topic about the north as I try to get their impressions of the changes that have occurred here. One person related a story he read in the paper this summer about a telephone repair man. It seems this repair fellow climbed the pole to do some checking on the lines, etc. while a family of polar bears decided to hike near him. That wasn’t enough, though, as these bears decided that the area near bottom of his perch would be a good spot to rest. And so they did.

It seems the telephone man did the next best thing. While up on the pole, he used his testing equipment. He dialed up someone and reported the bears so that they could send help along and to shoo them off. We all laughed and said it was a good thing it was a telephone man. Could you believe the havoc that would have happened if it was Larry the Cable guy on that pole instead? There would have been Morse code interruptions in the cable service as he tried to draw attention to his plight.

On Monday night I looked out my window to see if there was any one at the top of the poles that I could see that needed rescue…so that I could get my football game back

Rankin "Inletters" or "Rankinites" ?

2008-01-07T23:31:00.000-05:00

They prefer to be called INUKS. They may have come from Baker Lake, Chesterfield Inlet, Arviat, Whale Cove or other settlement besides this one. The collective term that is used however, is INUIT. They are family. Their forefathers were nomads wandering the windy and snowy deserts of this region to survive.

They followed the caribou, the fish, the seals and the bears. They hunted and fished and used what the animals gave them to live their lives. Nothing was wasted. Every thing was sacred. Their life was hard but their reward was family.

I’ve met folks this week who 20 years ago were nomads and lived that life…but no more. They may have grown old and weary but they are enjoying the fruits of their loins, their children and grandchildren. The “elders” are respected for their ways and those ways have often clashed with the modern life we have brought their way.

It seems there are no more of their people travelling this vast area along with the herds…but they do try to protect and preserve their ways and cultures. Often times their actions and reasons are misunderstood by those of us from more southern climates. Dialogue and understanding are the hope for the future of this region.

I’ve been listening to their stories and trying to appreciate the hardships of the past and their hopes for their own future. With that in mind, I’m pleased to introduce a “calendar” girl. I met Leila today at the health centre. Leila’s mom works at our travel office.

You may ask why our building would need its own travel consultant. It’s very simple we ship and receive. Yes, just like UPS, we send people out for testing and care to other centre like Churchill and Winnipeg. We also get people sent to us from smaller health facilities that do not have certain testing or procedures available to them where they live. The patients and their families have to get there. Air is the only way this time of year. Medivac is the option for serious injury or disease and the region’s base is here in town.

Well, Leila, along with her sister and brother appeared on the 2007 Arctic Co-Op calendar. The photo was taken in July 2006 when the wildflowers were abundant “on the land” as it is referred to here. The INUKs like to go back to the tundra. It’s almost spiritual to them. I’ve never photographed a calendar girl before so eat your heart out!

I talked a few days ago about the coats and the kids and their content with riding quietly along on their mother’s backs. I found a mother and daughter today along with Grandma who were willing to show me their coat and demonstrate its design and use. Enjoy the photos. They speak for themselves.

AND for those of you who didn’t have the mailing address of the health centre I found it today and it shows just how isolated we really are. KIVALLIQ HEATH CENTER, P.O. Mailbag 008, Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. XOC OGO….You could pronounce the postal code “Chicago” but after the raging winds and blowing snow of the past few days this is truly the “windy city”.

Observations about the Inlet

2008-01-07T22:02:00.000-05:00

The cookies are going quickly. When I got called in on Saturday and signed in on the computer, the Inuit word of the day was “SIVALAAQ” (Pat, can I buy an “A”?). This also means biscuit or cookie but from a dialect called North Baffin. It is quite intriguing that the locals can speak the language and also the various dialects as needed. I’ve also worked with quite a few different translators over the past three days. My Inuktitut has definitely improved, I think.

Mondays are elder’s day at the Co-op so I plan to go there after work. Their discounts are 10 percent to everyone over 55. I hope my Costco card gets the “deals”. I have to check out their baking section. I found muffin mix the other day at the Northern (just add egg whites). I picked it up and the muffin papers. By the time I was finished at the fur section in notions and checked out in line, the mix was no longer a purchased object. So the senior’s…oops elder’s discount may be appropriate in this case.

I’ve been here since Wednesday and the garbage in everyone’s barrels alongside the roads has increased. I asked when I should put mine out for pick and was told they get to it when they can. Strange thing here is that for the number of dogs around, I have yet to see one running at large. Likewise, the number of green bags in and outside the barrels has increased as well…also no mess. There are no recycling blue boxes here. They would have blown away years ago, if implemented. Any paper is put to use for heat, I’m assuming.

Anything shipped up here and arrives that contains a wooden frame has someone standing in line for the packing before the object is uncrated. It was very similar back at SCGH at Christmas time. Since pop is so expensive, those 2 litre bottles are few and far between.

What you don’t see here is everyone walking about with water bottles in their hands. First, they would be solid by the end of the block and they would also cause their hands to freeze as well. Bottled water is not something that I noticed either in the store this week. Tomorrow I will check it out. With the cost of shipping and the weight involved, I would not expect to see bottled water except for the tourists coming this summer.

At the breakfast yesterday, a large glass of water was supplied for each guest without asking. It was a pleasant change from home. The humidity inside buildings is so dry that I find myself drinking more water. It also accompanies most distilled beverages.

Other things that you don’t see are those instant messaging devices or ears locked to cell phones, blue tooth or otherwise. Maybe that’s something that we should look into, after all the median age here is 22.2 years. They wouldn’t hear the beeping or the ringing with the wind, snow machines and quads driving about. Oh, they could still use vibrate unless, of course, they were in a meeting. Just kidding when I checked my cell phone this morning it was still looking for a network.

Any Port in a Storm

2008-01-06T22:08:00.001-05:00

If you’ve checked the weather here today and that predicted for Monday, using the quicklink available on his blog, you will notice that we have a blizzard warning. That continues for tomorrow as well. They tell me that when a storm system moves in here it can last a few days.

So tomorrow we may have a blizzard day off from work. Only time will tell. I really don’t know how they can tell the difference since the snow has been blowing here at various times as bad as today, I guess just not as long. There is good news however, since our parking lot was plowed today. More accurately it was front-end unloaded. I think they are used more than any plows.

At home you would see all kinds of trucks driving around with plows attached. Here all kinds of trucks but no plows exist. I see that the weather back home has warmed and may go double digits this week. Our weather here has warmed and is in the double digits as well….the minus is still understood!

While this storm has been winding down, the snow machines and trucks have been driving by. It’s like being on a lake in the summer with the different sounds of motors going by, I’m sure the locals recognize their “boats” accordingly. In the apartment, it’s been warm and cozy. In fact, I had to buy a short-sleeved T shirt since everything else I brought was too warm to wear inside our building that everyone in town knows as “the Barn”.

The two-story apartment is located in a building containing four, each with its own snow entrance. The door on it has shifted and doesn’t close hence the snow drifts in it all the time. There is a shovel handy. I gave up trying to shovel the porch steps three days ago. You just climb overtop of what’s there. The snow is not icy just extremely crunchy underfoot.

The upstairs has a living, dining and kitchen, fully equipped with microwave, toaster, coffee maker, fridge and stove. Couch, chair, end tables, buffet hutch and oak dining table with four chairs complete the furnishings along with cabled TV.

Downstairs in the main entrance is the peg wall so common in these parts. By the time you hang your parka, overpants, gloves, wind mitts, face shield and balaclava, there are few pegs left. The boot tray is on the other side. Down the hall are washer, dryer and back entrance. Two bedrooms and bath complete the lower floor. The floors are carpeted except for the flooring in the kitchen and dining room. The view waking upstair through my dining room window is of the INUKSUK...today covered with the blowing snow and with the ravens flying about.

The walls appear about 16 inches thick and the few windows are 14x 24 inches as well. Thermostats are located both top and bottom floors that control the hot water heat. The hot water in the kitchen and bath arrives very quickly. I haven’t found out where the tank is located…some things are better when they are unknown. Bedding is provided and must be washed and folded ready to be used when I leave in two weeks. The same hold true for the entire apartment. I must clean the floors and have everything like it was when I moved in…which was spotless. There is an iron and board here….I don’t think I’ll use it much.

There is a notice posted that has contact numbers should maintenance be required or anything breaks or is faulty. It welcomes me to Barn Unit 506 and lists my phone number. It further states “Feel free to use and leave behind non-perishable foods or items for the next guest”. I got two kinds of mustard, honey, all kinds if spices and dish and laundry soaps. There’s other stuff here…it was like Christmas all over again without the wrapping paper. The bear jam I picked up today at breakfast. The cost of my apartment is also in the contract...still in Iqaluit.

Sunday Breakfast

2008-01-06T14:45:00.000-05:00

There is something special about having a leisurely Sunday breakfast with friends in a small café. We ended up, not at the Red Top, nor the Sugar Rush, nor the CoOp but at the Siniktarvik Hotel and Conference Centre. Endless cups of coffee, decaf please, and the stories and history of the living in this area made this one even more special. Linda had asked me If I wanted to join the group along with her daughter, Kristen, who is heading back to Baker Lake to restart work tomorrow (if she can fly out with this blizzard). My neighbours, Cole and Julie were also there since Julie was the driver. Cole just wanted the bear jam (see the attached photo).

It was only last Wednesday that my brother and I met in Toronto before I “shipped” out. He had picked me up at the airport once I had checked my luggage and we headed down the road to Zazi’s Place at the Econo Lodge Inn along the airport strip, not by choice but because it had a sign in the window that said OPEN. Since I was flying in Canada and didn’t know when my next meal would be, I had the Zazi Deluxe for $8.95. The home fries weren’t available that day since it was just the early hours of a new year. We shared some stories and had a good laugh or two before I was back to the airport and heading off.

That kept me going for a bout five hours until I had a couple of bowls of seafood chowder in the Air Canada Lounge in Winnipeg along with a Blue. That kept me going until I had the deluxe Calm Air ham sandwich while enroute from Churchill to Arviat.

I had a coffee and a cookie on the earlier leg, courtesy of Calm Air . By the time we were heading into Churchill nature was calling. I didn’t know if we were going to disembark at Churchill or just waiting onboard. I decided that I better use the “head” before we landed. So I went forward, DID THE DEED, then turned to wash my hands. At this point you could tell we were in the Arctic. The sink was filled with packets of handiwipes…no water here to freeze. I grabbed a few extras just I case I might need them later.

Today, with the Hungry Man Special I did get an extra bread, bacon and sausage. What cost me $8.95 in T.O., today at the Siniktarvik cost me $18.95 but the snow seemed fresher here. Snow capped deckchairs, a patio area completely obliterated by drifts and frost on everything from the windows to the bank of transformers sitting above, somehow made it all seem worth it.

BTW my chocolate chip cookies baked up nice and taste terrific. The current blizzard outside will be here today and tomorrow. The wind is howling but it seems to do that a lot here this time of year. Inside we are toasty warm and ready to watch the NFL football playoffs (since it appears that I missed the gold medal hockey game yesterday afternoon)…well this is the north!

Life About Town

2008-01-06T09:10:00.000-05:00

I’m living in Suite 506. I haven't posted a photo of it here yet. I don’t know the address, It's written here somewhere. And obviously, after yesterday, I don’t know where to turn to get back home. I got called back in to the clinic last evening and the short hike of about ½ mile is invigorating. It lets you think. You anticipate what you will find when you get there and how to deal with it.

The nurses here are on call for 24 hours. They answer a radio phone allowing them some flexibility of movement. They answer the radio, ask for a contact phone number and then call the party back on the land line. Then, they will meet the ambulance or the individual (and their family of course) at the medical centre.

At home, we always had the families arrive with “grandpa” or “momma”. It seems the same things happen here...but they take longer to get dressed to get here. Families are a big thing here and everyone likes to show off their kids (some things are the same eh?)

The big difference is how they bundle them up for the winter winds and transport them about. I haven’t seen a baby carrier since I left Winnipeg airport, except in the vehicles. People do use them for transport in their trucks. Otherwise the babies are bundled into a back section of the mothers coat where a hood would normally be attached. They are very secure, look very warm and the mothers hands are free. I don’t think you get those coats online.

There are very few cars about. Trucks and Suv’s mostly. The preferred mode of transport this week has been the snow machines. I don’t know how they buy them, how they get “factory service” or what they cost to get here. I got an email from a buddy at home who said he used Google Map to check out Rankin Inlet. The response from the program was “cannot calculate driving directions”. Use Google Earth instead. It shows the whole layout of the hamlet, the lake in the centre of town, the bay and docks, etc.

The sealift is a big thing here and it’s the only way that large and heavy goods can get here. There are no roads back to the south. To get into town from anywhere you travel by air or sea. Walking around town you realize quickly that most of the housing is prefab. The units are shipped in by water and assembled in the good weather.

Ice breakup here is also a celebration as you can imagine. It happens sometime in mid June. When I was flying in last Wednesday we stopped in Churchill. There, in a display case, was a certificate presented to the mayor for the earliest grain ship ever to dock. It was dated July 11, 2003, That’s almost two weeks after Canada Day.

There are steel shipping containers everywhere. People use them for storage, just like at home. The difference here is that snow covered and iced they are modern monuments to the great explorers of yesteryear.

Saturday Shopping at the Northern

2008-01-05T18:29:00.000-05:00

The sun has been out all day and the wind has hardly been blowing. I decided this morning to head out to the Matchbox Gallery…didn’t make it. When I finally got organized and dressed for the weather, Cole and Julie from next door were out playing on a sled with the neighbour’s dog pulling it. So I checked out the directions and thought I would head down by the shore of the inlet first. I took some roads that I hadn’t before to try to get a daylight map in my head.

Got passed the Co-Op and found the CIBC, walked past the cop shop complex and ended up where all the barking was coming from. The dogs are penned down by the water. By the time I got down there and taking some shots along the way I thought I better get over to the Northern for my saturday shopping experience.

As I picked up some items for my cart I was checking out the prices. I started at the vegetables. I paid 1.35 for a lemon. I’ve been drinking tea all week so I thought I’d get one to have with it. Then I walked past the meat and then the frozen foods. I found a nice ham there smoked with bone in for about $45.00 and that wasn’t’ quite five pounds. Frozen foods were more interesting with Green Giant Select Valley vegetables, the 500g size, for $4.69. I left the ham for the next person, also the vegetables.

Had a look at the basics, flour and sugar, both way up there. Then, I decided to scout out the rest of the store down the ramp and into the pharmacy, hardware, clothing, shoes, appliances, outboard motors and furniture sections. The goose decoys on top of the new washer dryer combination was neat. For ice fishing, there was the “ESKIMO” brand power ice auger (33 cc) which will run you $639.

K-Mart in the states used to sell rifles so that wasn’t so different. But in the notions and materials area was something that really surprised me. The bundles of flannel used for those boots and leggings were there right alongside the fur pelts, yes tanned and ready to sew furs.

There hung arctic fox in white, silver fox in grey, and coyote along with a couple that I couldn’t identify since they weren’t labelled. The beavers came in small, medium, large, and extra large. Now you know. A silver fox goes for $259. An extra large beaver in this town can run you $189.99 …installation not included.

The sunset was visible from my second storey window at 3 p.m. It’s now 3:30 and its getting very dark. I haven’t used those sunglasses I packed yet. Today, I thought I knew the way home… I was wrong. I must have done an extra two or three miles. At least I was dressed for it, was warm and finally found my dwelling. My $3.69 dozen of eggs hadn’t frozen yet. How do you tell? I really don’t know but at least they hadn’t cracked.

Just finished baking chocolate chip cookies. A large glass of milk, a Martha Stewart Everyday Blanket, a few of those warm from the oven cookies and I’m ready for the NFL playoff games. Who cares if I get snowed in or called out. Hey, let’s not go that far!

If this is Saturday we must be in RANKIN INLET

2008-01-05T12:09:00.000-05:00

I must have been tired yesterday ‘cause when I woke up this morning at 915 I had almost missed the sunrise! My first thoughts when I opened my eyes were “It’s light outside! God what time is it?”

Neither the phone nor the pager went off after I got back at 7:30 or so. I haven’t been on call for I don’t know how long. It’s Saturday…my day off…sortoff…It’s too cold outside to wash the car…I don’t have a car and there doesn’t seem to be a carwash nearby…2 good reasons there. I do have to go and visit the coop store and grab their calendar. Also stop by the royal bank and see what my credit limit is before I head to the northern and look at those new hot snow machines…I’m sure Grace will enjoy going to work on one.

But at one o'clock, I have an appointment at the Matchbox Gallery with Jim’s associate. Jim is an artist, originally from NYC, who came here 30 years ago. I met him yesterday and he was quite knowledgeable about the area and Native art. He invited me to his shop. So I’ve got a tentative appointment there. I hope to be out of there by three so I can watch the sunset.

Yesterday I actually saw the sun rise for a moment before the clouds moved in and I got busy in the centre. I also saw the last 15 seconds of the Canada-US Junior semi final hockey game. I had tried earlier in the day to stream it on the internet at work but they had it blocked or too many were already there. I might have known it would have been on the TV in the main patient waiting area down the hall. Experience should have told me that one. I’m going to see if there is a gathering in town to watch the final..might be quite they show locally and on the tube as well.

I have some good news. My replacement coffee maker worked this morning so breakfast was more like home. I bought flax bread at the store the other night. It seemed the freshest to me and they was only a dollar difference. (I must be getting climatized!) Honey on fresh toast with hot coffee after orange juice started the mid-morning for me.

I’ll talk about my living quarters affectionately known to everyone as "the Barn" and post some shots of it later in the day, perhaps. But remember this is the North.

TGIF

2008-01-04T22:36:00.000-05:00

Another busy day…there must be health centre “staff discount days” on Fridays. I didn’t get the memo. I’m not surprised. My contract is still in Iqaluit, as well. That’s the north!

For lunch activites we went outside and built an igloo. We would have finished it, too, in our ALOTTED HOUR but the building inpsector condemned it before we could get the permits. YOU REALLY THINK THIS HAPPENED? (No I borrowed this shot from the Arctic College brochure but it looks good don't it?)

I met Sam’s father in law and then Marlee’s dad was also in to see me. All the elders in the community and are respected for their age and wisdom. One’s boots were seal skin with a flannel lining that was intricately sewn and hand stitched. The seal flippers are very tough and are used as the “soles” of the boots. A shoemaker here is out of work with the skills that these folk possess. He’s about 80. Until last year, he went yearly for the hunts to the tundra.

His walking stick is also finely carved and well assembled using caribou skull, baleen and elk antler. When he was born, his nomadic family would have been following the elk and caribou across the region, hunting and fishing as required. He also fished and tended the nets for the char and trout ‘til last year with the family. His son had driven him to the clinic on the back of a skidoo. Then he was off to do some errands before returning to give him a lift back home on the back of the snow machine.

I’m learning the Inuktitut language one word at a time. Every time you sign in to the health centre computer system you get the Inuktitut “Word of the Day”. Today’s was “Qaqqujaq” which means biscuit or cookie. The dialect is Nunavik (one of at least 6 in Nunavut). In english, it can be pronounced OREO. Which also reminds me that I didn’t bring any with me…so they can be mailed to the Kivalliq Health Centre, Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. The postal code was listed earlier on this blog for those that were paying attention. The Inuktitut version, Wheel of Fortune, home game will be a hoot when its released next year. Vanna are there any q’s? Should solve half the words I’m thinking.

In this town you can get away with the line “look at the boots on her”. Up here people wear fur because it keeps them warm. The newbies and first timers working at the centre are easily recognized by their parkas. It seems this year’s colours were either red or grey. (mine’s brown so they think I’ve come back!). I also found out that the only open bars are located at the RCMP detachment office, just down the street and around the corner from the Royal Bank. I haven’t met Sgt. Preston yet and the sleds that have gone by, so far, are all motorized.

There are four official languages here in this territory. French and English but also Inuktitut and Inuinaqtin. The name of this territory is quite significant and very historic. In the Inuktitut language it means “OUR LAND” and covers nearly 2 million square kilometers. It officially became at territory on April 1, 1999. Queen Elizabeth II was in Iqualuit to honour the proclamation. This new territory settled land claims and was based upon Inuit land usage and occupancy from a process that had started in 1973.

With a median age of 22.1 years, it has Canada’s youngest population. It is also one of the fastest growing with an 8% increase over the past 5 years from figures currently available. It hyas the highest cost of living as well. Growth is everywhere they tell me…but until the sunrise this morning I couldn’t tell which way was north.

I just got back home from the centre having got my first call back into work. A sixteen year old wrapped his snow machine around something and his leg zigged when it should have zagged. He’s being shipped to Winnipeg tonight for Ortho consult. Was a cold walk home but not as bad as I thought until I realized I was heading back up the hill. Got to get some rest before the weekend gets here. Too late……

Rankin Inlet's' Native sons

2008-01-04T08:11:00.000-05:00

Rankin Day 2 morning

Just spent my first night on call and I haven’t done that in 20 years plus. No calls. But tonight is Friday and who knows what will happen. In all the meetings and “welcome to Rankin Inlet(s)” of yesterday, I am finding out lots about this hamlet.

It looks crisp this morning with the winds light going from left to right out my front window. I haven't seen a sun rise nor set so I don't know which way is up...nothing much has changed by coming north. Last night after the snow blowing stopped and the dishes from supper were put away I looked out my dining room window and found the great “inuksuk” perched not 100 yards away. That’s the famous marker centrally located here in town and soon to be more famous as one symbol used for Vancouver 2010.

The other window shows a sight far more Canadian eh? The snow covered transport machines and a propane grill. Gotta love it.

The famous stories go on. Apparently Peter Gzowski, of CBC fame, visited here years ago and talked to a young man working at the airport. The story goes that he told him “you have a great voice and should be in broadcasting”. That’s the news anyways. Oh, and this young fellow’s name was Peter Mansbridge. Also the new terminal building for those keeping score has two gates for boarding.

My second tale today is of a more recent son still working hard to achieve his professional goals. Barney works at the centre for the firm that handles property management. I was told this by the acting director when she met me Wednesday night at the airport and we drive by their house here in town. Linda told me I’ll introduce you when he’s in the building. So after the morning rush had subsided and our hour lunch was over, she brought another visitor to meet me.

Barney’s a very interesting guy. He travels south to meet his son and goes on a couple of trips with him while his son conducts business. You can see the pride on the man’s face and near it in his voice when we were taking about him. Everything from his Halifax triumph to the first line position being held this year, he's a predator, actually a Nashville Predator. Barney invited me over to see the trophy room that remains in their family home. So Jordin, I hope you won your last game so your Dad‘s in a good mood when I get there.

I’m off to work shortly. Today will be easier than yesterday. The acting director has promised me that we “won’t work you as hard as we did today”. It’s a pleasure going in. I can’t remember a manager telling me that EVER!

There is an expression here that covers everything…That’s the north. My contract is still in Iqualuit. It might be in today. My coffee maker doesn’t work and a new one will be here soon. I’ll have my morning Java at the centre…too bad there’s not a Tim’s walk-through window on the way.

First full day In Rankin Inlet

2008-01-03T23:15:00.000-05:00

It’s seven o’clock local time. I’ve just finished supper and it’s dark outside. Well it’s been dark since about three thirty. For those of you who wondered how my first day went…let’s just say I’ve never been welcomed so much…and it lasted the entire morning. It was national Lumbar Spine day here in R.I. and that’s the good news.

Since I landed yesterday the wind has been howling and the snow has been blowing. I did see a snow plow in the distance…but I think they use front end loaders here more for the drifts. In the glow of orange street lights the eerie haze of buildings could be seen intermittently when I got up this a.m. It continued all day long. Tonight, when we left the Health Centre and went to the “Northern” for milk and bread (and a free calendar), the wind had slowed. The sky had seemed to clear. I can now see clearly from the second story windows.

I got a ride here into work this morning. It’s cold here and the ride from my neighbour Julie (and navigator Cole) was appreciated. It’s only about a five minute hike to the centre for work…but which direction still eludes me at times. There is a lake in the centre of town and the roads are all snow covered. There is a lake in the centre of town and the roads are all snow covered. Every time I’m in a vehicle they go a different route...and there is no CAA office to get a map.

At the KILLIVAQ HEALTH CENTRE, everyone wanted to meet the “new” person. With a series of “have you been North before?” “when did you get here?” and the list of now familiar questions continued. They haven’t had a tech for a couple of weeks now…so most patients were returning today. So with a quick introduction to the lab\xray receptionist, I scouted the department…nice new equipment with film processing and a fluoro/rad table. There is also a portable parked in the corner that I will check out tomorrow. Upright bucky and phototiming complete the picture, so to speak. Oh and ER is right next door to my xray room. (Notice how possessive we become so quickly!)

The entire medical centre is only a couple of years old. This Health Centre was being completed when the old one had a fire and they were fortunate to be able to move over real fast. It serves as a midwife teaching facility and last year they had 55 births. Family is very important to the people here and the entire family involves itself in the birthing. (another note will happen later about that).

The first patients were what I expected to happen. An eighty year old female Inuit who has been having bad back pain since visiting relatives in Iqaluit over Christmas. The second a lady who injured her shoulder while dog sledding on the weekend. People here in the north are very resourceful. She came equipped with an internet printout for AC dislocation with a description of the various stages…diagrams and all. I should have kept it and may call her later to drop off a copy. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to read the articles. There were more spines and ankles and knees to be done.

I have seen more different styles of boots since arriving. Mine fit right in except they have no seal fur cuffs…yet. Felt style boots that don’t look like they would stay dry let alone keep feet warm. Colours, embroidery and lacings that are intriguing as well. You have to be observant.

Also, I have seen more babies transported in the only way I know to describe it…as papooses. I’ll get the correct Inuit word…and some photos to boot. The kids look warm and comfortable…being carried on their mom’s backs. Rosy cheeks are everywhere and the locals today were complaining about how cold it was. Little did they know that that same wind we had yesterday was bringing down the temperatures back at my home town. So now you know where those cold blasts come from….Your temperatures in Niagara should rise the next few weeks since there is now a hot air generator living in Rankin Inlet. He leaves on the 20th.

The trip into the “northern” was an experience. It has everything from groceries to snowmobiles, hardware, clothing and furniture. I’ll post a photo of what twenty bucks can buy you. The change is also shown. For January, my free calendar has a great recipe for Caribou stew and a great sunset photo Baker Lake.

Our patients are flown in for their xrays and other medical services not provided in the other communities. We service the communities of Baker Lake, Resolute, Chesterfield, Whale Cove, Arviat, and of course Rankin Inlet. I know I’ve left out some others…we’ll make it up later. My last patient arrived off the plane heading south from Baker Lake. She had her films and physician consult and was on their way back on the next flight north. They may stay over tonight and visit with relatives or friends since they are already here. Such is life in the “north”.

Arrived safe and Sound

2008-01-03T00:56:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update to say the I've arrived. SO did all my luggage and everything transported....only a couple of very minimal things. I have settled in at "the barn" suite they've assigned me.

More later have to be to work for 8/...I have a whole page on todays' venture..I started at 3 a.m. and just now I've connected to wireless network so am able to send this out. Local time central is 12 midnight.

It is cold and Hanna tells me there isn't much snow yet! I'll explain this and more. Everything is put away or stored for the return trip.

Travel Day

2007-12-30T10:00:00.001-05:00

Well today we just relax and let the other guys do the driving. The current snow storm here at home has caused the "bus" to arrive another half hour earlier. So now it's a 3:45 a.m start.

The good news is the day will be full of challenges...Westjet to Winnipeg departs Toronto 08:35 and arrives locally at 10:15. Calm Air departs Winnipeg 14:45 and arrives at Churchill, then on to Arviat and finally Rankin Inlet at 19:30 Central time. I have people waiting at the airport for me...that is if the weather holds and everything continues on as scheduled.

As the crow flies....approximate distances:

Toronto Winnipeg 1500 km
Winnipeg Churchill 1000 km
Churchill Arviat 260 km
Arviat Rankin 200 km

Very few crows fly north this time of year!

The bad news is it's a long day ahead...but I'm packed and raring to go. Also I willl miss all the college bowl games going on this week...don't know what kind of tv programming is seen there. Is there a video rental or movie theatre or local Legion?

Only time will tell.... and also this site.

Let the games begin!

2007-12-30T09:59:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year! Its' 2008 already... and, well, its only 2 years now until Vancouver and Whistler host the world for the 2010 games. The olympics will be here before we know it. The olympic coins are now starting to become circulated. I think I got a Marion Bedard quarter in my change the other day.

The bags are ready to be sealed. A repacking of the "Rough Neck" occurred this a.m. It's quite amazing how you can combine the contents of one box into another and reduce the volume (but not the weight). The top fits on and will be duct taped and tie wrapped before the airbus arrives tomorrow. The was an accomplishment in itself. Any fluids are double sealed in freezer style baggies to reduce their flow on thaw. We'll see how it ships.

So my winter games are only 24 hours away from the official opening. In the meantime enjoy the rose parade and any college bowl games...oh and buffalo has got some sort of outside hockey game today...suppposed to be a classic. Happy 2008 and in february be prepared for that extra day this year.

SO....LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Final Preps

2007-12-30T09:59:00.001-05:00

What have I forgot? What is the first thing I'll have to buy since I left it:
a. on the counter.
b. in the fridge.
c. at the store.
d. forgetting that I might need it.

I don't know but today was a swirl...The two tins of tim hortins decaf (I may need it for trade) was purchased minutes before they closed for the next 24 hours. Everything that's semi fluid is packed in baggies should they freeze (yeah right as though that might happen!) and split. Thank goodness for Rubbermade Rough Necks..the north apparently lives on them! Mine needs to be repacked in the a.m. adding the final touches and the rest goes in my suitcase.

This will be interesting...the 4 a.m. niagara airbus pickup wed morning...Can I lift it? Will the airlines accept it? What happens if they don't? I've thought of everything...And anything I can't take I can always purchase at the local Hudson's Bay Trading Post..if they have one...I don't know if they still take pelts...and the are no beavers in the far north...so trapping is out...I have been told that the grocery store takes Visa, though. It's the only place you can buy fresh meat, walk home and defrost it for three days. Today was to be sunny...so it may not have happened.

A few last minute things to add to the collection. The lists are getting worn out and the mind is starting to blurr a little...in the meantime enjoy the new years celebrations....2008 is just around the corner. Talk to you tomorrow.

Getting Psyched

2007-12-30T09:58:00.001-05:00

Getting ready for this adventure has been one of balancing the holiday season, work obligations and family time. The good news is that its almost here and the anticipation is something I can't explain. It's long been a hope to see the arctic and get north to the arctic circle. I'll be slightly south of the circle but in the arctic under arctic conditions. They should promote that in those travel ads.

Looking over lists and making sure everything is located, purchased and prepped to go has kept me (and my wife.. thank you) quite busy. There are only a couple of other things to get and then the packing can begin.

Are there enough clothes? Any time we travel, we usually travel heavy. This time it's heavy duty. The boots, the gloves, and the facemask make up only the shell of what's needed. There's almost three weeks to consider. I know what the accomodations consist of but what food to bring (I'll get to that at a later date)?

The good news is that I will speak (at least part) of the language of the area. The currency is familiar and they accept Canadian "AT PAR" which is very important when you live in a border town. They count and measure in metric and the weather reports sound quite familiar except for the proliferation of minuses on each report.

In less than 72 hours I'll be travelling. It will be a new year and new experience for sure. I'll keep you posted.

NO PASSPORT NEEDED

2007-12-29T03:24:00.000-05:00

Heading off to an adventure in your own country requires some planning. I've only had three weeks on this one... and with the christmas season, well it' s been hectic. The good news is for this trip I won't need my passport.

I got a new one about three years ago. We both needed new ones. So long before this current wave of rush and stand in line processing that we currently have, we applied for our renewals(now you can get credit for those previously held). They arrived and we went on a cruise to the mediterranean...Barcelona to Rome with 4 countries involved. Each way we flew into Heathrow with Toronto as our start and finish. Inspections and security were tight all the way, remember Italy was prepping for the Torino Olympics.

Last May we were fortunate to travel through the Panama canal on a cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver, with air travel starting in Buffalo and ending in Toronto. Total country involvement was 5 (including three inspections in various parts of the US). It wasn't until we arrived in Vancouver than the Canadian Immigration people noticed that our passports had never been signed. That quick observsation caused us to changed our ways. We used our pens and signed them there.

Now going to Rankin Inlet, I won't need a passport. For this trip I'm not taking mine. I don't think security will be as tight for people going that far north in early January. Instead, just in case, I'm taking my Costco card.

SNOW DAYS

2007-12-29T02:00:00.000-05:00

I got thinking the other day about school life in Nunvut. The thoughts came to me after a local school board was criticized for not declaring a snow emergency or "snow day". They did not close their schools for the day due to inclement weather. Here in Niagara we had about 14 inches of blowing snow over a 24 hour period starting late saturday night. By monday morning, most major roads were groomed...many side streets were not. The school buses were slowed and the Buffalo news told us they had "school bus delays".

My questions start with how do the kids in Rankin Inlet get to school...walk, snowmobiles, quads, sleds, taxis, buses, limousines? I don't know if they have school buses especially in the smaller settlements. Who determines if they have a snow day or is every day treated as one? Maybe they have "wind chill factor" days instead. Perhaps they don't change their habits at all and just continue on as a normal occurrence of life in the "north".

The same thing happens with their air transport system. "Weathering" is a term used to describe the fact that "we ain't going nowhere today". We are going to hunker down and when the weather breaks, then we fly out.

Remember the stories your parents told you about walking ten miles to school in the dead of winter with three foot drifts when milk was 5 cents a quart with a half cup of cream on the top?
Maybe some of this still goes on in certain regions of the country(although I have been told not to expect milk or any groceries to be cheap by any means).

The weather is expected to be sunny for the entire weekend in Rankin Inlet but the wind chill makes it a balmy -51C. It's a good thing school is out for christmas break...no one needs to make the decision on closing them.

AIR MAIL?

2007-12-27T06:55:00.000-05:00

The code for the Rankin Inlet Airport is YRT. The town code in air mail language is a very difficult word. “XO CO GO” although Canada Post would prefer you to write it as X0C 0G0. (Just don’t send the Lemon Meringue Pie…and frozen Daiquiris are not welcome at this time of the year either). Cash transfers are however allowed…I just don’t know how YET!

Rankin Inlet, or Kangiqtiniq (“deep bay/inlet” in Inuktitut) is the business and transportation hub of the Kivalliq region. At this time of the year the port depth remains a mystery as the ice is covering. I have yet to find a webcam live feed from the area…perhaps the lens gets iced.

That being the case, the weather forecast for the next few days is quite pleasant….sunny(from 9:44 to 14:34). The moon rises at 18:22 and sets at 11:32. There is now a link available on this blog for the current weather forecast. The wind and temperatures are something else indeed.

Getting there:
Flights to Rankin Inlet are operated by First Air and Canadian North on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It is possible to reach Rankin Inlet in one day from either Ottawa/Montreal--via Iqaluit, or Edmonton/Calgary--via Yellowknife. Kivalliq Air operates flights every day of the week except Saturday from Winnipeg to Rankin Inlet, with a stop in Churchill; Calm Air flies to Rankin Inlet from Monday to Saturday, with stops in Churchill and Arviat. First Air flies directly from Winnipeg to Rankin Inlet on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.
As you can see "Getting there is half the fun".

Did You Know?

The smallest commercial aircraft flying out of Rankin Inlet, NU is a PL2 with 9 seats.

Rankin Inlet, NU has 54 flights departing per week for short haul destinations.

Rankin Inlet, NU has 2 medium sized aircraft departing each week.

The largest aircraft flying out of Rankin Inlet, NU is a 737 with 122 seats.

A WEEK AWAY

2007-12-26T07:04:00.000-05:00

The adventure begins next Wednesday. Only seven more sleeps as my niece would say as she counted down to Santa’s arrival yesterday.

The weather continues to be a main question. Will the air be as dry as they say? How much snow actually falls or does it just blow in the wind? The temp here at home is currently hovering around 0 and they predict a high today of +5 (a far cry from last weeks howling storm that dropped about 14 inches which was good prep for me!)

Unlike our snow here which is usually wet (and great for snowballs and packing), apparently the snow there is more granular like course beach sand. It drifts so I am told. I’ll let you know.

My wife’s concern is my keeping warm. My outside clothing, I hope, will meet the need. A goose-down coat with hood and thinsulate face mask. A balaclava that looks like it came from the nights of the roundtable. Thinsulate gloves that fit inside big wind mitts. Overpants to break that wind and those black Sorel boots…good to minus 60F (-52C). I will probably take a half hour just to dress for work in the morning.

New flannel shirts, some long johns with high tech design, and a new fleece jacket complete the outfit. Will it be enough? Only time will tell. There are still more questions racing around in my head. They will have to wait. It’s Boxing Day here in Canada and I’m at the store til 6. Those gifts cards will be burning holes in peoples pockets!

It's Christmas Day!

2007-12-25T20:33:00.000-05:00

It’s been a busy day…stuffing the “big bird”… and getting it into the oven. The tables and chairs are set to go…the family arrives within the hour. I have a moment to think about what those in the north are doing this a.m. What will it be like in the north?

At this moment, we have daylight in Niagara and there is none (at this time of day) in Rankin. There are no trees to speak of, so I ‘m told, and the bays are currently frozen. Will there be a snow goose in the oven today, a roast of caribou, or perhaps an Arctic char. Is this day celebrated at all?

The jolly big man with the red suit is just a neighbour…a local telephone call. Perhaps that’s why he lives there. Maybe it’s no special day to those in the north. What if he enjoys that anonymity? Maybe the folks living near the North Pole consider him just another person with a job to do…albeit, one who changes the attitudes of many in southern climes for a short time.

His sled is pulled by some reindeers instead of dogs or that more recent invention called a snowmobile. I think in the name of economy Santa is a smart guy…He’s been “green for years”. What with the price of gas down here hovering at a buck a litre…what will it be there? Do they get a break because they have to order in March for the delivery by the great sealift when the sun becomes stronger and the ice breaks? Do they get the same price locked in for a whole year?

What happens when the stocks get low in April and May? Are there gas stations and do they compete with price wars if they have a surplus in order to empty their storage tanks in anticipation of their annual delivery? What are the road systems like? Do they plow or just drive on top as needed?

There is lots to find out about and lots to do today before everyone gets here. So I must leave now and say I hope your Christmas is Merry. As Tiny Tim once said “God bless us everyone”.

No TIM's for you !

2007-12-25T20:31:00.001-05:00

There is a certain feeling at Christmas which is quite different from those at New Years...At New Years, we are often thinking of the hopes and dreams that lay ahead or the year having recently closed. Christmas, though is a time for family, friends good food and sharing…Last night was Christmas Eve and after church, we shared good food and caught up on what was new and old since the last gathering.

The wide eyed anticipation in a child’s eyes as she prepares Santa’s plate, not forgetting those “reinders” as well. Oft times, our own childhood is seen through the eyes off a child and we remember Christmas’s from our past.

Travelling home we passed a few Tim Horton’s that were “dark” as they say on Broadway. It’s eerie to think that the entire nation will be deprived of their “double doubles” for a full 38 hours…worldwide. From the North Eastern States in the US to all ten provinces and two territories they are closed until 6 a.m. on Boxing Day. That is everywhere except Kandahar and Nunavut.

Now we all have heard that there’s a Tim Horton’s in Kandahar (their drive through must be interesting…wide enough for a troop carrier yet constantly checking the state of their
garbage pail and that laneway for IED’s). Nunavut is a different story however. As Canada’s newest territory, they have nun…..er none. You heard it here!!!! There is not a Tim’s in Rankin Inlet nor in their territorial capital of Iqualuit. Neither has Whale Cove or any other town or settlement up in that part of the Arctic. I’m doing my part, though, by taking a couple of tins of Fine Grind to the north with me. I’m afraid they won’t sell me their frozen doughnuts to take….something about quality control….and the fact that the local Mounties may confiscate them as contraband.

So here’s to our troops stationed around the world and especially those gals and guys serving proudly in Afganistan. Keep safe…we are enjoying the fruits of your labours as we have for generations. While some may not agree with the deployment, your efforts help to “keep the true North strong and free” as we sing so often, eh?

Merry Christmas to all. Your local Tim’s opens at 6 a.m. tomorrow and remember that they also close early New Year’s Eve…so stock up.

Reactions are Mixed...am I surprized?

2007-12-22T07:47:00.001-05:00

The reaction to my announcement of this adventure is, to say, MIXED as you can imagine. The support is still strong at home...and also at the store...but there it varies slightly...one person thought I had stood up too quickly and the blood had never returned to the brain...but they were pleasant about it. Another was eager to hear all about it. Several have mixed thoughts...and one co-worker when I told him the news asked me if I had lost a bet to someone.
Many have suggested medical treatment for obvious reasons...also in a nice way.

Although its supposed to be +4C here at home today and it is the first day of winter officially...the longest day of the year in this hemisphere. At the Arctic Circle the sun should be below the horizon all day long. There will be light there but no direct sun...that's the official version for "the land of the midnight sun" for the summer solstice at least

I'll be at 62°48'56.06"N Latitude but still about 4 degrees south of the Arctic Circle with Longitude as 92° 4'55.09"W. Get those globes out or visit (http://earth.google.com/) and put the world in perspective as they say. This is a far cry from our house at 43°37"01.83' North Latitude and 79°07'15.78"West Longitude in Niagara.

The closest settlement that I can find so far is Whale Cove to the southwest about 80 kilometers. We are approximately 400 kilometers south of the famous Distant Early Warning (or DEW) Line Early warning system established in the fifties during the tensest part early in the cold war. In fact Dewline Line Radar sites CAM-D and CAM 3 are almost due North. Many interesting photos about its history and construction are available here http://www.lswilson.ca/cam3.htm Check it out. For the whole story http://www.lswilson.ca/dewline.htm It was officially working fifty years ago. I was seven at the time...ouch.

So where is this "RANKIN INLET?"

2007-12-21T21:36:00.000-05:00

Located in Canada's newest territory (NUNAVUT) on the western shore of Hudson's Bay, the hamlet or village known as Rankin Inlet, thanks to wikipedia, is:

The town was founded by the owners of the Rankin Inlet Mine, which produced nickel and copper ores there between 1957 and 1962 from an underground operation. The mine was the first case of Inuit miners in Canada. Since the mine closed several attempts to develop an alternate source of income for the town were unsuccessful. These included a pig ranch in 1969 and a chicken raising venture in the 1970s. Both animals were fed a diet of local fish which unfortunately gave the meat an unpleasant flavour. It was also common for the animals to freeze to death or be eaten by polar bears.[2]

As of the 2006 census the population was 2,358 an increase of 8.3% from the 2001 census.[3]

The hamlet has a land area of 20.24 km² (7.8 sq mi). The community is served by the Rankin Inlet Airport, and by annual supply sealift.

Rankin Inlet can be known by several different names (Inuktitut: Kangiqiniq; or Kangirliniq, meaning deep bay/inlet) is an Inuit hamlet in Nunavut, Canada. The 2008 Rand McNally Road Atlas shows a new name of Kangiqsliniq, but its status as official is not known. It is on the western Hudson Bay and is the regional centre for the Kivalliq Region.

How it Began!

2007-12-21T06:59:00.000-05:00

So the whole thing began about two weeks ago when I got a phone call at the camera store (where I now work part time) asking if I was still interested in doing a locum for the xray tech in Rankin Inlet. I still do relief work here in the city on occassion for one of the local clinics (I retired from the hospital about 2 years 8 months ago but who's counting ??). Prior to that I had a couple of xray grads go there to work for a short time. More about that later.

January is usually a slow month in retail after the christmas season so I jumped at the chance. It's always been a dream to visit the Arctic...probably more so lately...when there is so much talk about what is going on there longterm.

My wife has been very supportive of me in this venture...truthfully....making sure I have the appropriate winter gear and clothing to keep me warm. She does, however, keep asking me "Don't you know anyone who runs a clinic in Bahamas, Bermuda, Florida or Mexico?" So that she also experiences some of the joys I have actively been clearing the freezer for her. We'll see if she tries it!

Winter camping as a teenager was an experience...staying overnight in a tent with the wind whipping around and the sleeping bag somewhat frozen in the morning. My cold feet were something else. We didn't know to dress in layers in those days...we just kept piling the clothes on until we were.

My other coldest experience came at this time of the year. After school, I worked at a small grocery store, Eke's Meat Market on Queenston Street across from the hospital and delivered groceries on a bicycle. Two doors up was Fosters' Ice Cream...Bob and Mae Ewart ran the place and I can remember those free Ice Cream Bars that were being hand made down in the production area. It's forty years since this happened but that Christmas I was sent to help sort and label the frozen turkeys that we kept temporarily in Foster's huge walkin freezer before the customers picked up their ordered birds. It was cold..my ears were tingling even with a toque and the heavy coats worn by the ice cream staff. By the way, Foster's had the best Black Raspberry Milkshakes that were ever made...nothing today compares.

Plans Finalized

2007-12-20T23:28:00.000-05:00

I am a Medical Radiation Technologist from Ontario. I have agreed to do a locum for three weeks in Rankin Inlet Nunavut at the local medical centre there.

Apparently, the travel is being finalized and as of today I leave January the second for almost three weeks in the Arctic. Don't know all the details yet but am awaiting the ticketing info.

Have been watching the weather of late, here's a link:
http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/71083.html

You'll notice that the sun rises this time of year at about 9:30 a.m. and sets at 2:15...and the temp on the weekend was a high of 24 C and a low of 28C ...the minus this time of year is understood.

My boots are good to minus 60F...so they will be tested. This is the arctic with Global Warming...what did it used to be like?

The research so far shows that the native people have very little calcium from their diet but extreme muscle mass....should prove interesting for my xray images.