Fall Biathlon 2025

The cadets of 3045 Army Cadet Corps competed in the annual Fall Biathlon competition on October 25.  The corps event sees cadets run & shoot metal plinker targets in the shortest time possible.  I know biathlon (usually) means skiing, but the bay isn’t frozen in October, and it’s too dangerous to cross country ski up & down streets.  Participation is voluntary & cadets compete for prizes & bragging rights.  The visiting captain from the Regional Cadet Support Unit (RCSU) Northwest (NW) assisted me in running the event.

We arrived at the school gym at 9am and got to work turning the large room into an air rifle range.  Tables, chairs, backboards, flags, air rifles, lead pellets, metal plinker targets, shooting mats, flags, and spotting scopes were brought out from storage and placed all over the gym.  I retrieved scoring sheets, stop watches, clipboards, and pens from the cadet office.  Everything was set by 9:30am. 

The captain & I held a briefing with the cadets, going over the day schedule & safety rules.  The cadets were then given time to stretch, select their air rifles, and practice shooting the plinker targets.  Canadian cadets use the Daisy Avanti 853c air rifle.  Three practice relays were held.

Cadets were divided into three groups according to their training years to ensure fairness.  The groups were Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3+.  A Year 1 relay consisted of running twice & shooting three times.  The other two groups had to run three times & shoot three times.  A max of three cadets would complete their relays at the same time because there were only three shooting lanes.  Technically, we could accommodate more, but that increases the risk of cadets having to wait to shoot, meaning pausing & continuing their times.  Also, it’s easier on the judges to have all competitors begin at 00:00.  If they begin after that, you must do (tedious) math to figure out their total time.  Time penalties were given for missed targets, but they varied based on the assigned group.

The first three cadets began their relays several minutes after the practice relays ended.  The remaining cadets assisted the captain & I on the range.  Cadets shot 15 pellets in total.  The running course was 1km around the school.  When a cadet finished their relay, I asked for another to volunteer. 

Lunch began at noon and lasted an hour.  Meals were prepared and delivered by the local hotel.  RCSU NW provided funding.  The menu consisted of sandwiches, cookies, and canned drinks.

The competition continued after lunch.  Only a few cadets needed to complete their relays.  All relays were completed after an hour.  We then spent the next 30 minutes cleaning up the gym and putting everything away.  I collected all the score cards, placed them in a large envelope, and put it in the cadet office.  I would review them the following day and have the final results ready for the next training night. 

The cadets were given an hour to play sports while the captain & I focused on corps administration.  We periodically checked to make sure the cadets were getting along.  At the end, the cadets were formed up for a debriefing.  I congratulated the cadets for competing and thanked the captain for his assistance.  The cadets were dismissed for the remainder of the day.

 

Parents Night Parade – Oct 2025

3045 Army Cadet Corps held its first Parents Night Parade of the 2025-2026 Training Year on October 23.  Parents, guardians, & community members were invited to recognize & congratulate the cadets’ achievements since the beginning of the training year.  Awards, badges, and promotions were given.  Announcements for upcoming events were also made.  This parade was extra special because a captain from the Regional Cadet Support Unit (RCSU) Northwest (NW) was in attendance.  RCSU NW staff periodically visit the corps to see how things are going and help corps administration.  The corps is Canada’s most northern cadet corps.

The cadets & I spent a few weeks preparing for the parade by reviewing drill and working on our dress uniforms & parade boots.  We were ready to go on the day of the parade.  We converted the school gym into a parade square with flags, chairs, tables, sound system, and snacks.  The cadet parade commander took roll call (attendance) and sized the cadets in ranks.  We waited for the audience to find their seats.  The parade began at 6:30pm.

The flag party marched out and placed the Canadian & cadet flags on both sides of the awards table, marched out, and then joined the cadet platoon.  The parade commander marched the platoon into the centre of the gym.  I escorted the captain to the front and he received the general salute.  This was followed by the playing of the national anthem.  The parade commander escorted the captain through the ranks for inspection.  While this was happening, I welcomed everyone to the parade and gave a short biography of the visiting captain.  The cadets did a March Past.  I then invited the captain to address the cadets & audience.  He gave a short congratulatory & motivational speech.

Level 3 Marksmen.

The captain helped me with awards.  I began with physical fitness, calling up three cadets who earned badges.  One earned bronze, another earned silver, and the third received gold.  I then moved to marksmanship.  The corps’ marksmanship program is very active and eight cadets earned levels.  One cadet achieved Level 1, two cadets earned Level 2, four cadets earned Level 3, and one cadet achieved Level 4.  Level 4 is the highest, also known as Distinguished Marksman.

The next two cadets to be called up were the ones who won year-end awards at last training year’s Annual Ceremonial Review (ACR) Parade in May (2025).  Their name plates arrived and I wanted them to paste them on the plaques & trophy.  One cadet won Most Improved Cadet and the other won Best Boots & Deportment, and Top Cadet. 

The last part of the awards section were cadet promotions.  This time we had four junior rank promotions and two senior rank promotions.  Four Lance Corporals were promoted to Corporal, and two Master Corporals were promoted to Sergeant.  The two new sergeants received red sashes to wear on their dress uniforms.  Senior cadets are allowed to wear red sashes because the corps is affiliated with the Royal Regiment of Canada, based in Toronto, Ontario.

The captain briefly took over the parade to present the King Charles III Coronation Medal to me “in recognition of your valuable contribution to your country.”  I was honoured to receive the medal.  It’s also my first one as a military officer.  I am one of 4,000 Canadian Armed Forces members who received this medal.  Thank you RCSU NW for nominating me!  I thanked the captain and everyone in attendance for their support.

The parade concluded with an Advance In Review Order, General Salute, and the playing of God Save The King.  The captain & I marched out of the gym, and the parade commander dismissed the cadets.  The parade had ended. 

A corps group photo was taken and then we all went to reception.  Reception lasted around 30 minutes.  The cadets & I cleaned the gym and put everything away.  The captain & I held a quick debriefing and then dismissed the cadets for the remainder of the evening.

 

Thanksgiving 2025

Warning: This post contains images that some readers may find graphic.

Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October because the harvesting season ends early.  In the past, Thanksgiving was held in November, like in the United States, but the date regularly changed.  It wasn’t until the 1957 Proclamation made by the Parliament of Canada, that Thanksgiving was “officially set [to] the second Monday of October to keep it from overlapping with Remembrance Day [(November 11)]”.  I learned something knew while researching this post.

Observing Thanksgiving in October is a good choice because you get a 3-day weekend.  The people of Arctic Bay observe the holiday with family gatherings and country food.  Frozen turkeys are sold at the local stores if you want them.

Inuujaq School observed Thanksgiving by ordering caribou meat from Rankin Inlet and hiring Elders to prepare & serve the meat to students & staff on October 10.  The local District Education Authority (DEA) provided the funding.

The caribou meat was wrapped in large clear plastic bags and packaged in large cardboard boxes.  They arrived several days before October 10, and we stored them in freezers.  The Elders were in the Home Ec Room all morning cutting & preparing the meat.  A few high school students helped.  The meat would be served in a stew, raw, and as a roast.  The school smelled of freshly cooked caribou all day.

Classes were called down to the Home Ec Room in the afternoon to receive their meals.  They consumed the country food in their classrooms.  I went near the end of the day and indulged in raw caribou meat.  Delicious.  Unfortunately, I forgot to bring soy sauce.               

The local District Education Authority (DEA), in collaboration with Inuujaq School and the Northern Store, ordered Thanksgiving Food Hampers for students, staff, Elders, and families.  A single hamper contained a generous amount of food.  The large order arrived in many cardboard boxes a week after Thanksgiving but that’s okay.  Food is good any time of the year.

An army of high school students helped the gym teacher & Northern Store employees unload the boxes from the delivery truck and places them on tables.  I think about two-thirds of the hampers came packed & sorted.  The remaining third needed to be sorted and placed in large Northern Store shopping bags.  The hampers were set on rows of tables.  Parents, guardians, Elders, and community members arrived and distribution began at 3:00pm.  Classes were also called down.  Students were permitted to go home early so the food wouldn’t spoil.  Larger families were given two hampers.  There were still some remaining.  These were given to whoever wanted them and a few were set aside for the school. 

The community was grateful for the hampers.  The cost of food is quite high in Nunavut leading to many food insecure homes.  Any initiative to relieve this stress is welcome.

Orange Shirt Day 2025

Inuujaq School observed The National Day of Truth & Reconciliation, aka Orange Shirt Day, on September 29.  (The actual day is September 30, but it’s a statutory holiday in Nunavut, so no school).  Orange Shirt Day “honours the survivors of residential schools, their families, and their communities, while remembering the children who never returned home.” 

Residential schools & hostels operated in Canada for 165 years, 1831 – 1996, separating thousands of First Nations, Métis, & Inuit children from their families, communities, languages, and cultures.  The primary goal was forced assimilation into Canadian English & French societies through cultural genocide.  The schools & hostels were run by various Christian churches, overseen by the federal government.  Children were subjected to horrific conditions & treatment, and many did not return home.  Survivors returned broken, confused, angry, abandoned, and disconnected from their families, resulting in intergenerational trauma. 

In the week leading up to September 29, orange shirts were distributed to students & staff, teachers did lessons & activities with their students, and the school’s Events Committee organized an assembly on September 29.  Parents, guardians, Elders, & community members were invited.

The assembly began with a welcome address by the principal.  Everyone wore orange.  This was followed by a Minute of Silence for the survivors, their families, and the children who never returned.  Two Inuit teachers did a performance.  One sang while the other played the Inuit drum.  I then played two short informative videos about residential schools & the story behind Orange Shirt Day.  The assembly ended with classes having their photos taken.

Bannock was distributed to everyone in attendance.  Students & teachers returned to class for the remainder of the day.            

Every Child Matters.

To any residential school deniers reading this post: You’re no different than Holocaust deniers.  

Late September 2025

Snow began falling around Arctic Bay in the middle of September, signalling the coming of winter.  The hills & mountains looked like someone sprinkled powdered sugar on them.  Snow fell in the community several days later but most of it melted.  I switched to rubber boots because of the large mud pits along the roads and between houses.  At least dust wasn’t being kicked up by vehicles.  All the roads here are gravel paved.

Construction crews have been hard at work on several projects in town, getting as much done as possible before winter.  Arctic Bay has been experiencing a construction boom and it’s much needed.  Our infrastructure needs upgrades & additions.  The latest Liberal federal government has promised increased attention & investment in Canada’s North, and I hope they follow through.  The territories have already experienced many broken promises.

Daycare site.

Infrastructure projects currently being worked on are a new water pumping station/treatment plant, two large residential complexes, and the creation of lots for a daycare & several rent-to-own houses.  Prefabricated modules for the rent-to-own houses were brought ashore at the beginning of September.  They won’t be installed until next year because the metal pile foundations need to be put it first.  The modules were moved to the site using loaders.  The large & colourful 8-plex residence is nearing completion.  The 12-plex residence next to it still has a long way to go.  Only the bottom flooring & side walls are up.  It’ll be at least another year or two before it’s ready.  As for the daycare, the local contractor has been pouring & flattening tons of earth to create the space needed to lay the foundations.  I’ve been told the daycare modules will arrive on next year’s sealift.    

Prefab house modules.

I think I can say everyone in town is glad we’re getting a new water pumping station with treatment equipment.  Arctic Bay is still under a water boil advisory, now just over a year.  I don’t think this is the first time the community has experienced such an extended advisory.  I’m still the school’s water boy, filling up empty water jugs at the Northern Store and bringing them back every few days.  The alternative is boiling water at school using tea kettles but that takes a lot of time.  Everyone is hoping the advisory will be lifted soon, but I’m not holding my breath.  The new facility will reduce the likelihood of another prolonged advisory.

An even better solution would be to construct a water distribution network that includes a water tower.  Constructing such a network will require a lot of piping because our water source is about 6.5km south of the community, near the airport.  And money, of course.  If the entire system can’t be built in one go, the powers that be should look at building a water pipeline from the source to a refill station near the gas station.  That will drastically reduce the distance water trucks will need to travel to fill up and the Hamlet will save money on gas.     

Terry Fox Run 2025

Inuujaq School held its Terry Fox Run on September 15.  Parents & guardians were invited to attend & participate.  The annual event is held every September, all over the world, as “[a] family friendly, all ages, non-competitive event to raise funds for cancer research.”  The event/campaign has been going strong since 1980 and this year marks its 45^th iteration.

Terry Fox, a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer activist, ran 5,373km across Canada in 1980 to raise money for cancer research.  He called his initiative the Marathon of Hope.  He lost one of his legs to cancer, but that didn’t stop him from running a marathon a day (42km), for 143 days, raising $1.7 million.  He began in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and reached just outside Thunder Bay, Ontario, before being forced to stop because his cancer returned.  Tragically, he succumbed to the illness and passed away before reaching the Pacific coast.  He was only 22 years old.  His determination & legacy lives on through the Terry Fox Foundation.

The Terry Fox Foundation mailed a box of resources for students & teachers to use during the week leading up to September 15 on the day of the run.  They included posters, activity sheets, and stickers.  Teachers also did their own activities.  The school’s Events Committee organized an afternoon assembly and walk/run around town. 

Terry Fox is well-known in Arctic Bay.  We have the Terry Fox Pass Monument on the Road to Nanisivik, established in the 1980s by the Polar Pacers and the Midnight Marathoners.  Terry Fox’s younger brother once worked at the former Nanisivik Mine.

The assembly began at 1:45pm with a welcome speech from me and an Inuit teacher.  We were the emcees.  I then showed three educational videos about Terry Fox to the audience.  One of them showed Terry’s route from beginning to end.  I then displayed the three walk/run routes created for classes.  They were the same from last year and followed the roads.  The distances were organized as short, medium, & long.  Elementary were assigned the short route, middle school did the medium route, and high school were given the longest route.  Participants could walk and/or run.  Everyone would return to the gym upon completion to get snacks.  Teachers received printed copies of the routes before the assembly.  Participants wrote the names of the people they were running for on large orange stickers and pasted them to their clothing as they headed outside.

A few staff members & I brought out more tables after everyone left and set out juice boxes, granola bars, and trays of Bannock.  The school hired Elders to prepare Bannock all morning.  Students, teachers, parents, & guardians slowly trickled into the gym after some time and helped themselves to snacks & juice.  Students & teachers returned to class after they finished eating & resting.  Several high school students & teachers stayed behind to help clean up the gym.