Introduction
History
Introduction
The community of Whale Cove is located at the tip of a long peninsula on the west coast of Hudson Bay. It is approximately 80 km south of Rankin Inlet, and 483 km north of Churchill, Manitoba. Whale Cove has a good harbour and is sheltered from the northwest prevailing winds by a long range of rocky hills. At the moment, the population is about 305, 95% of which are Inuit. The language spoken in Whale Cove is Inuktitut; although, the vast majority of residents are comfortable speaking in English.
History
Sunset in Nunavut
Weather
Wildlife
Weather
Summer rains and winter snows are frequent, with many days being windy. Snowfall varies from 1 to 2 meters, and because of the wind, high snowdrifts are common between buildings. The first snow usually falls in September or October. The spring ice break-up usually occurs in mid-June. Summer temperatures range from +5°C to +20°C. The average temperature in midwinter can approach -40°C. Winds as high as 140 km/hr have been experienced. In the summer, the days are very long, with approximately 20 hours of sunlight. In the winter, the days are very short, with the sun only rising for about 4 hours each day.
Wildlife
In the summer months, there may be large numbers of beluga whales and seals in the surrounding waters. The numerous lakes and rivers provide a plentiful supply of char and lake trout. In the fall, polar bears are commonly seen near Whale Cove. During polar bear season, it is strongly recommended that you do not venture outside the community without a gun or a guide. During the winter, the floe edge is 5 to 8 km from the shore providing easy access for seal hunting.
Many residents regularly drive inland to hunt caribou, geese, and other game in season. There are many cabins dotting the land outside Whale Cove and many people choose to spend as much time as they can “on the land.”
Caribou herds are plentiful!
Fishing!
Transportation
Housing
Transportation
There are regularly scheduled flights from Whale Cove to Winnipeg on Calm Air and Kivalliq Air. The cost of a ticket on Calm Air from Whale Cove to Winnipeg is approximately $1300. It is a very good idea to save Aeroplan points, as it is only 15,000 points to fly from Whale Cove to Winnipeg. Passengers can also fly from Whale Cove to Rankin Inlet and board Canadian North or First Air to Ottawa, Yellowknife, Edmonton, or Winnipeg.
Most people in town get around by snowmobile or ATV. A small number of community members own trucks.
Housing
Currently, there is a serious shortage of houses in Whale Cove. There are only 3 government-leased units reserved exclusively for teachers. These units are furnished, including major appliances and a washer and dryer. There are very few private homes available to rent or purchase. All houses in Whale Cove are equipped with their own water and sewage tanks. Hamlet trucks stop by regularly to fill up your water or empty out your sewage. Occasionally, you may run out of water at your house, but the trucks are generally very quick at responding to calls. It is advisable to conserve water during blizzards.
Airport in Whale Cove
School
School
Inuglak School is home to about 110 enthusiastic students from Kindergarten to grade 12. Currently there are 11 teachers (with one as principal) and 2 teacher assistants at the school. The school was built in 1992. Renovations, including a new addition, will be completed by the fall of 2005. The addition will include a new full-sized gymnasium with canteen, 2 separate “land skills” rooms, a book room, and a new computer room. Classes are taught as split grades from 1/2 to 11/12. The locally elected District Education Authority encourages teachers to place as much emphasis as possible on Inuit traditional knowledge in all areas of the curriculum.
You can contact Inuglak School by calling (867) 896-9300
Inuglak School
Food
Communications
Postal Service
Power
Medical
Police
Churches
Recreation
Food
The Issatik Co-operative Store is the only store in the community. It attempts to carry basic staples. There is very little in the way of fresh food. The Co-op occasionally has a good supply of fruit and vegetables, but orders reflect the high cost of air freight, as the food must be flown in. Milk, bread, and produce are generally brought into Whale Cove on scheduled passenger flights at least once a week. Non-perishables, including hardware and clothing arrive on a freight airplane once a week. The majority of the Co-op’s non-perishables are brought to Whale Cove once a year by sealift. Some people choose to do their own sealift orders out of Montreal or Winnipeg.
For information on summer sealift orders from Montreal to Whale Cove phone Desgagnes Transarctik Inc. + Nunavut Sealink and Supply Inc. at (450) 635-0883,
or visit their website at: www.arcticsealift.com
For information on summer sealift orders from Winnipeg phone Gardewine North customer service at (800) 665-7340 or visit their website at:
www.gardewine.com/sealift.html
There are no banks in Whale Cove; however, basic banking services are available through the Co-op. There is an automated teller machine to withdraw cash, and you can open a savings account and do money exchanges with the store. The nearest Royal Bank and CIBC are in Rankin Inlet, 80 km to the north.
Communications
Telephone service in Whale Cove is provided by Northwestel. Connections are reliable and it is possible to phone virtually anywhere with a minimum of difficulty. Affordable weekend and evening long distance plans are available.
High speed Internet is not yet available locally; however, high speed broadband is expected very soon. Sympatico dial-up Internet is available through Northwestel for about $20/month. There is reliable access to the Internet at the school, hamlet office, and health centre.
CBC Radio broadcasts on an FM station in Inuktitut and English.
The Co-op is Whale Cove’s cable television provider. Their cable TV service offers about 40 channels for $55/month.
Bell ExpressVu and Starchoice satellite television are also available in Whale Cove.
There is a small post office located at the back of the Co-op. Mail is delivered and sent out three times a week. The post office sells stamps and money orders and has a limited supply of things like Expresspost envelopes.
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 anywhere from $50 to $150 per month.
Medical
The health centre offers 24-hour on-call emergency service, and a non-emergency sick clinic open Mondays to Fridays from 9:00-11:30am. The health centre is staffed with 2 full-time nurses. There are periodic visits from a number of different specialists, including: a pediatrician; a general practitioner; an ear,nose, and throat specialist; a physiotherapist; a speech-language pathologist; an occupational therapist; and an audiologist. A dentist usually visits Whale Cove every month or two. The health centre is equipped with a hospital bed, x-ray and E.K.G. machines, and an incubator.
Police
Whale Cove’s first RCMP detachment opened in the fall of 2003. The community now has two resident RCMP officers.
Churches
There are three churches in Whale Cove. The Glad Tidings Church offers services run by different church members on Sundays and Wednesdays. The Anglican Church is ministered by a local elder with periodic visits from the Anglican minister from Arviat. The Roman Catholic Church services are also led by a lay minister with periodic visits from priests from larger communities. Anglican and Roman Catholic services are held on Sundays. Services at all three churches are mainly held in Inuktitut with everyone being welcome.
Recreation
The hamlet’s recreation coordinator organizes events in the community. There are weekly radio bingos and occasional dances. The Johnny Kuuk Memorial Hockey Tournament is held at the arena every spring with teams arriving from other communities by snowmobile and airplane. There are generally feasts, games, and celebrations to mark major holidays like Nunavut Day, Canada Day, Christmas, and New Year’s. Basketball, volleyball, and floor hockey are played almost every evening in the school gym. The arena has scheduled times for hockey and public skating. There is a much-anticipated fishing derby in the spring.
Travel by snowmobile in the winter and spring, and by ATV in the summer and fall are popular forms of recreation. Both snowmobiles and ATVs can be purchased from the local Co-op. There are many good trails going to the inland lakes and rivers, as well as trails that connect the different communities on the west coast of Hudson Bay.
The Coop in Whale Cove
Hamlet Building in Whale Cove