|Kimmirut
Introduction
History
Introduction
Kimmirut is located on the south shore of the Meta Incognita peninsula on Baffin Island. It is approximately a 35-minute plane ride from the capital city of Iqaluit. The population of Kimmirut ranges from 450 to 550 depending on the time of year. Inuit make up 95% of the population and the spoken language is Inuktitut.
The community of Kimmirut, formerly known as Lake Harbour, was originally settled by the Hudson Bay Company. Kimmirut, when translated, means “looks like a heel.”
History
The Community of Kimmirut
Weather
Wildlife
Weather
Kimmirut summers are beautiful and warm. The temperature in summer ranges from +5ºC to + 25ºC. The area does not get a lot of rain, and thus not a lot of mosquitoes. In the winter the temperature can range from –5ºC to –40ºC. The first snow usually falls in late October and the town gets quite a bit of it. In the spring the ice break-up usually occurs in mid to late June.
In the summer, the days are very long, with approximately 16 hours of sunlight. In the winter, the days are very short, with the sun only rising for about 6 hours each day.
Wildlife
Kimmirut is surrounded by an abundance of wildlife. People come from other communities to hunt caribou and pick berries because they are so plentiful here. Other wildlife includes geese, arctic fox, wolf, polar bear, seals, arctic hare, and many fish. The community is surrounded by lakes that are full of cod fish and char. If you plan on going hunting or fishing you should carry a gun and be accompanied by a guide. This is most important in the wintertime as storms can come up rather quickly and frequently. During the winter you can travel on the sea ice to the floe edge to catch seals and Beluga Whales. During the wintertime you can drive to Iqaluit and overnight in one of the 8 cabins along the way. These cabins are maintained by the park staff.
Kimmirut Sunrise!
Transportation
Housing
Transportation
There are regularly scheduled flights from Kimmirut to Iqaluit every weekday except Wednesday. To get to Kimmirut from the south you can fly from Montreal or Ottawa on Canadian North or First Air. The cost of a ticket can range from $1000 to $1500 depending on the time of year. There are other routes you can fly but these are the most common.
Most people in Kimmirut get around by snowmobile or ATV. A number of community members own cars or trucks.
Housing
Right now there is housing in Kimmirut for all teachers due to the fact that 2 teachers are sharing. As with most communities in the north there is a shortage of housing and the government is working to rectify this problem. These units are fully furnished, including all major appliances. There are very few private homes available to rent or purchase. All houses in Kimmirut 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.
First Air arrival
Magnificent scenery!
School
School
Qaqqalik School is home to about 140 students from kindergarten to high school. At present we have 9 teachers, 1 school community councilor, half time program support teacher, 2 half time classroom support assistants, 2 half time janitors and 1 principal. The school was built in 1992. An addition was built in 97/98 consisting of a home economics room, shop, extra classroom and a science room. Some classes are taught as split grades such as 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8. 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. Throughout the school year we have many cultural based activities such as a one-week high school land trip.
You can contact Qaqqalik School by calling (867) 939-2145 or 2221.
Food
Communications
Postal Service
Power
Medical
Police
Churches
Recreation
Food
There are 2 stores in Kimmirut, Kimik Co-operative Store and the Northern store. These 2 stores carry all the basic supplies in food, clothing, cleaning and many other products.
Food prices are very high due to freight cost and flight cost. Most teachers do what is called a sealift order through MARCHE TURENNE. You should make contact with this company as soon as you are hired because there is a deadline for ordering. This company operates out of Quebec and they can be reached at this number. (514) 637-3231.
Teachers also do weekly orders for fresh produce and meats through MARCHE CENTRAL DU NORD. This company faxes the school a weekly specials page and we receive our order every Friday. You do need a credit card or a debit card to set up an account with them. They can be reached at (450) 581-5551 or by fax (1-888) 302-0027.
Banks
There are no banks in Kimmirut; however, basic banking services are available through the Co-op or Northern Stores. There is an automated teller machine to withdraw cash, and you can open a savings account and do money exchanges with the stores. The nearest Royal Bank and CIBC are located in Iqaluit.
Communications
Telephone services in Kimmirut are provided by NorthWestTEL and you should have this set up before you arrive. They can be reached at 1-867-979-4917. 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.
CBC radio broadcasts on an FM station, which is interrupted at intervals during the day with local programming.
Kimik COOP is the cable television provider. Their cable TV service offers about 36 channels for $59.95/month. Bell ExpressVu satellite television is also available in Kimmirut.
High-speed Internet is not available but will be soon. To have Internet access at home you must pay dial-up fees to an Internet Service Provider. This service can also be set up through the COOP store. There is reliable access to the Internet at the school, hamlet office, and health centre.
There is a small post office located in the hamlet building next to the school. Mail is delivered and sent out four 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 nonemergency sick clinic open Mondays to Fridays from 9:00-12:00 am. 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 Kimmirut every two or three months. The health centre is equipped with a hospital bed, x-ray and E.K.G. machines, and an incubator. In emergency cases patients are medivacd to Iqaluit.
Police
Kimmirut has 2 full time police officers stationed in the community. The office number is (867) 939-0123.
Churches
There is only one church in Kimmirut and that is Anglican. Church services take place Sunday morning 11:00 am, Sunday night at 7:00 pm and Thursday night at 7:00 pm.
Recreation
The hamlet’s recreation coordinator and the school organize events in the community. 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.
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 Northern or Co-op. You can also have your own sent up on sealift.
