Introduction

History

Introduction
Kugluktuk, formerly known as Coppermine, is situated along the banks of the Coppermine River, north, and slightly east of Yellowknife. Kugluktuk, with a population of nearly 1400, is the most westerly community in Nunavut and it is in the Mountain time zone. In the summer, canoeists and rafters take the popular route up the Coppermine River to the scenic "Bloody Falls Territorial Historic Park.”

History
Coppermine was probably the site of semi-permanent Inuit fishing and sealing camps from very ancient times. The Hudson’s Bay Company sent an exploration voyage led by Samuel Hearne to search for copper. Hearne reached the mouth of the river and named it the Coppermine on July 14, 1771. In 1865, influenza spread along the coast, wiping out 30% of the population. In the years 1913-16, Diamond Jenness, an ethnologist with the Canadian Arctic Expedition, studied and recorded the traditional lifestyle of Inuit in the Coppermine area. The development of the community was relatively rapid after 1916. The Hudson’s Bay company established a post in 1927. The RCMP arrived in 1932. A weather station, radio facilities, nursing station and a school followed over the next few decades. Oil and gas exploration in the 1970’s provided training and employment for a large proportion of the population.

Copper Inuit from around the 1930s

Kugluktuk looking North

Weather

Wildlife

Weather
Temperatures in Kugluktuk tend to be the warmest in Nunavut. Although winter temperatures run well into the -40's not including windchill, summer temperatures can reach 30 above. If you arrive in Kugluktuk in the summer or fall, you will see anabundance of flowers, green grass and tall leaf bearing bushes that resemble young trees. Some people even plant small gardens in their back yards during the summer months.

Wildlife
In Kugluktuk, there is an abundance of wildlife that often finds its way close to the community. Caribou herds often migrate within close proximity to town and offers local hunters a supply of fresh traditional food. In town, you can regularly see hikhiks (ground squirrels) and lemmings during the spring and summer months and ravens being common residents year round. A wide variety of water fowl appear in and around Kugluktuk during the summer and fall. Occasionally, foxes and martins can be seen, as well barren ground grizzlies have been known to seek food close to the town site. Sitings of moose and muskox have occurred further out on the nuna. On the ocean side, bearded and ring seals are common. Anglers have an opportunity to land a variety of fish including whitefish and Arctic Char - one of the main staples of nutrition in Inuit culture.

Canada Day in Kugluktuk

Caribou are abundant

Transportation

Housing

Transportation
First Air operates daily flights to Kugluktuk from Yellowknife. Kenn Borek Air flies
from Cambridge Bay to Kugluktuk on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Please check with the airlines for schedule changes. Most people in town get around by snowmobile or ATV. A number of community members own cars or trucks.
There is a taxi service in town available. Call Triple A Taxi at 982-3280 if you want a drive anywhere around town.

Housing
As with most communities in Nunavut, housing is in short supply. There are
government houses that can be rented for $1200. to $1400. per month. The rent depends on the size of the house. Each government house includes basic furnishings (tables, beds, chairs, sofa), as well as window coverings, washer, dryer, fridge, and stove. These units do not include small kitchen and entertainment appliances. Heating oil for the furnace is included in the price of rent, but utilities such as telephone, power, water and sewage, and garbage removal are not. These utilities cost a total of approximately $150. per month. Call the hamlet office at 982-3126 to set up your water and sewage schedule.

Kugluktuk's Taxi

Schools

View of Kugluktuk High School

Food

Banks

Communucations

Power

Medical

Police

Churches

Recreation

Food
As in other northern communities, groceries are much more expensive than in the south. Both the Co-op and Northern stores are well stocked, however many teachers choose to order through the Co-op or Sunspun Foods in Yellowknife and have groceries shipped in by plane. The freight on most perishable goods is subsidized by the government, making this an economical alternative to exclusively shopping locally. People also place orders to come up once a year – August/September – on the barge, via NTCL (Northern Transportation Company Ltd.) Again orders are placed with various southern companies, and delivered on the barge at the end of the summer. You have to contact the individual companies for their barge order deadlines –usually sometime in June, or the first of July.

Here is a list of some of the companies you can order from:
Northern Store (Hay River, NT)
Phone (867) 874-6545
Fax (867) 874-2544
Independent Cash & Carry (Enterprise, NT)
Phone (867) 984-3002
Fax (867) 984-3005
The Grocery People (Edmonton, AB)
Phone (780) 451-0882
For boat and sailing details, call NTCL at (867) 983-2472.

Banks
There are no banks in Kugluktuk. There is a cash withdrawal machine at the
Quick Stop in the Northern Store. Normal banking activities can be done over the phone, Internet, or through mail. The closest banks are in Yellowknife, which includes the Royal Bank, Bank of Montreal, Scotiabank, Toronto Dominion, and CIBC. You can use your debit card at the bank machine in the Northern Store to obtain cash as well as to pay for purchases at both the Northern store and the Co-op. Visa and Mastercard are also accepted.

Communications
For phone service, call Northwestel at 1-800-661-0493. A residential line costs $35. per month. A long distance calling plan is available for $25. per month.
Internet service is available at the school or the archade free of charge. Qiniq offers wireless broadband Internet services to residents of the Kitikmeot communities. The connection is rather slow, compared to Internet services in southern Canada. Call the local Internet provider at 867-983-2176.
CBC radio broadcasts on an FM station, which is interrupted at intervals during the day with local programming.
For cable TV hook up, call the Kugluktuk Co-operative Ltd. at 982-4231. Many residents set up satellite dishes. If you do decide to bring up a satellite dish, be sure to bring up the largest size dish, as this will improve the reception you receive, especially during bad weather.
There is a Canada Post outlet that is open from 9am to 12pm and again from 1pm to 5pm Monday through Friday located in the Co-op store. Allow two to three weeks for letter or parcel delivery in Canada. Express Post is available, and significantly reduces delivery time. Of course, it is significantly more expensive. Contact the post office at 982-5905. Freight service is also available through First Air Cargo.

Power
The Nunavut Power Corporation supplies the town with electricity. Power
service is well subsidized and fees vary depending on your residence, consumption, and household. A typical power bill can cost anywhere from $50. to $150. per month.

Medical
The Health Centre is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm, staffed by registered nurses who treat routine health problems. Nurses are also on call for emergencies. Be sure to bring along prescriptions and extra refills as doctors only visit about once a month at the most. Dentists and eye doctors also make regular visits to the health centre but are not located in the community on a permanent basis. Contact the health center at 982-4531.
Serious medical conditions, procedures, or emergencies are flown to Yellowknife and Edmonton.

Police
The RCMP has a detachment in Kugluktuk. The Emergency contact for the RCMP, call 982-1111. There are also community by-law officers, employed by the hamlet, who regularly patrol the community.

Churches
Kugluktuk has three active chuches in town - Anglican, Catholic and Pentecostal churches offer Sunday services often with additional ones during the week.

Recreation
Sports enthusiasts will enjoy public skating and hockey at the arena as well as curling. There are currently no exercise facilities in Kugluktuk, so teachers are strongly encouraged to bring things like weights and treadmills with them if they wish to use equipment of this sort. There is also a community library, with a large selection of reading materials to choose from. Many people participate in outdoor activities such as hiking, hunting, fishing, and snowmobile riding. For hunting and fishing licenses, call the department of sustainable resources at 473-8937.

Welcome to Kugluktuk!

Additional Information