Monthly Archives: February 2007

Here’s another great thing about living up north: People are always moving away, which means good deals on furniture. (There isn’t a pawn shop here.)

There are some interesting stencils at the Inuvik skate park. I think they were part of a school project at some point. (The reasoning goes: kids are going to vandalize, so at least let’s make it look nice.)

Pictured here are: MAD Magazine’s Alfred. E. Newman, Bob Marley, and the Weekly World News‘ Batboy, whom they often claim has escaped.

I found these old slides in a filing cabinet.

“People of 21st century earth…I bring you a message. Hockey will be very different in the year 3000!”

It’s getting nicer outside, since we have a lot more sun. It’s been about -30 all week though, which means you can see the heat escaping buildings and cars.

It’s surprising how many canned foods Northmart carries. You can buy corn on the cob, pictured above, or even a whole chicken squeezed into a can.

[LATER NOTE: Once boiled, the corn was pretty good. A little bit too soft, perhaps, but still pretty impressive. I give this product a B+]

From the Inuvik Regional Science Fair. The homemade glue project won 3rd prize.

Here’s another summer picture from Tsiigehtchic.

Am I spending too much time thinking about warmer temperatures?

Quick photography post: I really enjoy these two photos, since they have a lot of black space framing the doctor and pilot. (The first shot is through the ER door.)

Please note, the patient in the first picture is an actor. He was covered in fake blood during a presentation on dangers of drinking and driving, which was held for high-school kids.

Here you can see the Yukon border (left) and Canada’s ocean shore, to the north. It’s about a three-hour drive by ice road.

Looking through my photo archives has me thinking…it sure would be nice to travel the communities on dirt roads again!

(These photos are from Tsiigehtchic, pop.150, and Fort McPherson, pop.900 approx.)

Here’s another local tradition: Kids’ hats with the names written in the stitching.
(This photo was taken in Fort McPherson a while ago, which explains the visible grass.)

This is an outtake from a birth notice photo shoot. We ended up getting a good picture, though it took a while.

Here’s a session of planning for the youth newspaper, The Bomber Pages. It’s a colourful little magazine, which — although regrettably short of actual, you know, articles — is still enjoyed by the kids who create it.

About the title: Here is your guide to Inuvik slang. “Bomber” means cool here, and if something particularly great happens, kids will say it’s killer bomber. (Why? Who knows. Kids are mysterious.)

The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation sponsored a 31-game hockey tournament last weekend, which brought teams from all around.

One cool fund-raising idea was selling McDonalds hamburgers, which had been flown in a large box from Yellowknife that morning. (They were cold and $8, but the novelty alone made it worth the purchase.)

Certainly, it’s the biggest sports event to happen here all year, and it was great fun.

Inuvik has two full-size squash courts which are available to rent.

Having tried the sport for the first time, I was reminded of the arcade classics Pong or Brickles, only 3D.

Here’s the Esso station, and what I wish I were driving…

The community greenhouse is dormant, for now.

It was -30 outside today and this guy was riding a bike.

Since he was carrying a jerry can, I don’t think he was exercising.

This mannequin at Aurora College displays a good idea and local tradition: Keeping your mitts on a string.

A lot of people do this here, since it keeps the big fur mitts accessible after you use your keys, gun, camera or what have you.

It’s a good idea!

My brother Jean-Leon will surely appreciate this, since he has a similar truck.

Looks like this one’s got some mileage!

Being a trucker is a hard job, especially here. Firstly, there are long hours: You work in a team of two people — hopefully with someone you can stand —- and sleep in the cab. One snoozes while the other drives, and it’s a combined 40-50 hour workweek for each.

Since Inuvik is a long way from Edmonton, it takes 40 hours to drive down and another 40 hours to drive back, carrying big screen TVs or fresh fruit or Pirates of the Carribean licensed velcro sneakers or whatever people are buying.

These two guys told me they drive down once a week, during the summer.

Here is an old photo of Inuvik’s volunteer firefighter team. Looks like a fun thing to do, though it assuredly has risks.

Inuvik’s library has a small museum section, which displays artifacts and portraits.

I especially like this large angular painting, which is credited to “Father Brown.” (Actually Colville Lake historian and pastor Bern Will Brown.) It is called Delta Whaler and portrays a traditional hunter.

(Note, also, the 1950s haircut on the man in the smaller portrait, as well as the traditional tattoo lines visible on the faces of those pictured.)

Here’s Nunakput MLA Calvin Pokiak and a friend looking quite unimpressed, as they listen to a recent presentation by Shell Oil in Inuvik. (And also the hand-wringing reaction by Shell’s representative.)

The oil giant was hosting a consultation on the Kulluk oil rig project near Tuktoyaktuk, and was looking for audience reactions.

(Note, of course, that these pictures show how easy it could be to manipulate a story. I could have just as easily have caught both players smiling during a lighter moment of the conference, and the whole narrative would seem different.)

Aurora College trains people in carpenty, plumbing, electrical work, etc.

They have an interesting warehouse full of projects, and have been building a small-scale home as a class project.

Here’s a fish-eye picture of Zoe Ho, the editor of Tusaayaksat. It’s a really interesting local magazine, which publishes interviews and news about Inuvialuit people.

She recently wrote a profile about Dez!

Here’s a picture from the Joe Greenland elders’ residence in Aklavik.

They taped an article of mine on the window! It was a story about resident Anne Benoit, who is the eldest person at the centre.

Food is comparatively expensive in the north. This is not surprising, and it’s not something to get upset about either. (Think of the distance crossed.)

For instance: You might pay $7.99 for three red peppers. Or $7.99 for a jug of soy milk, $2.99 for a can of soup or $5.99 for one of those prepared salad bags.

But here’s the weird part: Inuvik’s KFC has prices which are pretty-much identical to those down south. While you might pay $15 for the ingredients to a decent salad here, but you can get a crispy combo for $7.99

What does that mean?

“Okay — let’s get you off the table, so the pool game can continue.”

Good advertising here. “Focus on the positive.”

Apple computers are not a good idea up north. What are you supposed to do if it breaks? The closest technician is in Yellowknife, which is a plane ride away.

Looks like I’ll have to fix this myself, or just write it off.

This seems like a fun place. I like the owl decoy.

When it gets to 30 below (and beyond) as it’s been here all week, metal objects become the enemy.

Funny story: I briefly got my face stuck to a can of Coke, which had been left in the car overnight! (ie: I’ll just have a sip…ooh, my lower lip is caught…)

There is a serious shortage of doctors and nurses in the north, which requires people to fly in and out of communities.

One new technology is teleconferencing, which would allow people to consult a doctor, specialist, psychologist, or social worker without having to leave.

Here, an Ontario speech therapist calls the Inuvik Regional Hospital.

I was driving to Aklavik last Sunday and noticed a fox. He was digging in the snow and jumping after what seemed to be a feather. (Maybe a bit of fur? I don’t know.)

At first I stopped the car and took pictures from the driver’s seat. But then I opened the door and slowly walked towards him. Amazingly — though he seemed really hesitant and watched me closely — the fox didn’t run away.

Hey, it turns out there’s recycling in Inuvik. (I didn’t know this.)

You get 10 cents a bottle upon return.

Look at this cute little dog from Aklavik!

After six days outdoors, in -30 weather, the Canadian Rangers returned from an exercise on their strap-loaded snowmobiles.

These men and women patrol the north, to basically show that Canada’s military can defend its land anywhere. A tough job to be sure.