INUVIK – THE LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN

cxarving outside visitors info

Northern Communities seem to like planes as weather manes

   THE CITY AND THE PEOPLE

    Inuvik was more modern and larger then we had expected. 

After setting up our trailer we visited the Info Centre.  We knew that anyone could attend the Truth and Reconciliation Conference so we went to the Midnight Sun Complex to check it out. 

At Truth and Reconciliation Conference

Being July 1, it was the last official day of the conference.  We stayed for a while and listened, and then we headed out to the big canvass tent for dinner.  We did not get the local native foods we were hoping for but we did get a free buffet dinner. 

Dinner at Conference

Elders and survivors were served first and then dinner was open to all others. 

Igloo Church in Inuvik

  After dinner we stopped off at the Igloo Church because there was to be a tour at 8PM.  There we sat on the steps of the church and chatted with a couple from Ottawa and a man from Duncan BC.  You sure meet a lot of nice people travelling.  No one every showed up for the tour, but we had a great visit. 

     Just a few observations about Inuvik:  All the homes are built on stilts.  Used to be wood but now they use metal.  This because of the perma frost. 

  I also thought it was interesting that since we have been travelling in the north, you never see a garage.  Now if I lived in such a cold climate I would want my car in a heated garage.  The parking lots of stores do have plug ins for your block heat.  

Gov't Liqour store

 It is at first hard to identify the stores, every non residential building looks like an industrial building with no windows.  The signs are fairly small.  I had to take pictures to show.  You open the solid door into a regular supermarket.  The other thing peculiar is that most places of business do not open till noon.  Tragically there was also evidence of the substance addiction problems faced in northern remote communities. 

Interesting people with good sense of humour. 

On July 1 a teenage committed suicide in the little hamlet of Tuktoyaktok.  A local teen who knew him told me there are no counsellors there.  We found the residents to be very friendly, helpful, happy people.  There is also much the sense of community and family life.