Monthly Archives: October 2007

Please check out today’s new link: Episodes of “Suaangan: Our Strength.” You won’t regret it!

This is a show aired on APTN (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network) which documents life in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, the northernmost part of the western NWT

The movies are Quicktime files and the quality is very good. I think a good starting point would be “Springtime in the ISR.”

Click Here to see the videos

Thanks to producers Dave and Zoe as always!

Here’s the sunrise over Inuvik at 10:55am.

Sunlight has been receding and Inuvik is getting fewer minutes each day.
Going to work at 9am now seems much earlier.

Here’s the airport full of people, waiting for friends and relatives to arrive.

There was a pretty large military presence at the airport today; lots of green sacks on the baggage trolley and uniformed officers going around.

Inuvik’s runway also had this large plane. I wonder what is going on?

Here’s the Dempster Highway as seen from above. The road is now closed until the ice road sections open, which could be as soon as next month.

Here’s a pretty nice place, eh? It looks like a cottage but it’s right downtown. Prime real-estate to be sure.

Yellowknife’s legion has a graffiti-style mural, which shows aboriginal art with a slightly modernized look.

This walkway greets people as they arrive in town. The banner reads “Welcome to Yellowknife: Diamond capital of North America.”

(Note the Pandas on the sign. Strange..)

Hey, maybe bringing a parka was a good idea. Yellowknife is chilly now.

This colourful “raven” is installed near a government building in Yellowknife.

With that parrot’s plumage, he certainly adds some style!

When a student does well in Yellowknife, the education district lets EVERYBODY know. The parents must be proud.

Interesting buildings, showing how Yellowknife has a lot of natural space.

Here’s a few wall hangings at the Explorer hotel. They have an interesting style. (Especially the red fish, top left!)

Here’s the headquarters of Joint Task Force North in Yellowknife.
They have a United-Nations tank (well, troop transport or cargo jeep with treads, I am not sure) which sits outside.

I think this commemorates Canadians in Rwanda, but I am not sure.

This looks like something my brother Jean-Leon would draw.

Nice to see businesses using creative advertising!

Here’s an outdoor art gallery on 50th street. It’s meant to embellish one of the seediest places in town. (ie: parking lot with broken bottles and garbage, across from Yellowknife’s roughest bars.)

It’s a good initiative, I especially like the “colour bars” piece.

Yellowknife has these ravens, which local businesses buy and paint wild colours. The same idea has been tried in Ottawa with tulips. (I wonder if it confuses real birds?)

Yellowknife has a beautiful raised trail system, which creates a shortcut to grocery stores. It also reaches Stanton Territorial Hospital. A good place to walk or bicycle to be sure.

Seriously. What is the deal.

Looks like we’ve got some east-coasters living at Ptarmigan apartments in Yellowknife!

Yellowknife is often called “Canada’s smallest big city.” The skyline certainly looks like a major urban centre, especially at night.
However, the population of 20,000 is similar to Brockville or Pembroke, Ontario.

This art gallery has a message of peace and environmental respect.

Yellowknife has an “old town” by the water. As you can see, the architecture is different than the commercial downtown.

Here is some old equipment on the side of the road. Yellowknife has a long history of mining.

Yellowknife has some beautiful sunsets. The transition from pink to orange to purple is quite dramatic, as these photos were taken less than 30 minutes apart.

Yellowknife has many murals, including this laundromat. Is man handing God a towel, or is it the other way around?

This bird was flying pretty high, as you can see. (It’s a small speck at the top of the photo)

Imagine getting into a canoe everytime you leave the house!

That’s the life of people who live on houseboats, of which there are several in Yellowknife. It has its advantages: You don’t pay property tax because you’re not ‘within the city’ and the view is beautiful.

Note: The island visible behind the homes is called “dog island,” because people let their dogs roam there.

Extra note: The houseboat community is very close-knit in Yellowknife, because there are only so many spots available through zoning laws. It’s not a case where just anyone can float by and start living there, you have to wait for someone else to move out.

Yellowknife buses really show what the city’s about. Diamonds and dogsleds.

First thought in the NWT’s capital: “Look at all this concrete! No wonder skateboarding is popular here.”

(Also note the “Ogre’s Lair game shop” which sells geeky Dungeons&Dragons stuff. It shows the town is big enough for specialized stores.)

Yellowknife is the NWT’s capital, which holds about half ofthe territory’s 40,000 people.

I will be working there From Oct.8 to 26th, so expect a little photo tour in the next few days.

When you shut off the TV, it’s amazing what you’ll discover.

(Don’t feel bad: These books were being thrown out and one is a Michael Chrichton novel of which millions of copies exist. Middle guy is the “Return of the Jedi” novelization rescued from the trash.)

[This one is for longtime reader "Saatvic Warrior," to whom I am saying Hello especially today. Peace!]

Here’s a small piece of Northern culture from Sir Alexander Mackenzie primary school.

Students drew turkeys before a feast, but also drew beluga wales, since they’re part of the local harvest.