Mid-September

September 10, 2014.

The middle weeks of September were busy, filled with important events and visitors from the sea.  I was glad that I had my camera at all times.

            

September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day, an awareness day designed to "provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides."  The event is hosted by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH).  According to the IASP, "over 800,000 people die from suicide every year, roughly one death every 40 seconds.  [This] exceeds the number of deaths due to homicide and war combined."  This year's theme was "Light a candle near a Window."

            

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, suicide is a problem of epidemic proportions in Canada's north.  Nunavut's suicide rate is around 13 times the national average.  The territory reached a record of 48 suicides last year.  There have already been 19 this year, including an 11 year-old boy in Repulse Bay.  This is happening to a population of just 36,000.  Suicide affects everyone in the north.  Many Inuit know of at least one friend and/or relative that has been lost to suicide.  For me, suicide came to the forefront when one of my students in Iqaluit took his life in December 2012.  The causes of these suicides are the same as down south but one thing is clear and that is the territory does not have enough resources, skills, and funding to tackle the problem.  There is some progress being made, but more needs to be done.        

            

One of the activities the IASP promotes is "Cycle Around the World", where participants from all over the globe collectively cycle 85,242.72km, or twice the circumference of the Earth, in an effort to spread global awareness about the importance of suicide prevention.  Nunavut was assigned 2,700km - the distance of the Northwest Passage.  The teachers & students of Inuujaq School did their part by walking 5km around town & the school.  Hopefully, the IASP can forgive us for leaving our bikes at home.            

The walk began at 2:45pm behind the school's gym.  The Grade 8-12 students & teachers completed the 5km walk around town while the K-7 students & teachers walked around the school.  It took 45 minutes to complete the walk around town.  Locals came out to see the "parade" of students & staff walking for suicide prevention.  A congratulatory BBQ awaited everyone upon returning to school.  The hot dogs were prepared by Irene, the town's mental health worker.  She recruited several students who were also cadets to look after the distribution of juice boxes & apples, and cleaning up the area when dismissal bell rang. 

            

The teachers filled out forms that tracked the students who participated in the walk and how many kilometres they completed.  The forms were faxed to IASP and each student received a certificate for their effort.  It would be several days before we would learn that the Nunavummiut walked, cycled, and ran more than 2,700km.  A lot more.

            

The next important event was remembering the September 11th terrorist attacks of 2001.  It was thirteen years ago, on that infamous day, when four passenger jets were hijacked in the USA by Al-Qaeda terrorists and used as weapons against the World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and possibly the Capitol Building or White House.  I still remember where I was on that day, in high school, going to class, and only learning about the attacks after lunch.  I didn't believe it until I got home.  The event was the topic of discussion for all three of my social studies classes.  We discussed its historical significance, how it changed American foreign policy, and how it affected Canada.  We also watched the documentary 102 Minutes that Changed America, and the drama film United 93.  The latter film is about the fourth plane that was brought down by its passengers, preventing the hijackers from crashing it into the Capitol Building or the White House.

            

Arctic Bay received its first significant snowfall of the winter season . . . on September 12.  No one was expecting it to happen that early.  When I drew open my curtains that morning, I thought it was November.  The snow didn't melt; it was here to stay.  However, the water in the bay was not frozen.  That wouldn't happen until late October.

           

The chemical tanker OW Atlantic sailed into Arctic Bay on September 13th to replenish the town's fuel tanks.  The large vessel connected to the "Gas Station" via a very long pipe that ran along the surface of the water.  It left the next day.

            

Another large vessel visited Arctic Bay on September 14th, this time in the form of a research vessel turned cruise ship.  It was my first time seeing the large grey ship and to me, it resembled a military cruiser or destroyer.  Using my binoculars, I looked at the bow (front) and read the name: Akademik Sergey Vavilov.  Russian.  The Russians are here!  I immediately scanned the skies above me, looking for heavily armed Russian paratroopers.  When none appeared, I breathed a sigh of relief and assumed that the ship was just visiting.  My Internet searches at school revealed that the Russian (former Soviet) research vessel is also a polar cruise ship, managed by International Shipping Partners, and frequently chartered by One Ocean Expeditions, Polar Cruises, Peregrine Adventures, and TravelWild Expeditions.  The Vavilov also recently played a role in the Franklin ship discovery.  It too stayed in town for only a day.

            

During this time, my Grade 10s learned about the importance & significance of 1970 Coppermine Conference.  Kugluktuk, as it's now called, was the community where the Indian & Eskimo Association (IEA) sponsored a week-long meeting for Aboriginal & Inuit delegates to discuss critical issues that would ensure their languages and cultures would survive & flourish.  The meeting also set the stage for future land claims negotiations with the Canadian federal government.  IEA changed its name to Canadian Association in Support of Native Peoples in 1973.

            

My Grade 11s studied European imperialism in Africa in the late 1880s to early 1900s.  What shocked them was how the borders were dramatically changed & imposed by the European powers, leading to future conflicts that are still happening today.  Ethnic tribes were either forcefully split to prevent them from fighting their occupiers together, or forced to live with enemy tribes.  Additionally, the European powers actively engaged in the slave trade, transporting between 9 - 12 million people to Europe, and North & South America.  The few positive results that came from imperialism (ie. railroads, telegraphs, European styled education) do not outweigh the negatives.  I'm not sure how long it will take for the people of Africa to heal.  Maybe the political boundaries need to be redrawn.       

           

An finally, my drummers were sounding more comfortable playing on the drums as a group.  Their ears were getting used to the "loud" sounds of the drums.  For beginners, any drum sound is a loud sound.  We also practiced playing sixteenth notes as a group.  The challenge is to get eight drummers to sound like one drum.  At first, it was a cacophony of sound, but after much time & effort, the drummers sounded in unison.   

September 14, 2014

Tests, Tourists, & a Workshop

The first school week of September began with some very picturesque scenery.  A thick layer of clouds enveloped King George V Mountain (KGVM) on the morning of the 3rd.  At a first glance, it appeared as the if the mountain had shrunken to a tall hill.  On September 4th, the arctic sun was shining just above the mountain's peak, partially covered by low clouds.  The water in the bay was flat and clear as glass.  Moments like these convince me to always have a digital camera at the ready.            

My Grade 11 Social Studies students had a quiz on the first two sections of the Industrialization module.  The two sections we covered looked at life in England before and during the Industrial Revolution, trade & merchant guilds, urbanization, and child labour.  My Grade 12 Social Studies students had a political perspectives test on the topics of democracy & dictatorship.  One of them went to a surprising extreme to not be distracted by his classmates.  He declined my other suggestion; wearing a file folder.  He did very well on the test. 

           

On Sunday, September 7, the Sea Explorer, a cruise ship owned by Danish Clipper Group, visited Arctic Bay.  The vessel is operated by Polar Latitudes, Poseidon Expeditions, and Quark Expeditions, and was escorted to the town by a Canadian Coast Guard vessel.  Tourists from many different countries, dressed in large, noticeable yellow coats, came ashore and explored the town on foot.  It was a sunny clear blue day, but a long line of low overcast clouds drifted across the bay.  I photographed the tourists visiting the Heritage Centre and returning to the Sea Explorer on zodiac boats.  I saw several of them at the Northern Store & Co-op but didn't talk to them.  I overheard a French lady explaining to someone over the phone about how high the prices are.  The Sea Explorer was gone by the end of the day.            

            

September 8th was a "special day" for high school; regular classes were replaced by a day workshop organized by the Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation.  Baffinland is a Canadian mining company owned by ArcelorMittal and Nunavut Iron Ore, and operates above the Arctic Circle.  Its latest undertaking is the Mary River Project, an open pit iron mine, located on Baffin Island.  The company has just started operations and expects to ship approximately 18 million tonnes of ore per year to European countries.  The iron ore was originally discovered in 1962, but interest in financing the extraction of the natural resource did not happen until many years later.  Iron ores are rocks and minerals that are mined around the world primarily to make steel.

            

Mary River is located 280km southeast of Arctic Bay, and already employs several people from the town.  From what I have been told, the workers are flown to and from the mine by helicopter, and work in two week rotations (two weeks on, two weeks off).  Alternatively, workers from down south are flown in and out twice a week via two Nolinor Boeing 737s based in Kitchener-Waterloo.  The planes stop in Iqaluit to refuel.  The mine and Baffinland are frequent topics of conversation in Arctic Bay because of the economic benefits and work experience they bring to the Inuit.

            

The workshop is designed to educate students on the types of minerals found and can be mined in Nunavut, what the Mary River Project is all about, the types of jobs that await graduating students in the mining sector, and what factors are needed to run a successful mining operation.  The workshop was run by a lady and a man from Baffinland.  There were plenty of individual and groups activities where students examined mineral samples with magnifying glasses, identified minerals using various clues, answered questions in the style of jeopardy, "mined" for iron ore using a cookie, and built mineral structures using toothpicks & Swedish berries.  Naturally, one of the main challenges of the last two mentioned activities was to not eat the food until after their completion.  Snacks and lunch were also provided, courtesy of Baffinland.                                

            

Judging from the interactions of students, it appeared they enjoyed the workshop and learned a lot about the minerals hidden deep underneath Nunavut.  I too learned several new things about minerals and how mining operations work in very remote locations.  The students also received free Baffinland t-shirts for their participation & efforts.  The company is known for being generous to students, especially the high school graduates.  As I mentioned in a previous post, the grads receive a free laptop from the mining company.             

The Baffinland instructors were thanked by the administration and student body for visiting the school and putting on the workshop.  They boarded a plane later that day and flew to another community to put on the same workshop for Inuit students.     

Annual Sealift and Cleanup

MV Qamutik - August 26, 2014.

The day after Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Arctic Bay, the first sealift vessel arrived to unload cargo the community had ordered for the next year.  The MV Qamutik, a multi-purpose container vessel, owned and operated by NEAS, anchored in the bay on the morning of August 26th.   I noticed several stacked cargo containers and vehicles on the main deck as I was walking to school that morning.  Due to the lack of a deep sea port, the cargo containers & vehicles needed to be lowered onto two barges which are then towed to shore.  Front end loaders would then remove the containers and deliver them to awaiting customers.  Containers that aren't kept are placed back onto the barges and returned to the ship. 

            

For the entire day, the two barges, pulled by small tugboats, slowly travelled back and forth between the shoreline and the ship.  Just like last year, several of my students were absent from school because they were helping with the unloading of supplies for the Northern Store.  They would be paid for their work.  Surprisingly, the MV Qamutik left at the end of the day.  Last year, the first sealift ship, the MV Umiavut, stayed for two or three days.  I guess there weren't that many orders via NEAS this year.

           

MV Anna Desgagnes - August 27, 2014.

Inuujaq School's sealift order.

On August 27th, the MV Anna Desgagnés, a larger multi-purpose ship operated by Transport Desgagnés Inc., anchored closer to the shoreline and unloaded all the cargo containers allocated for Arctic Bay.  The vessel also used two barges and tugboats to get everything ashore.  Inuujaq School's sealift order was on this ship and was delivered to the school in two large containers.  It would take a couple of days to get everything inside, unpacked, and stocked.  Anything school related you can think of was ordered, such as, desks, chairs, paper, office stationary, cleaning supplies, and food for the breakfast program.  Hundreds of boxes were stocked against the walls of the main hallway.  The Desgagnés departed for its next "port of call" on the 28th.

           

MV Anna Desgagnes - August 28, 2014

At the present time, Nunavut is the only territory that is not connected to the rest of Canada by road, railway, water, gas, and electricity.  The only ways in or out are by air, sea, foot, skidoo, ATV, or for the enthusiasts and traditionalists, dog team.  It is a very large isolated region.  The northern communities are (and need to be) self-sufficient colonies.  Everything you need to sustain a community has to be brought in from down south.  Aircraft provide an all year round supply line but ships come only once a year during the brief summer months when there's no ice.  It is cheaper to ship something up north via boat, but since you only get one delivery a year, you need to plan ahead and get everything you need for a whole year.  For some northern residents, it's like shopping at Costco but with many shopping carts or a U-Haul truck.

            

Supplies being unloaded.

Arranging a sealift order, I hear, is a complicated task because there are many middlemen (and women) involved in the process.  There are companies that you can pay to go out and buy the items that you need and get them to the sealift ships in Montreal.  But then you have to pay the people who package everything into the sea containers, and then you have to pay the shipping company who runs the vessel to deliver it to your community.  And let's not forget the added expense of paying a local who can operate a loader to deliver the sea container right to your doorstep, and remove it if you're not keeping it.  To save money, many people do their sealift orders cooperatively.

            

I have been tempted to do a sealift order since coming to Arctic Bay, except I don't have the space in my apartment for everything I would order.  I would have to keep the sea container which alone costs between $3K - $4K.                   

            

After spending a year and a half in Arctic Bay, I finally had the opportunity to visit the old Nanisivik mine, town, dock, and airport during the Labour Day Weekend.  I was given a tour of these locations by Frank May, the former mayor of Arctic Bay.  The tour was very informative and I snapped a lot of pictures.  (More to come in a future post). 

            

By the end of August, my Grade 10 Social Studies students were deep into the study of the creation of Nunavut.  The module begins by looking at the Inuit nomadic way of life before the arrival of the qallunaaq (non-Inuit), then moves on to the transitional period (coming off the land), and finally the modern era (land claims, moving forward).  Coming up shortly will be the four Inuit land claims agreement negotiated between the federal government and various Inuit groups across the territories.

            

My Grade 11 Social Studies students are having fun studying the British Industrial Revolution and European Imperialism in Africa and Asia.  They can't wait until we get to the First World War Unit.

            

Arctic Bay - September 1, 2014.

In Grade 12 Social Studies, the students learned the intricacies of democracy and dictatorship.  After much study and debate, everyone agreed that living in a democracy is much better than living under a dictatorship . . . unless you're the dictator.  A type of dictatorship that students had difficulty visualizing was totalitarianism.  They are so used to being independent that they can't picture what it's like to live in a world where every part of your life is controlled by another.  I addressed this challenge by showing them the action sci-fi movie, Equilibrium, which paints a vivid portrait of a totalitarian society where human emotion is actively suppressed.  I may show them other similar movies like 1984 or Fahrenheit 451.

            

I began the semester with six drummers but was able to get two more to join the class by the end of the month.  They are now actively practicing rudiments, rhythms, and playing as a team.  They are already excited for their first public performance on Halloween and have started learning the repertoire.    

            

On September 1st, the cadets of 3045 Army Corps headed out to the shoreline behind the airport to clean up all the garbage that had washed up on shore.  It was the same area the cadets cleaned last year but there were parts of the shoreline that still needed attention.  The Canadian cadet program requires cadets to complete a certain amount of community service hours every year.  This requirement fits into their citizenship training.

            

The participating staff and cadets drove out to the area in pickup trucks.  Two of those trucks belonged to the RCMP.  The town's two officers decided to give the cadets a lift to the cleanup area.  Unfortunately, they couldn't stay to assist us or protect us against aggressive wildlife.  However, the chances of meeting anything aggressive was next to nil.  Everything we needed for the cleanup, from garbage bags to lunch meals, was brought out on two trailers pulled by two ATVs.  The cadets set up a white Fort McPherson tent to be used as a shelter and eating area. 

            

It was a sunny clear blue day as everyone walked around the shoreline, picking up various articles of junk off the ground.  I was still amazed by what we found: pop cans, shoes, items of clothing, tires, plastic bags, gas cans, toys, and pieces of wood.  In between the cleanup, the cadets caught some lemmings scurrying around.  The "good" pieces of wood were collected and placed in a large pile while the others were loaded onto the trailers.  We would use the good pieces for the upcoming bonfire in October.  Smaller items were dropped into garbage bags and also placed on the trailers.  Our two civilian volunteers then drove to the town's landfill and dump everything. 

            

For lunch, we had American Meals-Ready-To-Eat (MREs), prepared using Coleman Stoves.  Since the weather was so nice, no one ate their meals in the tent.  After lunch, we continued picking garbage for two more hours before calling it a day.  The tent was taken down and everything was brought back to the awaiting pickup trucks at the airport. 

            

Another little piece of Arctic Bay was garbage free.