| Pond Inlet
Introduction
History
Introduction
Pond Inlet is an attractive settlement on the northern tip of Baffin Island, which looks out on Eclipse Sound and the mountains and glaciers of Bylot Island. It is richly endowed with gorgeous scenery: fiords, ice caves, hoodoos, and icebergs all can be found just outside of the community. Pond Inlet is considered to be one of the crown jewels of Nunavut.
There are approximately 1300 people who live in Pond Inlet, with about 95% of the population being Inuit. Inuktitut is the mother tongue of most people in Pond Inlet. It is a very traditional community. There are many families who still rely heavily on traditional foods.
History
The Pond Inlet region is an area rich in important archeological sites. In 1984, a three meter strand of yarn was found at a Dorset site outside of Pond Inlet. Recently, this yarn has been identified as the same type spun from Arctic hare and goat hair used by the Norse that occupied Greenland around 1250AD. This artifact and others at the site suggest that the Vikings were the first Europeans to visit northern Baffin Island. These visits may have been expeditions to trade with the Inuit of the Pond Inlet region, or attempts to find the lands that could support their farming
culture. Another climatic change, the Little Ice Age, eventually drove the Norse out of the area.
During the 1800s, the Inuit leader, Qillaq, originally from the southern area of Baffin Island, traveled from the Pond Inlet region to northern Greenland. He led about 60 Inuit across the Devon and Ellesmere Islands to discover the Polar Inuit of northwestern Greenland, who had been isolated for over a century. The Inuit from Baffin, the Tununirmiut, re-introduced the Polar Inuit to important hunting technology - the qayaq (kayak) and kakivak (fishing spear). Today, the Tununirmiut and Polar Inuit make this migration each spring by aircraft to maintain the close ties established more than 100 years ago.
Except for brief visits by explorers like William Baffin, whalers in search of the bowhead whale were the next Europeans to visit the area in the 1800s. the first whaling station was established in 1903. By 1912, bowhead numbers and whaling collapsed. In 1912, the Arctic Gold Exploration Syndicate and two other groups arrived in the Pond Inlet area, following rumours of gold. No gold was found, but these groups established Pond Inlet as a trading center. In 1921, the Hudson's Bay Company arrived to take over the Syndicate's post.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrived in the same year, following up on the rumours of the killing of an independent trader, Robert Janes. Janes had earned the distrust and fear of some Inuit. Believing that they had little recourse, some Inuit killed Janes while he was traveling to Igloolik. In 1923, Canada's most northerly murder trial took place on a ship off Pond Inlet. Two were found guilty, and one was taken to prison in southernCanada.
The Community of Pond Inlet
"Pond" from the Air!
"Pond" from the ground
Weather
Wildlife
Weather
Even though Pond Inlet is located 72°N, the weather is quite agreeable. In the summer,the temperature ranges anywhere from 5°C to 15°C. The sun shines 24 hours a day in the summer. In the fall, there will be snow, rain, and some stronger winds. The temperature in the fall will be around -10°C to -20°C. The weather in Pond Inlet can be very cold during the winter months (as low as -40°C, but it rarely feels this cold; the mountains surrounding the town do a great job of blocking most winds).
Because the community is so far north, there is a dark season and a light season. In the winter months, there are approximately three months of complete darkness. It is important to have good light sources in your living quarters during this time. You may find that you get more tired than usual during the dark season. There are also three months of light in the summer. Many people put aluminum foil or black garbage bags over their windows to make sleeping easier. Even with this, you may find that you are staying up extremely late!
Wildlife
In the summer months, after the ice has melted, narwhal, belugas, and killer whales in Eclipse Sound can be seen with ringed and harp seals. Large and very tasty arctic char inhabit the waters around Pond Inlet, too.
Caribou, foxes, wolves, and lemmings can be seen on the land around Pond Inlet. Occasionally polar bears may be spotted at the town dump, but usually one has to travel to the floe edge (usually around 70 km outside of the town) to see a bear. Nevertheless, it is not advised that you travel outside of the town unless you are carrying a gun, or with someone who has a gun.
Many types of birds can be seen around Pond Inlet: geese, gyrfalcons, ptarmigan, ravens, and gulls are just some examples of birds that are found around Pond Inlet.
Pond Inlet is often visited by Icebergs!
The Whale Watching Center in Pond Inlet
Transportation
Housing
Transportation
First Air flies into Pond Inlet every day of the week. To get to Pond Inlet, you must first get to Iqaluit, and then to Pond Inlet from there. Depending on where you are coming from in Canada, you will either have to overnight in Ottawa or Iqaluit. The average cost of a ticket from Pond Inlet to Ottawa is around $2200. Airfares are extremely expensive; try to use Aeroplan points if possible. If you plan on using Aeroplan points, you must book well in advance.
Locally, people travel around the community by ATV in the spring, summer, and early fall. In the winter months, snowmobile is the most practical method of transportation. There are currently two taxis in Pond Inlet. You can call Mukmuk taxi at 899-8311 or Mittima taxi at 899-6222.
Housing
Most apartments in Pond Inlet are fairly new, having been built within the past two or three years. There are one, two, or three bedroom apartments available for government employees. The prices of these units range from $750 to $1350 per month. The rent includes heating oil; however, it does not include water delivery, sewage, pump out, power, telephone, television, or garbage collection.
Most of the units in Pond Inlet are in relatively good condition. Furnished and unfurnished apartments are available. In a furnished apartment, you will find a sofa, chair, living room, tables, bookshelves, a bedroom set, stove, fridge, washer, and dryer. Televisions, microwave ovens, and stereos are not included.
Below is a list of telephone numbers that you will need for housing services:
Hamlet office.....................................899-8934
(to set up water and sewage)
Water and sewage pump out..............899-8939
Local housing officer (repairs)...........899-8977
fax......................................................899-8908
Community view
Typical housing unit in Nunavut
Schools
Schools
There are two schools in Pond Inlet. Ulaajuk School is the elementary school. It houses classes from kindergarten to grade six. Ulaajuk School was the first school in Nunavut to have an all Inuit staff delivering an Inuktitut language-based program. Ulaajuk School received a new addition in 2003; they now have a full sized gym, woodshop, and additional classrooms. The population of Ulaajuk School is approximately 220 students. Students come to Nasivvik School for grades seven to twelve.
Nasivvik High School is six years old. At Nasivvik High School, most of the students are taught in English. The students at Nasivvik have Inuktitut lessons for 45 minutes per day. At Nasivvik High School, there is an adequate amount of resources. It is recommended, though, that you bring up any resources that you have, as they will be handy in your class. Nasivvik School is building up their resources; the focus of the past couple of years has been to acquire novel sets and literature. The approximate population at Nasivvik High School is about 260 students.
Both schools have computer labs, which can connect to the Internet.
Nasivvik School
Food
Communications
Postal Service
Power
Medical
Police
Churches
Recreation
Food
There are two stores in Pond Inlet: the Northern Store and the Toonoonik Sahoonik Coop. Both stores sell a variety of groceries, household goods, and supplies. Fresh produce is flown in once a week, but the quality is not comparable to that that you would find in grocery stores down south. The prices at both stores are much higher than those down south, too. Many items are expensive because of freight prices.
Some examples of prices are:
A can of Coke.....................$2.00
4L milk................................$11.00
6 oranges.............................$4.50
5lbs potatoes........................$6.00
2L Breyers ice cream...........$9.00
Both stores are very accommodating and willing to order special items for their customers.
Another option for groceries is to order through a grocery store in Montreal called Metro Pelletier. To do this, you must place a faxed order in Monday morning to receive food on Friday's plane. The prices are the same as those down south, but you pay 20% more plus the cost of stamps. This offers an opportunity to get grocery items, which are not available in the community. Contact them at (819) 874 7741 or fax (819) 874 4110 to set
this up for yourself.
For non-perishable and frozen foods, people often place sealift orders: large orders that are delivered by a ship during the summer. Orders are usually made in May or June and are delivered between July and September. Orders can be made through several companies, including Marche Turenne
(514-637-3231) or Marche Daoust (450-373-7347). The local Northern store does sea lift as well, but this would be more useful after living in the town for a year. These companies are recommended for items such as toilet paper, dog food, laundry detergent, soft drinks, canned food, flour and sugar.
If you wish to move something large to town, like your own skidoo, pick up truck or furniture contact Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping (www.neas.ca) at 1-888-908-0000.
You will have to deliver, or arrange for delivery of, your item to Valleyfield (a suburb of Montreal).
There are no banks in Pond Inlet. Normal banking activities can be done over the phone, internet, or through mail. The closest banks are in Iqaluit, which includes the Royal Bank and CIBC. You can use your ATM card at the bank machine at the Northern Store and the Co-op to obtain cash and you can use it to pay for your purchases at both the Northern store and the Coop. 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. You will need ID for a phone, a security deposit of at least $100 (a one time connection fee of $42.50). Please allow several days for your telephone line to be ready.
CBC radio broadcasts on an FM station, which is interrupted at intervals during the day with local programming.
Call the Co-op at 899-8912 to have your cable installed. Many people have Bell ExpressVu satellites because they offer more channels. Order the largest size dish if you choose to buy a satellite.
Internet service is available at the school or the library free of charge. It is possible to get Internet service at your home through Sympatico, but it is rather slow. The government has a plan to introduce broadband internet service to all communities within the next year. Everybody is patiently waiting for this service to arrive.
There is a Canada Post office and it is open from 9 to 12 and 1 to 5 from Mondays to Fridays. Allow two to three weeks for letter or parcel delivery in Canada. ExpressPost is available.
Power
The Nunavut Power Corporation supplies the town with diesel driven electricity. Power service is well subsidized and fees vary depending on your residence, consumption, and household. A typical power bill can cost anywhere from $25 to $150 per month. To set up your electricity account, call Nunavut Power Corporation at 1-800-491-8127.
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. Doctors, dentists, and other specialists visits town on a regular basis. Contact the health center if you need to minor medical attention. Serious medical conditions, procedures, or emergencies are flown to Iqaluit or Ottawa.
Police
The RCMP have a detachment in Pond Inlet manned by 4 police officers. There are also community by-law officers, employed by the hamlet, who regularly patrol the community.
Churches
There are Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Glad Tidings churches in town. Pond Inlet does not have a resident Priest, therefore Roman Catholic services are only held when the Priest is in town.
Recreation
There are many opportunities for people to go on land trips. Many teachers either purchase a skidoo or bring one with them to go out exploring on the land. The springtime in Pond Inlet is very beautiful. This is the best time of the year to get out and experience the land surrounding Pond Inlet.
There are other social opportunities in Pond Inlet. Many people use the library, which is opened one evening a week and offers a wide selection of material. There are also community activities such as feasts and games. There is a skating rink that offers recreational skating and hockey. Both school's gyms are also open at selected times for community sports.
The Shore of Pond Inlet
Mountain view!
Visitor Center in Pond Inlet