Nunavut Commissioner’s Awards

The people of Arctic Bay gathered at the local community hall in the afternoon on May 14 for a special event: the Nunavut Commissioner’s Awards (NCA).  Nunavut’s commissioner, Eva Aariak, travelled to the community, along with MLA David Akeeagok, to publicly recognize and congratulate residents for their many years of service to the Government of Nunavut (GN) and community.  Eva Aariak is from Arctic Bay and served as Nunavut’s second premier.  David Akeeagok is a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Quttiktuq electoral district, representing Arctic Bay, Resolute Bay, and Grise Fiord.  I’ve previously met Aariak & Akeeagok.

Chairs lined the walls of the hall, leaving a large open space in the middle.  An awards table was set up in front of the stage and was filled with certificates, plaques, and medals.  A speaker’s podium stood to the side.  I sat at the back. 

The ceremony began with an Elder saying a prayer.  Akeeagok took to the podium to welcome everyone and introduce himself & Aariak.  Aariak spoke next, saying she was happy to be back and proud of the people in her birth community doing so much for the town & territory.

Commissioner Eva Aariak & MLA David Akeeagok.

Two ladies performed throat songs to the delight of the audience & guests.

Throat singers perform.

David Akeeagok & Grade 1 Teacher.

Inuujaq School’s Grade 1 teacher was the first recipient of the NCA for over 40 years of teaching.  Next was a municipal councillor who put in many years of service in the GN and volunteer work in the community.  Many Elders were called up to be recognized for their years of GN service, volunteer work, being knowledge keepers, and providing guidance for youth.  They stood in front of the stage, receiving applauses and having their pictures taken.

Arctic Bay Elders.

Eva Aariak & former Head Nurse.

Two more teachers were awarded certificates for over 20 years of service.  The former head nurse received a certificate & medal for 30+ years of service at the local health centre.  The former Recreation Coordinator was recognized for running evening sports & activities as well as coaching & participating at the Arctic Winter Games. 

I was glad I came dressed in my semi-formal work attire because my name was called.  I stood in front of the awards table and Aariak announced I was receiving the Commissioner’s Volunteer Award for my years of working & running the local army cadet corps.  I originally thought the award was for my years of teaching.  I was humbled anyway.  The commissioner presented a certificate & medal.  A photo of us was taken.  I returned to my seat with my head held high.  I made a mental note to notify my military superiors.  Thank you, Arctic Bay for believing & supporting me!

Me receiving my medal & certificate from Eva Aariak.

The community’s Search & Rescue team and Rangers were awarded plaques for their years of service, dedication, and keeping the community safe.

Search & Rescue.

Rangers.

The ceremony came to an end, and everyone lined up to get snacks at the reception tables.  A few people personally congratulated me & shook my hand.  I treated myself to a few snacks before making my exit.  I now have two good reasons to buy a photo frame & medal display stand.

Spring Camp for Staff 2025

May 9 was the last day of Inuujaq School’s Spring Camp and reserved for staff.  District Education Authority (DEA) members were also invited to participate.  The DEA assists in running the school and how the budget is spent.  Students were given the day off.

Staff arrived in the early morning, dress & packed for a day out on the land.  The remaining food supplies were moved down to the ice where the convoy of skidoos, qamutiks (sleds), and drivers waited.  The supplies were divided & packed into the qamutiks.  The staff also divided themselves and found seating on qamutiks & skidoos.  I drove my own skidoo.  The convoy left at 9:30am and then split into two groups heading to separate locations.

Staff were given a choice of either Pattaataliarusiq or Iqalulik.  The first choice was closer to Arctic Bay and where students went.  Iqalulik is a popular fishing lake 45 kilometres south of Arctic Bay and about a two-hour drive by snowmobile.  The lake is located inland.  I had driven by this lake on several occasions but never actually visited the place.  I wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass.

I drove across Adam’s Sound, heading southwest towards Admiralty Inlet.  Even though I wasn’t towing a qamutik, I kept a close eye on the skidoo engine temperature gauge.  I didn’t want another engine overheating incident like last year.  I stopped and photographed a large iceberg.  I rounded the southern point, entered Admiralty Inlet and followed an established skidoo trail.  I spotted a line of 4 black dots in the distance.  It was the convoy heading to Iqalulik.  I closed the distance and joined the line.  We stopped for a quick break and then continued driving. 

Iqalulik

The convoy turned east, drove off the ice, and followed an inland skidoo trail the lake.  There was one section of the trail that went across clear ice, so we had to drive slowly to avoid spinning.  The trail rounded a small hill and then gave way to a breathtaking valley with tall mountains with steep cliffs on both sides.  We stopped in the middle of the frozen lake.  Silence enveloped us as we turned off our snowmobile engines.  The time was 11:30am.

There was noticeable wind blowing, but we were warmly dressed.  You can’t let the sunny blue skies deceive you.  It may be May, but the Arctic weather can turn on a whim.  I stood, took in the majestic scenery, and then took out my camera.  I photographed & filmed my surroundings.  The Arctic feels like another planet.  It’s a place you must (safely) experience if you get the chance.  It’s one of the reasons why I stay.

Two men unpacked and assembled an electric ice auger with several extensions.  The ice can be as much as 9 feet thick!  They worked in unison and drilled a few ice holes while a third person shoveled away snow & ice.  They also stood on their skidoos on two occasions.  I never would have thought of that.  I helped them finish drilling one ice hole.  Having more than one person operate an ice auger makes things much easier. 

Lunch consisted of Sapporo Ichiban chicken flavoured noodles, Tim Hortons hot chocolate, tea, & Bannock.  I also brought Goldfish crackers.

The Arctic wind subsided in the afternoon as we each picked an ice hole to jig.  I borrowed jigging equipment from a staff member.  I’ve been told that people spend hours or even an entire day jigging for fish.  They sit on comfortable seats and/or cushions and have a thermos of coffee or tea & snacks at the ready.  Possessing patience and sunscreen is a must.  I only jigged for around 20 – 30 minutes and didn’t catch anything.  Some people caught a few small fish.         

We stayed at Iqalulik until 3:30pm.  Some of the staff said they would return to fish again and even lay fish nets under the ice.  We packed everything up and drove back the way we came. 

Iqalulik.

I was the last one in the convoy, and everything was going well . . . until we drove over that patch of ice on the inland trail.  I wasn’t driving fast, but apparently it was fast enough for my skidoo to suddenly spin.  I tried to maintain control, but my snowmobile hit a rock and flipped onto its side.  I let go and fell to the ground.  I didn’t land on rocks.  I immediately stood up and turned off the engine.  I wasn’t in pain.  My Backcountry skidoo is lighter than my old Expedition skidoo.  I tried but didn’t have the strength to push my machine back onto the track.  Thankfully, a staff member had come back to check on me because everyone ahead noticed I wasn’t following.  He helped me get my skidoo back on its track and told me to drive ahead of him.  Thankfully, the engine still worked.

Ice hole.

The other staff members were waiting where the trail enters Admiralty Inlet.  I stopped and explained what happened.  The plastic bracket holding the windshield was broken on one side and only being held by the remaining 2 screws.  A staff member’s husband instructed me to drive ahead of the convoy so that if my machine breaks down, I wouldn’t be left behind.  I agreed to the plan and informed everyone where I would stop for breaks.  We got back on our snow machines and proceeded north towards Arctic Bay.

Admiralty Inlet. Skidoo trail heading north towards Arctic Bay.

St Georges Cliffs. Near Arctic Bay.

I had to drive slower and periodically hold the windshield in place.  I should have packed duct tape.  The convoy behind me broke off a few times to look for seals, but they eventually caught up to me.  To make a long story short, we successfully made it back to Arctic Bay by 5:30pm.  Finding a mechanic to fix my windshield was now on my to do list.

The day trip to Iqalulik was a success despite my skidoo wipeout.  I got to see another part of Nunavut for the first time.   

 

ACR 2025

3045 Army Cadet Corps held its Annual Ceremonial Review (ACR) parade on May 7.  It’s like a year-end Parents Night Parade with more awards & fanfare.  I invited the mayor of Arctic Bay to be the Reviewing Officer (RO).  Planning & practice for the ACR began a month in advance.  The cadets worked on their dress, drill, and deportment while I prepared the program, assembled the awards, and purchased snacks for reception.  We ironed our uniforms and polished our parade boots the weekend before the parade.

The cadets & I arrived at the school gym an hour before the start of the parade to set everything up.  We brought out chairs, tables, awards, trophies, badges, plaques, water, snacks, and flags.

The parade began at 6:30pm with the cadets formed up in the middle of the gym.  The mayor & I entered the gym and took our positions in the centre.  There was a General Salute followed by the playing of O Canada.  The cadet parade commander, a master warrant officer (MWO), escorted the mayor through the ranks during inspection.  While the cadets were being inspected, I welcomed everyone to the ACR and introduced the mayor as the reviewing officer.  The MWO led the cadets in a March Past after inspection.  A March Past is a way for cadets to demonstrate their drill & teamwork to the reviewing officer and audience.

I invited the mayor to address the cadets & audience.  He spoke in Inuktitut, thanking the corps for inviting him, the cadets for marching well, and the parents for supporting the cadet corps.  He then assisted me with handing out awards.

We started with marksmanship badges.  There are four levels; Level 1 is the lowest & Level 4 is the highest.  Two cadets achieved Level 3. 

The marksmanship team was called up next to receive pins & t-shirts for competing in the Stage 3 Regional Competition and winning first place in the Arctic Area!  I received the final results several weeks ago.  Everyone was ecstatic by the news. 

NSE Level 2 Recipient.

Next came the training badges.  Training years are organized into star levels: Green, Red, Silver, Gold, & Master.  It’s another way of saying Years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.  After that, senior cadets can apply for the National Star of Excellence (NSE).  NSE has four levels.  Cadets were called up to receive their star levels and have their pictures taken with the mayor.  The cadet MWO achieved NSE Level 2.

Top Cadet Award Recipient.

The parade continued with the year-end awards.  The first is Most Improved Cadet.  This plaque award went to the cadet that showed the greatest improvement throughout the training year.  The next award is the Best Boots & Deportment trophy, awarded to the cadet that routinely wore & maintained their uniforms to the highest standards.  I rewarded four cadets with the highest attendance by giving them cadet themed t-shirts.  The last award was the Top Cadet Award and was given to the cadet who achieved the highest training results, best uniform & deportment, taking initiative, assisting other cadets, and being a leader.

I read the Closing Remarks, thanking the mayor, parents, guardians, and community members for attending the parade & supporting the corps.  I also thanked the cadets for being present and congratulated them for a successful training year.

The parade concluded with an Advance, General Salute, and the playing of God Save the King.

A corps group photo was taken and then the cadets were dismissed to reception.  Reception last about 30 minutes.  The cadets & I then spent 20 minutes cleaning the gym & putting everything away.  They were dismissed for the remainder of the evening. 

Spring Camp 2025 For Students

Before I get into the main topic of this post, I wanted to briefly address the conclusion of the annual Nunavut Quest dog sledding race.  The race began in Pond Inlet and concluded in Igloolik on April 23.  Eight competitors crossed the finish line with their dog teams after travelling 500km.  Their support teams arrived first.  Jinneal Uttak won first place, Joshua Ivalu earned second place, and Lee Inuarak came in third.  Jinneal is a former student of mine.  The media reported the mushers & supply teams dealing with whiteout conditions a few times, but in the end, everyone arrived safely.  Congratulations Jinneal & everyone who participated!     

The month of May began with Inuujaq School’s annual Spring Camp for students & staff.  The Events Committee spent two & a half months planning the weeklong event.  There are a lot of items to go through, too many to list here.  Weekly meetings were held to get everything on the list completed.  The last meeting included hired drivers, guides, cooks, and Elders.  We went over everything: schedules, procedures, emergency plans, food menu, and activities.  I led the meeting and snacks were provided.

Food for Spring Camp was ordered from the local Northern Store.  They shipped our order by air and delivered it over the weekend.  Staff sorted, organized, and labelled the food in the Home Ec Room.  Hired staff moved some equipment and set up tents at the camp site over the weekend.

Spring Camp officially began on May 5.  The first group to head out were the high school & Grade 9 students & teachers.  They walked down to the ice after morning announcements and packed the qamutiks (sleds) with supplies.  There were overcast clouds in the sky, but the temperature wasn’t too cold.  The convoy left at 9:30am and travelled 12 kilometres southeast to reach Pattaataliarusiq.  The drive usually takes between 20 – 30 minutes.  You can get there faster if you’re only driving a skidoo.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t go because I had to stay behind and run the school as vice principal.  However, I did keep a VHF walkie-talkie close to me in case the camp leaders called.

Based on the photographs & stories I received from teachers, everyone had fun and the students learned a lot.  They did seal hunting, putting up a tent, dog sledding, sewing, listened to stories told by Elders, and enjoyed a lot of food.  Everyone returned to Arctic Bay by 4:30pm.

The second day of Spring Camp saw students & teachers from Grades 6 – 8 head out and enjoy the same activities as the senior students.  The middle school students also learned how to make an igloo. 

Grades 3 – 5 students & teachers went to Spring Camp on the third day.  Their day was packed with similar activities and games. 

Kindergarten, Grade 1, & Grade 2 went to Spring Camp on the fourth day.  Kindergarten students only went in the afternoon.  The schedule for these classes was not rigorous and heavy.  I was told the students played games, listened to Elders telling stories, and did sewing.

The hired drivers got a lot of mileage ferrying people & supplies between the school & Pattaataliarusiq.

The last day of Spring Camp was reserved for school staff.  More on this in a future post.