Above & Beyond | Canada's Arctic Journal 2021 | 06

The Inflight Magazine for Canadian North

NOVDEC 2021 | 06 YOURS TO KEEP

Cirqiniq Silver Linings

Nechalacho A REE Mine

Eureka First of Five JAWS

SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

75 Years and Counting Serving Northerners

PM40050872

o www.arcticjournal.ca

Chris Avery ᑯᕆᔅ ᐄᕗᕆ

Dear Guest ᑐᕌᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᔪᓄᑦ,

Johnny Adams ᔮᓂ ᐋᑕᒥ Executive Chairman of the Board, Canadian North ᐃᓱᒪᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐃᒃᓯᕙᐅᑕᕆᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᓂ, ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦ

Welcome aboard!

ᑐᖖᒐᓱᒋᑦᓯ ᐃᑭᒪᑎᓪᓗᓯ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᑦᑎᓐᓂ!

I am extremely proud that we have reached our 75th anniversary as an airline and that we can reflect on how far we have come over the years.

I also can’t help but look towards the future, thinking about what comes next and where we will be in the next 75 years.

ᐅᐱᒍᓱᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᖓ ᑎᑭᐅᑎᓯᒪᓂᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ 75ᓂᒃ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓂᒃ ᓇᓪᓕᐅᓂᖅᓯᐅᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕ-

Our future is not set in stone, but I know there are certain important things we will be focusing on in 2022 and beyond.

We recognize how crucial it is for us to invest in our people and create excellent career opportunities in the communities we serve. Our priority is on increasing Inuit representation in all parts of our operations and within leadership roles. This is something we take very seriously and need to be a leader in. We will also be focusing on developing employment, training and leadership programs, all with the focus on creating a Team that is more reflective of the customers and communities we serve, which includes more Inuit, female and other minority representation.

We will work on improving our customer service for everyone who travels and ships with us as well as our charter clients. A large part of this will be listening carefully to our customers and delivering on the amenities and services they value most.

We will explore new horizons in a post‐COVID environment, leveraging our core competencies as Canada’s premier charter airline, increasing the operation of our 737 Fleet (737‐300 / 400 Classics and 737‐700 Next Generation). This will also utilize our highly skilled team members and their unique capabilities. This growth and diversification will help us to operate sustainably and provide us with the revenue we need to continually reinvest and evolve.

We have exceptional talent and experience across our entire network, so we will be trusting our people to make decisions and provide valuable insight, so every member of our Team is helping to drive better customer service and contributing to our operational excellence and identifying cost savings and efficiencies.

There is one thing that will never change, and that is how proud we are to be a safe and reliable airline partner for everyone who depends on us. This will continue to be reflected in our Mission — to meaningfully improve the lives of our people, our customers and the communities we serve. Thank you for supporting us and being a huge part of our past, present and future.

Nakurmiik, quyanainni, qujannamiik, matna, quana, mahsi cho, merci and thank you,

Chris Avery President and CEO Canadian North

ᕆᔨᐅᓪᓗᑕ ᑕᑯᒍᓐᓇᖅᑐᑕᓪᓗ ᖃᓄᑎᒋ ᐱᕚᓪᓕᖅᓯᒪᒻᒪᖔᑦᑕ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᓂᒍᖅᑐᓂᒃ. ᓯᕗᒧᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕐᓗᖓ ᑭᓯᐊᓂᐅᒻᒥᔪᖅ, ᐃᓱᒪᒋᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑐᖏᓕᐊᓂ ᖃᐃᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᓇᒦᓐᓂᕆᒐᔭᖅᑕᕗᓪᓗ ᐊᒡᒋᖅᑐᓂ 75ᓂᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓂᑦ. ᓯᕗᓂᑦᓴᕗᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᑦᓯᒪᕙᒌᙱᑦᑑᒐᓗᐊᖅ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔪᖓ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᑎᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᓪᓚᕆᓐᓂᐊᕋᑦᑕ 2022ᒥ ᑖᕗᖓᒃᑲᓐᓂᕐᓗ. ᐃᓕᑕᕆᕙᕗᑦ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᓂᖓ ᐃᓄᖁᑎᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᕚᓪᓕᕆᐊᖅᑎᑦᓯᓂᖅ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᑦᓴᑦᓯᐊᕙᓐᓂᓪᓗ ᓴᖅᑭᑎᑦᓯᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᕗᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᖅᑕᑦᑎᓐᓂ. ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐅᑎᑕᕗᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᙳᕆᐊᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑭᒡᒐᑐᖅᑕᐅᓂᖏᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᓂᕆᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᓯᕗᓕᖅᑎᐅᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ ᑎᒍᓯᕙᓪᓕᐊᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᑎᑕᕗᑦ ᓯᕗᓕᕈᑎᒋᒋᐊᖃᖅᑐᒍᓪᓗ. ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᓪᓚᕆᓐᓂᐊᕐᒥᔪᒍᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᑦᓯᓂᕐᒥᒃ, ᐱᓕᒻᒪᑦᓴᐃᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓯᕗᓕᖅᑎᐅᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᑦᓴᕐᓂᒃ, ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᓗᐊᖅᑐᒍ ᐱᑕᑲᖃᓪᓗᒍ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᒌᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᑭᒡᒐᑐᖅᑕᐅᓂᖅᓴᐅᓗᑎᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᓖᓪᓗ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᖅᐸᑦᑕᕗᑦ, ᐱᖃᓯᐅᓪᓗᒍ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᖃᕐᓂᖅᓴᐃᓂᖅ, ᐊᕐᓇᓂᒃ ᐊᓯᖏᓪᓗ ᐊᒥᓲᙱᓐᓂᖅᓴᐅᔪᑦ ᑭᒡᒐᑐᖅᑕᐅᓗᑎᑦ. ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕆᓂᐊᖅᑕᕗᑦ ᐱᕚᓪᓕᕆᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᓂᕆᕙᑦᑕᕗᑦ ᑭᒃᑯᓕᒫᓄᑦ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᖅᐸᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᐅᓯᒃᑯᕕᒃᑯᓪᓗ ᐅᓪᓚᖅᑎᑦᓯᕙᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᐱᖃᓯᐅᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᓵᑕᖅᑎᒋᕙᑦᑕᕗᑦ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐃᓗᓕᖃᓗᐊᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᓈᓚᑦᓯᐊᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᖅᐸᑦᑕᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᖃᕐᓂᒃᑯᓪᓗ ᐊᑲᕐᕆᔮᕈᑎᑦᓴᕐᓂᒃ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᐅᑎᓂᓪᓗ ᐱᓐᓇᕆᓂᖅᐹᖏᓐᓂᒃ. ᕿᒥᕐᕈᒋᐊᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᓄᑖᕐᓂᒃ ᐅᐸᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᙱᑦᑕᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᓂᒍᖅᓯᒪᓕᖅᑐᓪᓗᒍ ᓄᕙᔾᔪᐊᕐᓇᖅᑐᒦᓐᓂᖅ, ᐋᖅᑭᒋᐊᕈᑎᒋᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᔪᙱᓐᓂᓪᓚᕆᕗᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᓵᑕᖅᑎᒻᒪᕆᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᐊᒥᓱᙳᕆᐊᖅᓯᒪᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᔾᔪᑎᒋᕙᑦᑕᕗᑦ 737 ᖃᖓᑕᓲᑦ (700-300 / 400 Classics ᐊᒻᒪᓗ 737-700 Next Generation). ᐊᑐᕐᓂᐊᕐᒥᔭᕗᑦ ᐊᔪᙱᓪᓚᑦᑐᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᕗᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᐅᙱᑦᑐᐃᓪᓗ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᕆᔭᖏᑦ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐱᕈᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᖅ ᓯᐊᒻᒪᒋᐊᕐᓂᕐᓗ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓯᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᓂᖅᓴᐅᓕᕐᓗᑕ ᐊᑕᐃᓐᓇᕈᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓕᐅᕈᑎᒋᓗᒍᓗ ᐱᒋᐊᖃᐃᓐᓇᖅᑕᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᕈᕆᐊᕈᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᐸᓪᓕᐊᒍᑎᒋᓗᒍᓗ. ᐊᔪᙱᑦᑐᓪᓚᕆᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᓪᓗ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᖁᑎᖃᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᕕᓕᒫᑦᑎᓐᓂ, ᑕᐃᒪᐃᒻᒪᑦ ᐅᑉᐱᕆᓂᐊᖅᑕᕗᑦ ᐃᓄᖁᑎᕗᑦ ᑐᑭᑖᑦᓯᐊᖃᑦᑕᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑐᓂᓯᖃᑦᑕᖁᓪᓗᒋᓪᓗ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓪᓚᕆᓐᓂᕐᒥᓐᓂ, ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒌᑦᑐᓕᒫᕗᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᑦᓯᐊᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᓕᕐᓗᑎᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᑦᓯᐊᓂᖅᓴᐅᓗᑎᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᕙᓪᓗᑎᓪᓗ ᐊᑭᑭᓐᓂᖅᓴᐅᒍᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᐊᓂᖅᓴᐅᒍᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂᓪᓗ. ᐊᓯᔾᔨᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖃᕐᓂᐊᙱᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕐᒥᒃ, ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐅᐱᒍᓱᓐᓂᕗᑦ ᐊᑦᑕᓇᙱᑦᑑᓪᓗᓂ ᑕᑎᒋᔭᐅᒍᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂᓪᓗ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔨᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᓇᐅᓕᒫᓄᑦ ᑕᑎᖃᖅᐸᑦᑐᓕᒫᕐᓄᑦ ᐅᕙᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᑲᔪᓯᑎᑕᐅᖏᓐᓇᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᑐᕆᐊᖅᑕᐅᓗᓂ ᑐᕌᒐᕆᔭᕗᑦ − ᐱᕚᓪᓕᕆᐊᕐᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᑦ ᐃᓄᖁᑎᑦᑕ, ᐱᔨᑦᓯᖅᐸᑦᑕᑦᑕ ᓄᓇᓖᓪᓗ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᖅᐸᑦᑕᕗᑦ. ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᐃᖃᑦᑕᕋᑦᓯ ᐅᕙᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᓪᓚᕆᒃᑲᑦᓯᓪᓗ ᑭᖑᓂᑦᑎᓂ, ᒫᓐᓇ ᓯᕗᓂᑦᓴᑎᓐᓂᓪᓗ. ᓇᑯᕐᒦᒃ, ᖁᔭᓇᐃᓐᓂ, ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ, ᒪᑦᓇ, ᖁᐊᓇ, ᒫᓯ ᓲᐅ, ᒥᕐᓰ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ

ᑯᕆᔅ ᐄᕗᕆ ᐃᒃᓯᕙᐅᑕᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᒻᒪᕆᒃ ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦ

ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᐅᑉ ᐅᔾᔨᕆᔭᐅᑎᑕᐅᓂᖓ Employee Spotlight | Iqqanaijaqtiup Ujjirijautitauninga

ᒫᑕᓖ ᐊᑕᒍᔪᒃ | Madeline Atagooyuk ᐱᕈᖅᓴᓪᓗᓂ ᐃᖃᓗᓐᓂ, ᒫᑕᓖ ᐊᑕᒍᔪᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᒪᓂᖅᑖ-

While growing up in Iqaluit, Madeline Atagooyuk developed a passion for helping others and learned the impact that small gestures can make on others. Now, after being with Canadian North for three years as a Customer Service Agent, Madeline still carries these values with her to work each day. Madeline believes she was brought to Canadian North to help people, especially elders.

ᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᓯᒥᓂ ᐃᓕᓯᒪᓪᓗᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᑦᑐᐃᓂᖃᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᒥᑭᔫᑏᑦ ᑐᙵᓇᕆᐊᕐᓃᑦ ᐊᓯᑦᑎᓐᓂ. ᒫᓐᓇᓕ, ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᓐᓃᑦᓯᒪᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓄᑦ ᐱᖓᓱᓄᑦ ᒥᑦᑕᕐᕕᒻᒥ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᑎᐅᓪᓗᓂ, ᒫᑕᓖ ᓱᓕ ᓇᑦᓴᐸᑦᑐᖅ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓂᖓ ᐱᓐᓇᕆᔭᕐᒥᓂᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᕆᐊᓕᕋᒥ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ. ᒫᑕᓖ

ᐅᑉᐱᕈᓱᑦᑐᖅ

ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ

ᓄᐊᑦᑯᓐᓅᖅᓯᒪᒋᐊᖅ

ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓂᐊᕐᓗᓂ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᒃ, ᐱᓗᐊᖅᑐᒥ ᐃᓐᓇᑐᖃᕐᓂᒃ. “ᐊᓕᐊᓇᐃᒋᔭᕋ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᕋ ᒥᑦᑕᕐᕕᒻᒥ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᖅᑎᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐃᖃᓗᖕᓂ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᓪᓗᒍ ᐃᑲᔪᖃᑦᑕᕋᒪ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᓂᑦ

“I love my job as a Customer Service Agent based in Iqaluit because I get to help our customers and passengers travelling to their destinations. We have a great team and I always feel accomplished at the end of the day, especially because I get to help our unilingual elders who need assistance in Inuktitut.”

ᐅᐸᒐᓱᒃᑕᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᑎᑭᒐᓱᒃᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒌᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᖓ ᐃᓱᐊᓂ

ᐱᐊᓂᒃᓯᑦᑎᐊᖅᑰᔨᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᖓᓗ

ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᓪᓗᒍ

ᐃᑲᔪᖃᑦᑕᕋᒪ

ᐅᓪᓘᑉ

ᖃᓪᓗᓇᐅᔭᕈᓐᓇ-

ᙱᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᑐᖃᕐᓂᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑕᐅᔭᕆᐊᖃᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ.” ᐱᕈᖅᓯᒪᓪᓗᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᕐᕕᒋᔭᕐᒥᓂ, ᒫᑕᓖ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᑦᓯᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᓄᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ. ᓇᐃᐱᒍᓐᓇᕋᔪᑦᑕᐃᑦ ᒫᑕᓖ ᖁᖓᑦᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᓂ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᑕᐅᒋᐊᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᒥᑦᑕᕐᕕᒻᒥ. ᒫᑕᓖ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᔭᐃᔪᖅ, “ᐃᓅᓪᓗᑕ ᖁᖓᖃᑎᒌᑉᐸᑦᑐᒍᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᙵᓕᒫᖅ ᓴᖅᑭᔮᖅᑎᑦᓯᒍᒪᕙᑦᑐᑕᓪᓗ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒌᑦᓯᐊᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ. ᑕᑯᕙᑦᑐᖓ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᙱᑦᑑᑎᓂᒃ ᑮᓇᕐᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ, ᐊᒥᓱᒻᒪᕇᓪᓗ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓪᓗᒋᑦ.” ᐃᓄᑦᓯᐊᕙᐅᓂᖓ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕈᒪᑦᓯᐊᕐᓂᖓᓪᓗ ᒫᑕᓖ ᖃᐅᔨᔭᐅᙱᑦᑑᕙᙱᑦᑐᖅ. ᒫᑕᓖ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᔭᐃᔪᖅ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᓂᖅᐹᖓ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᔭᕐᒥᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑐᓂ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᒥ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᑐᓂ ᐃᑭᒪᓂᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ. “ᐅᓪᓗᓯᐅᑦᓯᐊᖅᑎᓐᓇᖓ, ᐅᖃᐅᑎᔭᐅᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖓ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᑎᑦᓯᐊᕙᓪᓚᕆᐅᒋᐊᖅ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐱᕚᓪᓕᕆᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᕈᒪᒍᑎᒋᕙᑦᑕᕋ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ. ᒥᑭᔫᑎᐅᒐᓗᐊᑦ ᑐᙵᓇᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᖏᔪᓪᓚᒻᒥᒃ ᐊᑦᑐᐃᓂᖃᖅᐸᑦᑐᑦ”. “ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖅ ᐅᑉᐱᕆᒍᕕᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᖃᕈᕕᓪᓗ ᐃᑲᔪᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓐᓇᑐᖃᕐᓂᓪᓗ ᐅᕙᖓᑎᑐᑦ, ᑖᓐᓇ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᑦᓴᖅ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᒍᒪᔪᖅ, ᐱᓗᐊᖅᑐᒥ ᐅᖃᕈᓐᓇᕈᕕᑦ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ. ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑕᐅᑦᓯᐊᕐᓇᖅᑐᓪᓚᕆᐅᓪᓗᓂ

ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒌᑦᓯᐊᖅᑐᓄᓪᓗ

ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑕᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᑎᑦ

ᐊᓪᓗᕆᐊᕈᑎᓕᒫᕐᓂᒃ.” ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒌᑦᑐᖁᑎᕗᑦ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᒥ ᓱᓕ ᐱᕈᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᖏᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ, ᕿᓂᖏᓐᓇᓕᒫᖅᐸᑦᑐᒍᑦ ᑐᙵᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᒍᓐᓇᑦᓯᐊᖅᑐᓂᓪᓗ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᑦᓴᕐᓂᒃ, ᒫᑕᓖᑎᑐᑦ. ᑕᑯᒍᒪᒍᕕᒋᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᑦᓴᐅᔪᑦ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᒥ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᔪᓂᒃ, ᑕᑯᒋᐊᕐᓗᒍ ᐃᑭᐊᖅᑭᕕᕗᑦ: https://canadiannorth.com/about/careers/

Having grown up in the community she works in, Madeline is well known by the people of Iqaluit. Often, you can find Madeline with a smile on her face while helping passengers at the airport. Madeline explains, “As Inuit we smile at each other all the time and love to show each other kindness. I get to see different faces every day, and I know a lot of them.”

The kindness and customer service excellence that Madeline shows does not go unnoticed. Madeline explained that one of her favourite memories with Canadian North was an interaction she had with a pas‐ senger. “When I was having a hard day, I was told that I have amazing customer service skills. That made me want to do better every single day. Small kind gestures make a huge difference.”

“If you believe in yourself and love helping people and elders like I do, this job needs you, especially if you speak Inuktitut. We have amazing support and an amazing team that will help you every step of the way.”

Our team at Canadian North is still growing, and we are always on the lookout for kind and talented employees, like Madeline. If you are interested in seeing the opportunities that Canadian North has to offer, check out our website: https://canadiannorth.com/about/careers/

From the Flight Deck What’s in a name?

To ensure safe flight operations, pilots need to regularly communicate with both Air Traffic Con‐ trol personnel as well as other aircraft. Since those communications happen over a shared radio fre‐ quency, we need to have a simple way to identify specific aircraft and specify the in‐ tended recipients of each message. One op‐ tion that works for private aircraft and smaller operations is by referencing the registration letters assigned to the aircraft. Those letters are much like a car’s licence plate — they are essentially a random combination of letters and numbers (in Canada it is always a series of letters) — that is specific to each individual aircraft. While that works for smaller opera‐ tions, it becomes less and less reliable and efficient as operations involve more and more aircraft and more and more pilots. In those cases, most companies elect to apply for a unique call sign they can use on the radio that is specific to their operations. By using a combination of that call sign and the applicable flight number, we can easily differentiate one aircraft from another when communicating by radio. Like most all other airlines in the world, this is the approach we have taken at Canadian North.

There are a large number of restrictions on what can be used as a call sign. The most obvious is that it should be short, so it doesn’t clog up communications. Likewise, it needs to be unique and can’t sound like any other call signs used anywhere else in the world.

There is also a requirement that it can’t easily be confused with other commonly used communications terminology.

There are often two reasons call signs are chosen. Many operators elect to select a call sign that reflects the name of their company (Air Canada’s call sign is simply Air Canada) while others use a word that has some connection

© LouisDavid Doyon louisdaviddoyon

to their history (the RCMP use the call sign Stetson). In our organization, we have examples of both due to our recent merger.

Prior to our recent merger, Canadian North used the call sign Empress. That call sign has significant history in Canadian Aviation and in Northern Canada. The Empress call sign was the call sign originally used by Canadian Pacific Air Lines. Canadian Pacific Air Lines has deep roots in the early days of bush flying and flying in Canada’s North. Early managers of the airline included aviation pioneers like Grant McConachie, Wop May, and Punch Dickins.

The Empress call sign was quickly associated with that legacy. Following the creation of Canadian Airlines, which was ultimately the result of a series of mergers involving Pacific Western Airlines, Canadian Pacific Air Lines, Eastern Provincial Airways and Nordair, the call sign was temporarily retired. Canadian North was established as a division of Canadian Airlines and eventually developed into an independent airline. With the establishment of Canadian North, the Empress call sign once again returned to the air, bringing with it the proud history of the aviation pioneers who established it many years earlier.

First Air also has deep roots in northern aviation history, including its founder Russ

Bradley and partner Weldy Phipps. First Air took a different approach and chose the call sign First Air to reflect the company name.

Since being established as official call signs, both Empress and First Air have been associated with the growth of aviation in Canada’s North.

Each call sign has its own history and both aviation and northern enthusiasts can easily connect them with that legacy.

During our recent merger, there was a need to establish a call sign for the integrated airline. As part of that process, there was a desire to recognize the role and history of each airline in Canada’s North as well as set‐ ting us up to secure our own place in Cana‐ dian aviation. As a result, as part of the inte‐ gration process, a new call sign, Arctic, was chosen. This new call sign both pays tribute to the history and roots of both airlines while also setting us up to create a whole new chapter in Canadian Aviation history.

Captain Aaron Speer Vice President, Flight Operations Canadian North If you are curious about a specific topic regarding flying and aircraft operations, let us know what you’d like to learn about and we’ll try to include it in a future column. Email: editor@arcticjournal.ca

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ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

Contents

The Inflight Magazine for Canadian North

NOVDEC 2021 | 06 YOURS TO KEEP

Cirqiniq Silver Linings

Nechalacho A REE Mine

Eureka First of Five JAWS

November | December 2021 Volume 33, No. 6

9 18

SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

75 Years and Counting Serving Northerners

PM40050872

o www.arcticjournal.ca

ᖃᖓᑕᑎᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᐅᕙᑦᑎᒍᑦ, ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔪᒍᑦ ᑲᒪᔭᕆᐊᒃᓴᖅ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᖓᕙᖕᓂᖏᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑑᑉ. | When you fly with us, we know how to handle the conditions

of the North. © Jan Jasinski Photography

40

Publisher: above&beyond ltd.

Managing Editor: Doris Ohlmann doris@arcticjournal.ca Advertising: 613‐257‐4999 Toll Free: 1‐877‐2ARCTIC 1‐877‐227‐2842 (Canada only) advertising@arcticjournal.ca Design: Robert Hoselton, Beat Studios above&beyond ltd., (aka above&beyond, Canada’s Arctic Journal) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian North, and a media instrument intended solely to entertain and provide general information about the North.The views and opinions expressed in editorial content, advertisements, or by contributors, do not necessarily reflect the views, official positions or policies of Canadian North, its agents, or those of above&beyond magazine unless expressly stated. above&beyond ltd. does not assume any responsibility for any errors and/or omissions of any content in the publication. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited.

We welcome contributions but assume no responsibility for unsolicited material. Send to editor@arcticjournal.ca.

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23 Features

09

Cirqiniq Silver Linings

Cirqiniq promotes healthy and positive lifestyles and encourages meaningful contributions to local communities by integrating Inuit culture and social values. — Rebecca Leonard and Véronique Provencher

18

A REE Mine to Supply the World

12 Living Above&Beyond 17 Resources

Nechalacho has the potential to make the NWT the cornerstone of the critical minerals industry in North America. — Bill Braden

44 Science Lemming Cycles

23

47 Youth Ayalik Canoe Trip

75 Years and Counting Serving Northerners

Passenger and cargo customers depend on Canadian North for everything in their lives, whether it's the groceries on their shelves, goods, and supplies for their homes, access to medical care, or any of their other essential needs.

40

Eureka First of five JAWS

These stations were part of a concerted global effort to study weather. — Season Osborne

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

— Dominique Fauteux

50 Recipe — Shayna Allen

51 Bookshelf 53 Arctic Trivia Quiz — Alan G. Luke

54 Inuit Forum — Natan Obed, President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

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ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

CIRQINIQ Silver Linings

By Rebecca Leonard and Véronique Provencher In January 2020, Cirqiniq Junior instructors from across Nunavik travelled to Montreal to participate in a National social circus event, Cirkaskina. They created a beautiful performance in collaboration with Artcirq and Cirque Hors Piste, directed by Samuel Tétrault from Les 7 Doigts de la Main. This was a national event that brought together 150 youth from over 17 social circus organizations across Canada. This gathering happened just one month before the world came to a standstill due to COVID-19 and was a dramatic contrast to what would lie ahead. 2020 was an opportunity for the world to reflect and change.

Local Umiujaq Cirqiniq participants in a group pyramid led by Senior Instructors Michael Nappatuk, Rachel David and Mina Rita Niviaxie in August 2021. © Emily Fowler

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

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F

or young people in Nunavik, this meant that any of the regular recreational programming shifted dramatically.

For, Kativik Regional Government’s Recreation Department

— who finance and facilitate the Cirqiniq program — it was also a time to pause, reflect and pivot along with the rest of the world. The celebrated social circus program has always placed a focus on investing in local leadership and the pandemic was the perfect opportunity for young leaders in the program to step into the spotlight. Early in 2020, Ivujivik based Senior Instructor Charlie Mark was the first Inuit social circus instructor to run independent local workshops supported by local Junior instructors. They ran socially distanced, masked social circus workshops and adapted the activities to keep participants safe.

Local leadership was the silver lining of this past year and a half and seeing the opportunity to sustain local programming, the Kativik Regional Government (KRG) supported Cirqiniq Junior Instructors to take the initiative to lead social circus workshops in their communities. Suasie Irqumia and Sarah Ittukalak in Puvirnituq ran weekly social circus workshops adapted to keep participants safe and still have fun. Aibillie Idlout and Rivers Saunders led workshops in Kuujjuaq while

Cirqiniq Instructors Michael Nappatuk and Mina Rita Niviaxie hand balancing on the tundra in Umiujaq, Nunavik, August 2021. © Emily Fowler Circus Performers practise movement choreography for Cirkaskina.

Sarah Innilik, Saali Gordon, Susie Tukkiapik, Bobbie Idlout from Cirqiniq and Annie Rose Hanniliaq from Artcirq. © Danielle Bouchard

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Tiilu Ilimasaut and Jennifer Adams ran workshops in Kangiqsujuaq. Kangirsuk also received a two-week visit with Kayla Tukkiapik, Tommy Putulik and Senior instructor Geneviève Bernier. The social circus workshops were welcomed by the youth and supported by the local recreation coordinators.

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

The annual summer camp was cancelled for the second year in a row as the health and wellness of the region has been a priority in the decision-making process for Cirqiniq programming.

With hope in sight, the Cirqiniq Program is re-launching its social circus tours this fall and winter to support the social well-being and the mental and physical health of the youth who love to participate in this inclusive social circus and leadership program. Umiujaq participant and leader-in-training Noriko Tooktook says, “Circus feels like family. It’s hard work but I like learning. I am excited for other people to watch and enjoy.” The KRG initiative has been ongoing for 12 years with community visits, annual summer camps, cultural exchanges, leadership training and creation projects. This year, we hope to send double vaccinated Senior instructors to Nunavik communities, following the COVID-19 protocols in place.

For the first time in the history of the Cirqiniq Program, two Inuk Senior instructors travelled together to offer social circus workshops in Kangirsuk. Minnie Ningiuruvik and Christopher Angatookalook, both professional circus artists from the Nunavik circus troupe Tupiq A.C.T. (Arctic Circus Troupe), offered workshops in Kangirsuk this August. It is with great pride that we acknowledge these young leaders who were once participants in the program and support them

Local Umiujaq Cirqiniq participants in the outdoor community show performing on rolling cylinders in August 2021. © Emily Fowler

in taking the reins as they pass on their skills to a new A B O V E + B E Y O N D

generation of young people.

A B O V E

B E Y O N D

What is Cirqiniq?

For the past 12 years, Cirqiniq has been working collaboratively with KRG Recreation Department towards the goal of developing an autonomous regional Social Circus Program that provides inclusive accessible opportunities for youth (13-17) to use circus, visual and performance art, dance and music to develop important social skills. By fostering the integration of Inuit culture and social values such as self-esteem, a sense of belonging, creative expression and perseverance, Cirqiniq promotes healthy and positive lifestyles and encourages meaningful contributions to local communities. Additionally, the mission is to provide training opportunities for potential Apprentice/Junior Instructors/Inuit Senior (15-29) through intensive social circus training and creative sessions that integrate Inuit culture as well as ongoing opportunities for mentorship and implementation of their newly learned skills in both coaching and artistic creation during seasonal tours.

The pandemic was a silver lining opportunity for young local junior instructors to demonstrate their dedication to Cirqiniq and to show their capacity for leadership.

It completed the mentorship circle!

Throat Singing/Juggling Hand balancing. Part of the 7 Doigts de la Main creation for the Cirkaskina Gathering in Montreal, Quebec, January 2021.

Participants: Michael Nappatuk from Tupiq ACT, Sarah Innalik, Rivers Saunders, Kayla Tukkiapik from Cirqiniq, Alex Arnatisiaq from Artcirq and CJ Gettliffe-Simard from Cirque Hors Piste. © Danielle Bouchard ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

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L I V I N G A B O V E&B E YO N D

First National Day for Truth and Reconciliation recognized

Orange t-shirt design by Inuk artist Germaine Arnaktauyok. © NTI

Below: Nunavik’s Qarjuit Youth Council members celebrate the official first day for Truth and Reconciliation in Chisasibi by acknowledging that every single life matters. © Gerardo Salazar from Waaskimaashtaau community magazine in Chisasibi

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The First National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was recognized around the country and the North with gatherings, walks, and activities in honour and remembrance of residential school survivors around Canada.

In Nunavut's capital, about 1,000 people, mostly dressed in orange, marched down the main street and afterwards packages of frozen caribou were distributed. Organized by Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, orange t-shirts designed by Inuk artist Germaine Arnaktauyok were handed out at the event as well.

Events were organized in all Inuvialuit Settlement Region communities as well as in Nunavik, many by youth.

Top: Inuvialuit Corporate Group staff gather outside the Corporate Centre to honour the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. © Chris Gruben

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

L I V I N G A B O V E&B E YO N D

Youth led activities in all Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) communities for the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, 2021. Activities included community awareness walks and gatherings to talk about the history and recognize the day. Here, supporters walk in Inuvik, NWT. © Tony Devlin / BlackFlyStudios ᐃᓕᑕᖅᓯᔾᔪᑎᒋᓪᓗᒍ ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᕐᒥ ᐅᓪᓗᖅ ᓱᓕᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓴᐃᓕᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ, ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᔫᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ OSEG-ᑯᑦ ᑐᙵᕕᒃᑯᖏᓪᓗ, ᑐᓂᓯᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ $6,000ᓂᒃ CHEO-ᑯᑦ ᐋᑯᓗᒃ ᓄᑕᖅᑲᓄᑦ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᒻᒧᑦ. CHEO−ᒥ, ᐋᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᒃ ᑐᑦᑕᕐᕕᐅᕙᑦᑐᖅ ᓄᑕᖅᑲᓄᑦ ᒪᒃᑯᑦᑐᓄᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒦᖔᖅᑐᓄᑦ ᐱᓇᐃᓗᑕᖃᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᓯᐅᖅᑕᐅᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ − ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᖃᕐᕕᐅᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᓈᒻᒪᖅᑯᑎᒋᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᕐᒥ, ᐊᐅᓚᑕᐅᓂᖃᑦᓯᐊᖅᑐᕐᒥ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᑐᖃᕐᒥᓄᓪᓗ ᐅᓗᕆᐊᓇᙱᑦᑐᒦᓐᓇᖅᑐᒥ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᓯᐅᖅᑕᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ. ᑐᓂᓯᓂᐊᖅᑑᒃ ᓯᒃᑭᒥᒃ CHEO−ᑯᑦ ᑐᙵᕕᖓᓐᓄᑦ ᐋᑯᓗᒃ ᓄᑕᖅᑲᓄᑦ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᖓᓐᓅᖓᔪᒥᒃ ᐅᑯᐊᖑᔫᒃ ᔮᓂᔅ ᕙᕌᓯ Janice Barresi, ᑐᑭᒧᐊᑦᑎᑦᓯᔨᒻᒪᕆᒃ OSEG−ᑯᑦ ᑐᙵᕕᖓᓐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓯᐊᓕ ᑎᑭᐊᕆᔭ Shelly De Caria, ᑐᑭᒧᐊᑦᑎᑦᓯᒻᒪᕆᒃ, ᓂᐅᕕᖅᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᓗ ᐃᑲᔪᕆᐊᕈᑎᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐋᓐᑐᕉ ᐴᑉ Andrew Pope, ᐊᖏᔪᖅᑳᑉ ᑐᖏᓕᐊ, ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᑕᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᓂᕐᒨᖓᔪᓄᓪᓗ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᓐᓂᑦ.

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Canadian North Airlines and the OSEG Foundation, made a $6,000 donation to CHEO’s Aakuluk Children’s Clinic. At CHEO, the clinic serves as a hub for children and youth from Nunavut with complex medical needs – providing them with timely, coordinated and culturally safe medical care. Presenting the cheque to the CHEO Foundation for the Aakuluk Children’s Clinic is Janice Barresi, Executive Director of the OSEG Foundation, Shelly DeCaria, our Senior Director, Sales and Community Investments, and Andrew Pope, VP, Customer & Commercial. © Sam Wauchope

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L I V I N G A B O V E&B E YO N D

Northern pilot reaches milestone

ᔫᓯᐱ ᐃᓪᓚᐅᑦ (ᑕᓕᖅᐱᒃ) ᕿᖑᒻᒥᒐᖅᑐᖅ ᓄᑕᐊᙱᒃᑐᒃᓴᔭᒧᑦ ᕿᖑᑎ ᓴᕕᕋᔭᒃᓴᒧᑦ ᓴᓇᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓛᓴᓘᓯ ᑲᓪᓗᒃ ᓄᑕᐅᓂᖅᓴᒧᑦ ᕿᖑᒻᒥᒐᖅᖢᓂ. ᑕᓯᐅᔭᖅ, ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᕕᐅᑉ ᐅᐊᖕᓈᓂ ᐅᑭᐅᖅ 1954. N-1979-051-0703: ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑎᑎᖅᑲᖁᑎᑐᖃᓕᕆᓂᖅ, ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᖓ Josepi Idlout (right) peers out of his old-fashioned brass telescope while Lazarus Kalluk looks out of a newer Bausch and Lomb model. Eclipse Sound, north coast of Curry Island. Winter 1954. N-1979-051-0703: Nunavut Archives Program, Department of Culture and Heritage, Government of Nunavut Josepi Idlout (taliqpiani) qiniqtuq utuqqan’naguyumik atuqhuni qin’nguunmik Lazarus Kalluk qiniqtilluni nutaatqiamik qin’ngunmik atia Bausch Lomb piutaaniq. Eclipse Sound, tunungani hinaani Curry Island. Ukiumi 1954. N-1979-051-0703: Nunavut In’ngilraangnitanik Pivinga, Pitquhiliqiyitkut – Nunavut Kavamanga Josepi Idlout (droite) regarde à travers son vieux téléscope en cuivre tandis que Lazarus Kalluk utilise un modèle plus récent de Bausch + Lomb. Détroit d’Éclipse, côte septentrionale de Curry Island. Hiver 1954.

N-1979-051-0703 : Archives Nunavut. ministère de la Culture et du Patrimoine, gouvernement du Nunavut

NUArchives@gov.nu.ca

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Johnny May. © Johnny Adams

ᑰᔾᔪᐊᕐᒥᐅᑕᖅ, ᔮᓂ ᒪᐃ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᑦᓯᐊᖑᓪᓗᓂ ᐃᓅᓪᓗᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᔫᖅᑎᕈᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑲᓇᓐᓇᖓᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐊᑯᓂᒻᒪᕆᐊᓗᓪᓗ ᖃᖓᑕᔫᓕᕆᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᕐᒥ. ᐃᓕᔭᐅᓯᒪᑐᐃᓐᓇᙱᑦᑐᖅ ᑯᐸᐃᒃᒥ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᓂᕐᓂᖃᕐᓇᙱᑦᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᕕᖃᖅᑐᓄᑦ 2010ᒥ, ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᓕᐊᖑᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᖅ ᓄᑕᖅᑲᓅᓕᖓᔪᓄᑦ ᑰᔾᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᐸᕐᓚᑎᑦᓯᓂᕆᕙᑦᑕᖓ ᑕᕐᕆᔮᑦᓴᕐᒥᓪᓗ ᓴᖅᑭᖅᑕᐅᔪᖃᓚᐅᖅᑐᓂ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᓕᒻᒥᒃ ᐃᓅᓯᕆᓯᒪᔭᖓᓂᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᕆᓯᒪᔭᖓᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᑎᖃᖅᑐᖅ ᔮᓂ ᒪᐃ ᐃᓴᕈᖏᒃ ᓴᖅᑭᖅᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ 2014 ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᑦ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑐᓪᓗ.

We would like to congratulate our Board Member Johnny May on completing 40,000 hours of flying!

Based in Kuujjuaq, Johnny May is known as being the first Inuk pilot in Eastern Canada and has a long history in Northern aviation. Not only has he been inducted into the Quebec Air and Space Hall of Fame in 2010, he also had a children’s book written about his Kuujjuaq Christmas Candy Drop and a movie released about his life and career titled The Wings of Johnny May, which was released in 2014 in English and Inuktitut.

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

L I V I N G A B O V E&B E YO N D

Comedy Festival heals with laughter In its fourth year, the Canadian North Arctic Comedy Festival took place in Iqaluit, Nunavut, September 30 to October 2, featuring a line-up of established and local comics. Just for Laughs head talent scout, Zoe Rabnett, was in the audience as well this year as, according to organizer John Helmkay, the festival’s goal is to grow the number of Arctic comics in Canada.

Performances included those from comedic greats like Royal Canadian Air Farce star Jessica Holmes and Indigenous comics Paul Rabliauskas and Janelle Niles, as well as the Yes THEM Improv Show and Ottawa stand-up rising stars David Brennan and Abdullah Usman.

“This is a powerful opportunity to not only share laughter and joy during a time of uncertainty, but to also reduce unnecessary stigmas and encourage open conversations about mental health across the North,” says Chris Avery, president and CEO of Canadian North.

Sponsors also included Northwestel and Baffinland Mining. Baffinland also launched the Canadian Improv Games Program in Nunavut at the event, which engages Nunavut high School students by teaching workshops and developing skills so schools can compete in this year’s national online improv competition and in future in-person competitions in Nunavut and beyond.

The festival was held at the Aqsarniit Hotel this year and a portion of ticket sales and on-site activities raised funds for the Kamatsiaqtut Help Line.

Comedians join organizer, John Helmkey, on stage after the finale. L to R: Mike Bombay, Paul Rabliauskas, Nicole Etitiq, Peter Autut (emcee for the finale), David Brennan, Abdullah Usman, Janelle Niles, and John Helmkey.

The Yes THEM deliver a fun and interactive show at the 2021 Canadian North Arctic Comedy Festival. For the first time, Lisa Merchant joined The Yes Men Improv Comedy Troupe onstage. L to R: Kevin Frank, Lisa Merchant, and Pat McKenna.

First People Medals awarded The Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, The Honourable J. Michel Doyon, along with the Minister responsible for Indigenous Affairs, Ian Lafrenière, presented the very first First People Medal (Inuit Nation) October 12, 2021.

This distinction recognizes the exceptional contribution of First Nations and Inuit people and highlights the careers of remarkable individuals who, through their achievements, involvement and commitment, contribute to the influence of their community, their nation or First Peoples throughout Quebec, or Canada, or internationally.

The 2021 recipients are: Lolly Annahatak, Kangirsuk; Zebedee Nungak, Kangirsuk; Tommy Palliser, Inukjuak; Aani Palliser Tulugak, Puvirnituq; and Eliyasi Sallualuk, Puvirnituq.

For over 40 years, Annahatak contributed to her community in culture, language, tradition, education, justice, and social services. Nungak is a recognized politician, essayist, journalist, speaker and author whose passions include the promotion of Inuit culture and preservation

The recipients (or their representatives) received their First People Medals October 12, 2021.

Photo courtesy of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Québec

of Inuktitut. Palliser is a role model for many youth as founding member of the Unaaq Men’s Association, which, active for over a decade, contributes to the teaching of Inuit traditional skills to youth and young Inuit men, fostering skills and aptitudes so they become experienced hunters, and leaders. Palliser-Tulugak has been involved within the health and social services sector for most of her professional life and

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

actively contributes to the recognition of the rights of Inuit women to health, consent, and well-being, and was instrumental in the creation of the Inuit midwifery program. Sallualuk is a well-known and highly respected elder who has always contributed to Inuit Rights as well as being a prominent community leader very involved in Inuit language and culture work.

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RESOURCES

NUNAVIK Advancing REE study to completion Commerce Resources Corp. has initiated a mineral processing program to determine the final Prefeasibility Study design criteria of the front-end flowsheet for the Ashram Rare Earth (REE) and Fluorspar Deposit. This is the next step in advancing the study to completion.

The mineral processing program will include: •

•

•

•

•

Incorporation of the advancements to the flotation circuit, made by academic and government institutions, into the Company’s base flowsheet developed at Hazen Research.

Final flotation and magnetic separation development test work to confirm the optimal reagent suite and conditions of the front-end flowsheet.

Phase II comminution variability testing on nine domain composites of drill core collected throughout the deposit.

Front-end flowsheet variability testing on early/mid mine-life deposit material using domain composites.

Filtration testing on flotation concentrate and tailings to determine material handling and tailings management facility design.

The flowsheet for the Ashram REE/ Fluorspar Deposit uses conventional unit processes to produce a high-grade rare earth mineral (monazite) concentrate that is comparable to active global hard-rock REE producers.

Meadowbank, one of Agnico Eagle’s mines in Nunavut. © Agnico-Eagle

of the world’s leading gold regions, the AbitibiGreenstone Belt of northeastern Ontario and northwestern Quebec.

The transaction is expected to close in December or in the first quarter of 2022.

The new company will operate as Agnico Eagle. Sean Boyd, Agnico Eagle’s president and CEO, becomes executive chair of the board, while Tony Makuch, president and CEO of Kirkland Lake Gold, becomes the new CEO.

YUKON Results confirm a mineralized zone Alexco Resource Corp. reports initial results from its ongoing Bermingham Northeast Deep zone infill and extension drilling program in the Keno Hill Silver District in the Yukon. The current 19,000 metre drill program targets over 50 resource inter-

cepts along a zone that was discovered in 2019 and extended over a 500 m strike length in 2020.

The 2021 exploration drilling program is currently approximately 80 per cent complete.

The drilling program is focused at depth northeast of the Bermingham deposit that contains silver mineral resources of 32.96 million ounces (Moz) Indicated (including 18.2 Moz Probable Reserve) and 11.74 Moz Inferred.

Interim results confirm the presence of an approximate 500 m long sub horizontal mineralized zone with at least a 100 m vertical extent located approximately 150 m below the Bermingham Northeast mining reserve. To achieve an accurate intersection pattern at depth, directional core drilling (HQ and NQ) is being used to ensure a robust resource estimation can be completed as planned in the four quarter of 2021.

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NUNAVUT Creating a high-quality senior gold producer In September, Agnico Eagle announced a merger with Kirkland Lake Gold.

In the North, Agnico Eagle operates several gold mines in Nunavut: the Meadowbank complex north of Baker Lake, Meliadine near Rankin Inlet, and the Hope Bay property in Cambridge Bay, as well as mines in Northern Quebec.

The merger will establish the new Agnico Eagle as the gold industry’s highest-quality senior producer, with the lowest unit costs, highest margins, most favourable risk profile and industryleading best practices in environmental, social and governance. The new company is expected to have $2.3 billion of available liquidity, a mineral reserve base of 48 million ounces of gold, (969 million tonnes at 1.53 grams per tonne), and an extensive pipeline of development and exploration projects to drive sustainable, low-risk growth.

The merger solidifies the new Agnico Eagle as Canada’s leading gold producer, with expected annual production in the country of approximately 2.5 million ounces in 2021. It will create a best-inclass gold mining company operating in one ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

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Nechalacho

A REE mine to supply the world

By Bill Braden

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ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

In the summer of 1983, Chris Pedersen was prospecting for signs of beryllium, much in demand as a space-age alloy metal. As he scoured the ancient Canadian Shield along the north shore of Great Slave Lake, a few flecks of shiny mica caught his eye. It wasn’t beryllium, but it signalled there might be something worth taking a closer look at.

A

s he scraped away the moss and lichen, Pederson uncovered a massive quartz vein that, decades later, would prove to host the Nechalacho mine, one of the

world’s richest rare earth element (REE) deposits. “This was the outcrop that got it all going. It just basically goes to show you what a treasure trove this deposit is,” says Pedersen, who remains a senior consulting geologist to Cheetah Resources Corp., the mining and processing company that is rapidly gaining ground in a global race to supply these critical minerals.

This past summer, Cheetah’s team of about 60 men and women opened up Nechalacho’s vast open-pit quartz seam, blasting and stockpiling 600,000 tonnes of rock hosting the reddish, rare-earth ore called bastnaesite. They’re using some of the mining

the permanent super-magnets essential for electric vehicles,

world’s most advanced, environmentally friendly technology

wind turbines and computer hard drives.

to separate that ore from the host quartz, and this fall, shipped the first concentrated ore south for further processing.

Almost every gadget in our high-tech modern world needs them, creating a technology-driven surge forecasted to expand

Cheetah has also invested in earning the confidence of

five-fold over the next decade. The urgency to meet this tidal

nearby communities, workers, businesses and Indigenous

wave of demand has been triggered by one country: China. It

groups, essential components of securing long-term mining

has steadily developed its own large but low grade REE deposits

licences in the NWT’s rigorous permitting system. It’s the first

and, with its cheaper environmental and labour standards and

season of a three-year demonstration project to prove the

pricing, has control of some 80 per cent of global supply. The

NWT and Canada can supply the volume, and purity, needed

rest of the world is accelerating their own REE deposits and

to be a reliable supplier and a decades-long producer.

refining capacity.

Why mine REE?

but sparsely sprinkled around the world. The trick is finding

What makes these so-called rare earth elements (REE) so

deposits concentrated enough to be technically and profitably

valuable? For starters, take our smart phones, cars, and wind

mined. Metallurgy is another challenge; unlike a gold mine

generators. They all need a few of the 17 different REE, with

that gets its product straight away, REEs are stubbornly bound

exotic-sounding names like yttrium and europium (for computer

together, requiring up to several complex processes to separate

screens), lanthanum (for high-performance batteries and

raw ore into the 99.9+ per cent-pure oxides demanded by

camera lenses) and neodymium and praseodymium to make

industry.

While they might be called rare, these elements are widely,

Exploration has been underway at the Nechalacho site for 50 years.

Here, the Aurora shines over the 40-person camp.

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Indigenous participation and minimizing environmental impact,” he says. “We’re committed to making a big difference to the northern economy and workforce.”

Cheetah’s backing this up, boasting that more than 70 per cent of its current 60-strong workforce is from eight different NWT Indigenous groups, besting by a wide margin the already impressive ratios from the NWT’s diamond mines.

The same focus reaches deep into the northern business community. Cheetah contracted Det’on Cho Nahanni Construction Ltd., majority owned by the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, to do the initial 600,000 tonne bulk mining. “It’s the only mining project we know of in Canada to hire an Indigenous-owned company to run the mining on its own traditional territory,” says Paul Gruner, President and CEO of the Det’on Cho Corporation. He added there have also been discussions between the First Nation and Cheetah Resources about taking an equity stake in the project.

A haul truck moves another load out of the open pit Nechalacho mine.

What also sets Nechalacho apart is its decidedly small environmental footprint. Its primary beneficiation (sorting)

History and progress

process uses no water or chemicals; the only left-over is the dry,

The Nechalacho story began 50 years ago, when a

benign host rock. It does this with the German-built TOMRA

uranium/beryllium exploration rush swept across the NWT.

sensor-based sorter, a compact machine that fits into an easy-

Canadian senior miner, Falconbridge, was the first to stake

transported seacan. X-ray sensors pick out crushed red bastnaesite

ground around tiny Thor Lake, 110 kilometres southeast of

pebbles, then fire an array of small air jets to nudge the ore

Yellowknife. Several operators subsequently picked up the

pebbles onto one conveyor belt and into shipping bags;

ground, probing its diverse but poor economic chances. Then

a second conveyor takes the leftover quartz to another

in 1995, Avalon Ventures (now Avalon Advanced Materials),

pile for use on roads and other infrastructure.

a Canadian start-up explorer focussed on emerging new

To date, four sensor operators — all Indigenous, including

$100 million over a decade proving just what, and

Cheetah’s first female operator — have been trained. In further

how much, was at Nechalacho.

recognition that the project is on traditional lands, Cheetah

Cut short by the world-wide depression of the late 2000s,

invited Yellowknives First Nation councillors to help commission

Avalon’s plans for a mammoth $1 billion development were

the sorter in a drum ceremony in mid-July. The 2021 season’s

mothballed. Then in 2018, Vital Metals Ltd., a publicly traded

final milestone was the shipping by barge of over 1,000 tonnes

Australian mining company already at work on a REE deposit

of separated ore across Great Slave Lake to Hay River, for

in Tanzania (hence the African name of its subsidiary, Cheetah

transhipping to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. There, Cheetah is

Resources) scouted Nechalacho from among hundreds around

building and will operate a processing facility to further refine

the world as a prime target. Vital cut a deal with Avalon to

the bastnaesite concentrate into a rare earth carbonate. It has

develop several proven REE zones and used its Cheetah

already secured a five-year, 1,000 tonne annual commitment

Resources business model to get the wheels turning.

to supply Norway’s REEtec for final refining.

“Cheetah’s strategy to bring Nechalacho to market is quite a

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The machine is fully computerized, run by a single operator.

technologies, uncovered its REE potential, spending

Cheetah’s total commitment to Nechalacho and Saskatoon

contrast to most other big scale Northern projects,” says David

is upwards of $40 million, says Executive Vice President

Connelly, Cheetah’s Vice president of Strategy and Corporate

Matthew Edler. That’s on top of some $120 million in historic

Affairs, at its downtown Yellowknife office. “Nechalacho is

spending by previous owners, proof that starting a mine in

starting small and is heavily focussed on increasing meaningful

the North is not for the faint of heart.

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While Nechalacho is, for now, a seasonal demonstration project, it holds potential to be a year-round producer generating 150 jobs.

Anchoring that optimism is that exploratory winter drilling at the neighbouring Tardif zones has recently proven much larger deposits, along with anticipation that the mine plan can be successfully permitted and leased. “It has given us great confidence for the potential of Nechalacho to be built into a large-scale, long-life rare earths operation,” says Vital’s managing director, Geoff Atkins, in an August 3, 2021, drilling update.

Vital isn’t stopping there. Just days later, it released news that it has committed $8 million over five years to acquire controlling rights in two heavy rare earth projects at the Kipawa and Zeus properties in western Quebec. “[This] acquisition will provide

The Nechalacho project, seen here on September 4, 2021, targets extracting 600,000 tonnes of rock containing valuable rare earth minerals. © Cheetah Resources/billbradenphoto (3)

Cheetah with multiple sources of feedstock for its processing facility in Saskatoon and has potential to transform Vital into

source of much-needed strategic elements for the world.

the only producer of both light and heavy rare earths*

As the Financial Times recently noted, it has the potential

in North America,” says Vital’s news release.

to make the NWT the cornerstone of the critical minerals A B O V E + B E Y O N D

The NWT, once blessed with four lucrative diamond mines

industry in North America.

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opening over the past 30 years, is now facing a grim economic

https://vitalmetals.com.au/

future as they approach their end. As overall mineral exploration

https://cheetahresources.com/

has withered, it’s been a decades-long drought of other mines.

Nechalacho’s progress is giving a small but much needed boost to diversifying the territories’ portfolio, and to securing a new

Bill Braden is a freelance photographer and business writer based in Yellowknife. He has produced several books on northern projects and infrastructure, and the aurora borealis.

Yellowknives Dene First Nation delegates helped commission the Tomra sensor-based sorter on July 21, 2021. Dene Drummers sang a prayer song on the sorter’s catwalk.

* Heavy and light rare earths are defined by their atomic weight and place on the periodic table.

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75 ᐊᕐᕌᒍᐃᑦ ᑖᕗᖓᒋᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᕐᓗ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᓂᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᓂᒃ

ᐊᑦᑕᓇᙱᑦᑐᒥ ᑐᑦᑕᕐᕕᐅᒍᓐᓇᖅᑐᒥᓪᓗ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᓪᓚᕆᒻᒪᑦ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖃᕐᓇᙱᑦᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᙱᑦᓯᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᕐᒥᐅᑕᓕᒫᕐᓄᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑎᓪᓚᕆᐅᓪᓗᓂᓪᓗ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓕᐅᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᖓᓂ.

75 years and counting Serving northerners

Safe and reliable air service is critically important to the health and well-being of all Northerners and is a key contributor to the economic sustainability of Canada’s Arctic. ᖃᐅᔨᑎᑦᑎᓂᖅ... ᓄᑖᖑᓛᖑᔪᖅ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖁᑎᑦᑎᓐᓂ! ᑖᓐᓇ ᓱᐴᔫᖅ 737-700. ᐋᖅᑭᒃᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᖃᕐᓂᐊᖅᖢᓂ ᐃᐊᑦᒥᓐᑕᓐᒥᑦ, ᑖᓐᓇ ᓄᑖᖑᓛᖑᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅ ᖃᖓᑕᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᓵᑕᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᓄᑦ ᐅᐊᓐᓇᖓᓂ ᒥᐊᓕᒐᐃᑦ. ᖁᕕᐊᓱᒃᐲᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᕆᐊᒃᓴᖅ ᑖᔅᓱᒥᖓ ᓄᕗᔭᓃᑎᓪᓗᒍ?

Introducing… the newest member of our fleet! This is a Boeing 737-700. Set to operate out of Edmonton, this will be the newest aircraft to fly our Charter guests across North America. Are you excited to see this plane up in the clouds? © Amber Laura Photography @amberlaura.photography

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ᖁ

ᕕᐊᓲᑎᖃᕐᓂᖅ 75ᓂᒃ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓂᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᙵᐅᑎᒋᓯᒪᔭᖓᓐᓂ ᐊᖏᔪᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᖅ ᓇᐅᑐᐃᓐᓇᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᒥᐅᔪᒧᑦ. ᑕᕝᕙᓂ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᕗᕌᑦᓕ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔩᑦ (Bradley Air Services Ltd.), ᐊᐅᓚᕙᑦᑐᑦ

ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᒍᑎᖃᖅᑐᑎᑦ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᒥ (Canadian North), ᐃᓕᑕᖅᓯᕗᑦ 75ᓂᒃ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᐅᓚᐃᓐᓇᖅᓯᒪᒋᐊᖅ (ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔨᑐᖃᐅᓂᖅᐹᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ), ᐅᖓᓯᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᑎᑭᐅᑎᓯᒪᓂᖃᖅᑐᓂ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓯᒪᓂᖓ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᓂᒃᑯᑦ, ᐅᐱᒍᓱᓐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᓪᓗ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᐸᓐᓂᕐᒥ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᑕᖏᓐᓂᒃ. ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦ (Canadian North) ᑲᑐᔾᔨᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᕆᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᒪᑭᕕᒃ ᑯᐊᐸᕇᓴᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓄᕕᐊᓗᐃᑦ ᐊᕕᑦᑐᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂ ᑯᐊᐸᕇᓴᒃᑯᓐᓄᓪᓗ, ᐃᓄᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᖓᑕ ᐃᓚᖓ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᐳᕌᑦᓕ ᐃᐅ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᖅᑏᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᐅᙱᑦᑑᓚᐅᕐᒪᑕ, ᐊᒥᓲᓪᓗᑎᒡᓗ “ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᑦ” ᐊᑐᖅᑕᖏᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓴᓇᕝᕕᐅᔪᓂᑦ.

• • •

ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᖅ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᔪᖅ (ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᖅᓯᒪᓂᖓ) ᑖᒃᑯᐊ “ᓄᓇᒥᑦ” ᐊᒃᓴᓗᐊᑦ (ᑕᐃᑲᓂ 1958-ᒥᑦ) ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᖅ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᐅᔪᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ (1974) ᐊᓄᓛᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᖃᖅᑐᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᕐᓃᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ ᓄᓇᓂᖕᓂᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔨᓗᒃᑖᓂᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥᑦ (1996)

ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐊᖓ: ᐃᓚᖓᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᖅ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖁᑎᒋᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᐳᕌᑦᓕ ᐃᐅ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᖅᑎᓂᑦ One of the reasons that Bradley Air Services was so unique, was the amount of “firsts” they had in the Arctic aviation industry.

• • •

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The first use (and design) of “tundra” tires (in 1958) The first commercial air operation in the Arctic (1974) The most extensive scheduled service to Arctic communities of any airline in Canada (1996)

ᓇᒻᒥᓂᕆᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᑭᒡᒐᖅᑐᐃᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᐃᓄᖁᑎᖏᑦᑕ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓕᐅᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕆᔭᐅᒍᒪᔪᓂ ᐃᓄᓐᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ ᐃᓄᕕᐊᓗᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᓐᓂᓪᓗ. ᑐᑭᑖᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐱᕈᖅᑎᑦᓯᒐᓱᐊᕆᐊᖅ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥ ᐊᑦᑕᓇᙱᑦᑐᒥ ᑐᑦᑕᕐᕕᐅᒍᓐᓇᖅᑐᒥᓪᓗ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᓪᓚᕆᒻᒪᑦ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖃᕐᓇᙱᑦᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᙱᑦᓯᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᕐᒥᐅᑕᓕᒫᕐᓄᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑎᓪᓚᕆᐅᓪᓗᓂᓪᓗ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓕᐅᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᖓᓂ. ᑐᑭᒧᐊᒍᑎᖃᖅᑯᒍᑦ ᑐᕌᒐᕆᒍᒪᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂ − ᐱᕚᓪᓕᕆᐊᕈᒪᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᑦ ᐃᓄᖁᑎᑦᑕ, ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᐸᑦᑕᑦᑕ, ᓄᓇᓖᓪᓗ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᐸᑦᑕᕗᑦ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᑐᑭᖃᖅᑐᖅ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᐸᑦᑕᕗᑦ ᑲᓱᖅᑎᐸᑦᑐᒋᑦ ᐃᓄᓐᓄᑦ, ᓄᓇᓄᑦ, ᓱᓇᑐᐃᓐᓇᕐᓄᓪᓗ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᒋᓂᖅᐹᖏᓐᓄᑦ, ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᑦᓯᓪᓗᑕ ᐱᐅᔪᓪᓚᕆᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᑦᓴᕐᓂᒃ

Photo: One of the early Stearmans owned by Bradley Air Services

ᐱᓕᕆᕕᓕᒫᑦᑎᓐᓂ, ᐃᑲᔪᖃᑦᑕᕆᓪᓗᑕᓪᓗ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᕈᑕᐅᔪᓂᒃ

© First Air Files

ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑎᑕᐅᕙᑦᑐᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᖅᑯᑕᐅᓪᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᒪᑭᒋᐊᖅᑎᑦᓯᓂᕐᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖅ.

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

elebrating the 75th anniversary is a huge milestone

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for any organization. This year Bradley Air Services Ltd., which operates as Canadian North, is recognizing 75 years

of continuous operation (making us one of Canada's oldest airlines), our far-reaching contributions to Arctic aviation, and our pride in serving northern Canadians.

Canadian North is jointly owned by Makivik Corporation and Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Inuit Birthright organizations that represent the social and economic interests of Inuit within Nunavik and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. They have chosen to invest in an airline because safe and reliable air service is critically important to the health and well-being of all Northerners and is a key contributor to the economic sustainability of Canada’s Arctic.

We are guided by our overarching Mission — to meaningfully improve the lives of our people, our customers, and the communities we serve. This means connecting our customers to the people, places, and things that matter the most, providing excellent career opportunities throughout our network, and lending support to important events and initiatives through our Community Investment program.

As an example of one of the many community initiatives

ᐃᓚᖓᑦ ᐱᐅᔪᒻᒪᕆᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᓯᔾᔩᓯᒪᓪᓗᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᙵᓕᒫᑦ ᐃᒪᐃᑦᑑᔪᖅ ᓄᓇᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒃᓴᓗᐊᖅ, ᓂᕈᒥᖕᓂᖅᓴᒥᒃ ᒥᖃᑦᑕᓕᖅᑐᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᑑᑉ ᓄᓇᖓᓂᑦ. ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ ᓴᓇᓚᐅᖅᑐᕕᓂᖅ, ᕕᐅᓪᑎ ᕕᑉᓯ, ᑖᓇ 35-ᐃᓐᓯᔅ ᐊᒃᓴᓗᐊᖅ ᐊᑐᖅᖢᓂ ᐳᓚᖃᓗᐊᙱᑦᑐᒥᒃ ᒥᑎᑦᑎᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᖅ ᓄᓇᒧᑦ ᓱᕋᐃᓇᔭᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓂᒃ. ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐊᖓ: ᕕᐅᓪᑎ ᕕᑉᓯ ᑕᑯᒃᓴᐅᑎᑦᑎᔪᖅ ᖃᓗᐃᓪᓕᓯᒪᙱᑐᑦ ᐊᒃᓴᓗᐊᖅ ᖃᓄᐃᓐᓂᖅᓴᐅᖕᒪᖔᑦ ᐊᖏᒡᓕᒋᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᒥᑦ ᓄᓇᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒃᓴᓗᐊᕐᒥᒃ, 1958.

One of the cutting-edge inventions that changed aviation in the Arctic forever is the tundra tire, which allows for smoother landings on Arctic terrain. Thanks to the inventor, Weldy Phipps, the 35-inch tire, using low pressure, permits landings on terrain that would wreck other aircraft.

that we support, we have shipped over 5,000 life jackets to the

Photo: Weldy Phipps showing the normal Super Cub wheel compared to the enlarged tundra tire, 1958.

North on behalf of Operation Life Preserver, an organization

© First Air Files

that helps northern youth stay safe in the water. Their volunteers have learned that providing kids with life jackets makes a huge difference in getting them excited about water safety, so Canadian North has been pleased to pitch in and ship them to northern communities.

“Operation Life Preserver would not have been able to reach so many communities without Canadian North and their commitment to supporting communities,” says Stephanie Rankin, Operation Life Preserver.

ᐱᒋᐊᕐᓂᑰᓪᓗᓂ ᐅᓯᓂᒃ ᑲᒪᔨᐅᓪᓗᓂ, ᕈᕙᓪ (Dhruval) ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖓᒍᑦ ᒪᔪᕋᖅᓯᒪᖕᒪᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᒫᓐᓇ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᑦᓴᕐᓄᑦ ᑲᒪᔨᒻᒪᕆᐅᓕᖅᖢᓂ ᐃᖃᓗᖕᓄᑦ ᓅᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ. ᕈᕚᓪ (Dhruval ) ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᒻᒪᕆᒃᑐᖅ ᐅᓯᒃᑯᕕᒻᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᑦᑎᐊᖅᖢᓂ ᑐᙵᓇᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᖃᕈᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ. ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᖅᑯᑦᑐᓐᓇᐅᑎᖃᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᖓᑕᖃᑕᐅᓛᕈᒪᓪᓗᓂ ᖃᑯᒍᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅ ᐅᕙᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ. ᑲᔪᓯᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᕐᒥᒍᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᓯᐊᕆᒃᑐᖅ.

After starting out as a Cargo Attendant, Dhruval has worked his way up to becoming a Duty Supervisor after relocating to Iqaluit. Dhruval is an incredible member of the cargo team and is well known for his friendly personality and passion for his team. He also has his commercial pilot’s license too and hopes to be flying with us one day.

He has a successful career ahead of him. © Sam Wauchope

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

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ᐅᓪᓗᒥ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᓇᓪᓕᐅᑦᑐᖅ 75 ᐅᑭᐅᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᖅᓯᓕᖅᑕᑦᑎᓐᓂ! 20 ᐅᑭᐅᑦ ᖄᖏᖅᓯᒪᓕᖅᑐᑦ − ᔪᓚᐃᑦ 8, 2001−ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ − ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᑦᓯᐊᕐᒥ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᓂᖃᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᒋᐊᙵᐅᔪᔪᒥ ᖃᖓᑕᓂᖃᕆᐅᖅᑐᑕ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᑦᑎᓐᓂᓪᓗ. ᑕᐃᑲᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᓇᑦᓯᐊᖅᑐᒥ ᐅᓪᓗᖓᓂ, ᐊᐅᓚᓂᖃᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ ᐊᑯᓐᓂᐊᒍᑦ ᑲᐅᒍᕆ, ᐊᑦᒪᓐᑕᓐ, ᕗᐊᑦ ᓯᒥᑦ, ᕼᐄ ᕆᕗ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᔭᓗᓇᐃ. ᐱᐅᒍᑎᒋᓗᐊᕐᒥᔭᖓ ᓯᑕᒪᐅᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᖁᑎᕗᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᔮᖅᑐᑦ ᑖᒃᑯᓇᓂ ᐊᔾᔨᙳᐊᓂᒃ − ᒍᕌᓐᑕᓐ, ᓚᕚᓪ, ᑖᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᐅᕆᒃ − ᓱᓕ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᖏᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕋᓴᐃᑦ ᓈᓯᒪᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᐅᐱᒍᓱᑉᐳᒍᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᖃᕆᐊᑦᑕ ᐊᑯᓂᐅᑎᒋᔪᓂ ᐊᑕᓯᒪᓕᖅᑐᓂ ᖁᕕᐊᓲᑎᖃᑎᒋᒍᓐᓇᕋᑦᑎᒍ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᓇᓪᓕᐅᓐᓂᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᓲᕐᓗ ᐅᑯᐊᑎᑐᑦ.

Today marks an important anniversary in our 75-year history! 20 years ago — July 8, 2001 — we operated our first-ever legacyCanadian North flight using our own aircraft and crew. On that special day, we operated between Calgary, Edmonton, Fort Smith, Hay River and Yellowknife. What’s especially wonderful is that four of our team members shown in these pictures — Grandin, Laval, Todd, and Derek — are still members of our Canadian North team after all these years.

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ᐆᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᒥᓱᒻᒪᕆᓐᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᓂ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓯᒪᓂᕗᑦ, ᐊᐅᓪᓚᖅᑎᑦᓯᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ ᐅᖓᑖᓃᑦᑐᓂ 5000 ᐳᑦᑕᖅᑯᑎᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒧᑦ ᑭᒡᒐᑐᖅᑐᒋᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖅ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥ ᐱᐅᓕᑦᓯᓂᕐᒥ, ᑎᒥᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᐸᑦᑐᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᑕᕐᓂᒃ ᒪᒃᑯᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᑦᑕᓇᙱᑦᑐᒦᑦᑎᑦᓯᓂᕐᒥ ᐃᒫᓃᑦᑎᓪᓄᒋᑦ. ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓕᐅᕋᑎᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᔨᖏᑦ ᐃᓕᓯᒪᓕᖅᑐᑦ ᑐᓂᓯᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᓄᑕᖅᑲᓄᑦ ᐳᑦᑕᖅᑯᑎᓂᒃ ᐊᑦᑐᐃᓂᖃᓪᓚᕆᑉᐸᒻᒪᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᓕᖅᑎᑦᑐᒋᑦ ᐃᒫᓃᓐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᑦᑕᓇᙱᑦᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥ, ᑕᐃᒪᐃᒻᒪᑦ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᑦ (Canadian North) ᖁᕕᐊᓪᓚᕆᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᓐᓇᕆᐊᖅ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᖅᑎᑦᑐᒋᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓄᑦ. “ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖅ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥ ᐱᐅᓕᑦᓯᓂᕐᒥ ᐃᑲᔪᕕᓐᓇᕋᔭᓚᐅᙱᑦᑐᖅ ᐊᒥᓱᓪᓚᕆᓐᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᑦ (Canadian North) ᐱᑕᖃᕐᓂᙱᑉᐸᑕ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᒪᓂᖏᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ,” ᐅᖃᖅᑐᖅ ᓯᑕᕙᓂ ᕌᓐᑭᓐ (Stephanie Rankin), ᐱᓕᕆᔨ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥ ᐱᐅᓕᑦᓯᓂᕐᒧᑦ . ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᒥ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᐅᓯᒃᑯᒃᑯᓪᓗ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᑕᐅᕙᑦᑐᑦ ᑐᙵᕕᖃᖅᐸᑦᑐᑦ

We are lucky to have a team who has been with us long enough to celebrate important milestones like these ones.

ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᓐᓂᒃ (Canadian North) ᓱᓇᓕᒫᕐᓄᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᓐᓂ, ᓂᕆᔭᑦᓴᓂᒃ

© Canadian North files

ᖁᓕᕈᐊᖏᓐᓅᕈᔾᔨᓂᒃᑯᑦ, ᓱᓇᒃᑯᑖᕐᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᖏᕐᕋᖏᓐᓅᕈᔾᔨᓂᒃᑯᑦ,

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

Passenger and cargo customers depend on Canadian North for everything in their lives, whether it's the groceries on their shelves, goods, and supplies for their homes, access to medical care, or any of their other essential needs. Charter customers are equally dependent on us to efficiently transport the workforce needed to sustain the huge investments made. We make it possible for their workers to earn a living and support their families.

“Canadian North Cargo is a key partner, customer, and carrier of ours and we want to acknowledge all the great work done throughout the years and really look forward to working together in the years to come!" says Heather Stewart, President, BBE. Canadian North is also a premier provider of air charter services for large resource sector clients requiring dependable, efficient, and economical fly-in/fly-out charter services. Offering charter flights across North America and beyond for sports teams, being the official charter jet for the CFL, cruise lines, and other large groups.

Every year we ship approximately 350,000 passengers and 22 million kilograms of freight and mail throughout our vast

“ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖅ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥ ᐱᐅᓕᑦᓯᓂᕐᒥ ᐃᑲᔪᕕᓐᓇᕋᔭᓚᐅᙱᑦᑐᖅ ᐊᒥᓱᓪᓚᕆᓐᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᑦ (Canadian North) ᐱᑕᖃᕐᓂᙱᑉᐸᑕ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᒪᓂᖏᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ,” ᐅᖃᖅᑐᖅ ᓯᑕᕙᓂ ᕌᓐᑭᓐ (Stephanie Rankin), ᐱᓕᕆᔨ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥ ᐱᐅᓕᑦᓯᓂᕐᒧᑦ .

“Operation Life Preserver would not have been able to reach so many communities without Canadian North and their commitment to supporting communities.”

— Stephanie Rankin, Operation Life Preserver.

and comprehensive route system. Most of our scheduled flights are operated with Boeing 737-400, 737-300, 737-200, and ATR 42 'Combis' that enable us to handle split combinations of passengers and freight. These incredibly versatile aircraft are equipped with oversized cargo doors and many of them even have removable seating and moveable bulkheads. We have also added “baggage boxes” to our ATR aircraft that enable us to safely carry additional baggage and freight when required.

This flexibility enables us to continually adjust our capacity to efficiently meet the needs of our customers.

ᐅᖃᐅᑎᔪᓐᓇᖅᐱᑎᒎᑦ ᓇᓕᐊᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅ ᑕᑯᔭᐅᒐᔪᙱᒻᒪᖔᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ? ᑖᓐᓇ ᐊᔾᔨᙳᐊᖅ ᑕᐃᑲᙵᑦ 1999-ᒥᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᔮᖅᑎᑦᑎᔪᖅ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐅᒃᑯᑦ (First Air) ᒪᕐᕈᓕᕋᓛᖓᑦ ᑕᐃᑲᓂ ᑯᐊᓐᐅᐊᓕᔅ ᕿᑭᖅᑕᖓᓂᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᖅ ᐳᕆᑎᔅᒥᐅᑕᐅᑉ ᐳᕕᒐᕐᔪᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᔫᖓᓂᒃ ᑕᐃᑯᖓ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑑᑉ ᑲᔾᔨᖓᓄᑦ. ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓄᑦ 75-ᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᓂᖅ ᐊᒥᓱᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᕈᒥᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑕᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᑦᑐᓂᒃ!

Can you tell which one of these aircraft isn’t commonly seen in the arctic?

This photo from 1999 shows a First Air Twin Otter on Little Cornwallis Island, Nunavut helping a British Hot Air Balloon float to the Magnetic North Pole. With 75 years of Arctic aviation comes many interesting stories like this one! © Jason MIller - Baffin Photography

ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᙱᑐᐃᓐᓇᕆᐊᓖᑦ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒦᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐅᒃᑯᑦ (First Air), ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓱᐃᔨᐅᓚᐅᖅᐳᑦ ᒫᔅᒧᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᕝᕕᖓᓂᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᓈᓴᒃᑯᑦ (NASA) ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑑᑉ ᑕᕆᐅᖓᑕ ᐊᖅᑯᑎᖓᓂᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ (2009-2011), ᐃᓚᒋᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᑦ ᕼᐋᑕᓐ−ᒫᔅ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖅ ᑕᓪᓗᕈᑎᐅᑉ ᐃᒪᖓᓂᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ. ᓄᒃᑕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᑕᑭᔫᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᐅᓯᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ. ᑕᐃᔭᐅᔪᖅ: ᐊᖅᑯᑎᖓ ᒫᔅᒧᑦ.

Some may not know, but before the merger of Canadian North and First Air, First Air was a sponsor of the Mars Institute and NASA’s historic Northwest Passage Drive Expedition (2009-2011), part of the ongoing annual Haughton-Mars Project on Devon Island in the Arctic.

During the expedition, a feature length motion picture documentary film was recorded. It is titled: Passage to Mars. © First Air files ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

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ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᖃᖅᑎᑦᓯᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖃᕐᓇᙱᑦᑐᓕᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᕙᑦᑐᓂᒃ, ᓱᓇᑐᐃᓐᓇᕐᓂᓪᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᖃᓪᓚᕆᑦᑕᒥᓐᓄᑦ. ᓵᑕᖅᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᑕᐅᕙᑦᑐᑦ ᑕᐃᒫᑦᓴᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᑐᙵᕕᖃᖅᐸᑦᑐᑦ ᐱᐊᓚᐃᑦᑐᒥ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᐅᓪᔨᖃᑦᑕᕐᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᐅᔪᑦ ᐱᔭᐅᒋᐊᖃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑲᔪᓯᑦᓯᐊᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᖏᔫᑏᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᕈᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᒍᑕᐅᒐᓱᐊᖅᑐᑦ. ᐱᒍᓐᓇᖅᑎᑉᐸᑦᑕᕗᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᖏᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔾᔭᓴᕈᓐᓇᖅᑎᑦᑐᒋᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᓚᕿᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᐃᓚᒥᓐᓂ. “ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᑦ ᐅᓯᕙᑦᑐᑦ (Canadian North Cargo) ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᓪᓚᕆᐅᔪᑦ, ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᑕᐅᓪᓗᑎᑦ, ᐅᓯᕙᑦᑐᑎᓪᓗ ᐊᑐᖅᐸᑦᑕᕗᑦ ᐃᓕᑕᕆᒍᒪᓪᓗᑎᒍᓪᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᑦᓯᐊᓪᓚᕆᑦᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᓂᒍᖅᑐᓂ ᓂᕆᐅᑦᓯᐊᖅᑯᒍᓪᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒋᓂᐊᕆᐊᖏᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᒡᒋᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ!” ᐅᖃᖅᑐᖅ ᕼᐊᑐ ᓯᑑᕈᑦ (Heather Stewart), ᐊᖏᔪᖅᑳᖅ, BBEᑯᓐᓂᒃ. ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦ (Canadian North) ᓵᑕᖅᑎᒻᒪᕆᐅᒻᒥᔪᑦ ᐊᖏᔫᑎᓄᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᑦᑎᐊᖅ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᒥ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᒃᓴᖅ Above&Beyond ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐅᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᑕᐅᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ 1989-ᒥ ᐆᒥᖓ ᓯᓚᑎᖓ ᓴᖅᑭᔮᖅᑎᑦᑎᓪᓗᓂ. ᐊᕐᕌᒍᒐᓴᐃᑦ ᐊᓂᒍᖅᓯᒪᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑲᑎᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᕐᔪᐊᕈᓘᔭᑲᑕᒃᓯᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ, Above&Beyond ᒫᓐᓇ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᕙᓕᖅᑐᖅ ᑲᑎᓯᒪᓕᖅᑐᓄᑦ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᐅᓕᖅᑐᑎᑦ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᑦ. ᐊᓯᙳᕈᓘᔭᖅᑐᖃᓚᐅᕐᖢᓂ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᓂᒍᖅᑐᓂᒃ, ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᖅᑐᕐᒥ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᖅᒥᒃ ᐃᓄᖏᓐᓂᒡᓗ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᓯᖃᖃᑦ ᑕᐃᓐᓇᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ Above&Beyond −ᑯᑦ. ᑕᑯᔪᒪᒍᕕᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᖓᓕᕐᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐅᕙᓂ ᑕᑯᒋᐊᕐᓗᒍ http://arcticjournal.ca/ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᐊᕋᕕᒋᑦ ᑭᖑᓪᓕᖅᐹᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᓕᖑᓂᑯᕕᓃᑦ ᑕᑯᓗᒋᓪᓗ ᐊᔾᔨᙳᐊᖁᑎᒋᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᕐᓃᓐᓂᑯᐃᑦ. ᐱᖃᓗᔭᖅ ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐊᒐᖓ ᒪᐃᒃ ᐱᑎᐊᓪ (Mike Beedell).

The first ever Above&Beyond inflight magazine for First Air was published in 1989 with this striking cover. Years later after a merger and several other large milestones, Above&Beyond now represents the new unified airline Canadian North.

Though many things have changed over the years, highlighting Northern culture and people still remains a key mission of Above&Beyond. To see what it looks like now, visit http://arcticjournal.ca/ to read the most recent issue as well as editorial and photos from past issues. Iceberg image by Mike Beedell. © above&beyond files

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ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᕐᕕᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᖃᖅᐸᑦᑐᓂ ᑐᙵᕕᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂ, ᐱᐊᓚᔪᓂ, ᐊᑭᑐᓗᖓᙱᑦᑐᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᐅᔾᔨᖃᑦᑕᕆᐊᑲᖅᑐᓂ ᓵᑕᖅᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᖅᑲᑦᑕᓂᒃᑯᑦ. ᒪᓂᒻᒥᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᓵᑕᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᐅᐊᓐᓇᖓᓂ ᒥᐊᓕᒐᐃᑦ ᐅᖓᑖᓄᒋᐊᕐᓗ

2008-ᖑᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᑦ ᐊᖏᓪᓕᒋᐊᖅᓯᒪᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖃᑦᑕᓕᖅᑐᑎᑦ ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒻᒥ ᕿᑎᕐᒥᐅᓂᓪᓗ ᓄᑖᕐᓄᑦ ᓂᐅᕕᖅᑕᐅᕋᑖᕐᓄᑦ De Havilland Dash-8 ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᓄᑦ.

By 2008, Canadian North Inc. had expanded into Nunavut serving the Qikiqtaaluk and Kitikmeot regions with newly purchased De Havilland Dash-8 aircraft. © Canadian North

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

ᐊᑯᓂᐊᓘᓕᖅᑐᒍᑦ! ᐱᐅᓯᕆᕙᓚᐅᖅᑕᕗᑦ ᐃᓐᓄᒃᑕᐅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦᑎᐊᕙᒻᒪᕆᖃᖅᖢᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᔭᒃᓴᑦᑎᐊᕙᖕᓂᒡᓗ ᐃᓚᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᕗᔅᑦ ᐃᐅ, ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐳᕌᑦᓕ ᐃᐅ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᖅᑎᖏᑦ ᐊᑯᓂᐅᑎᒋᓪᓗᑎᒃ 75 ᐊᕐᕌᒍᐃᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᖅᑎᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ. ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐊᖓ: ᕗᔅᑦ ᐃᐅ ᓱᐴᔫᑦ 727, 1996.

We have come a long way! Our history is filled with great stories and fond memories including First Air, Canadian North and Bradley Air Services spanning 75 years of aviation services.

Photo: First Air Boeing 727, 1996. © First Air files

History

ᐱᙳᐊᖅᑎᒻᒪᕆᓐᓄᑦ, ᓵᑕᖅᑎᓪᓚᕆᐅᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᓱᐴᔫᓕᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᖅᓴᖅᑎᓄᑦ (CFL),

Our 75-year history is filled with great stories and fond

ᐅᒥᐊᕐᔪᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᐳᓚᕋᖅᑎᓄᑦ, ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓄᓪᓄ ᐊᖏᔫᑎᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᕕᓐᓄᑦ.

memories including First Air, Canadian North Inc., and Bradley Air Services spanning 75 years of aviation.

In 1946, Bradley Air Service began as a flight school in Ottawa,

ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᔨᐊᖃᖅᐸᑦᑐᒍᑦ ᒥᑦᓵᓃᑦᑐᓂᒃ 350,000 ᐃᓄᓐᓂ 22 ᒥᓕᔭᓐᓂᓪᓗ ᑭᓗᒍᕌᒻᓂᒃ ᐅᖁᒪᐃᓐᓂᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᓯᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᖅᑲᕐᓂᓪᓗ ᓯᕕᑐᔪᓪᓚᕆᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᕐᕕᒋᕙᑦᑕᕗᑦ. ᐊᒥᓲᓂᖅᓴᐃᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᕙᑦᑐᑦ ᐊᑐᖅᑐᑎᑦ

Ontario, founded by aviation pioneer Russell Bradley, along with

ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᓂᒃ ᕘᕆᖕ Boeing 737-400, 737-300, 737-200, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ATR 42 ᖃᖓᑕᓲᑦ

Welland (Weldy) Phipps. In 1958, Weldy Phipps pioneered one of

ᐱᒍᓐᓇᖅᑎᑦᓯᕙᑦᑐᑎᑦ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᑭᒪᔨᐊᖃᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐅᓯᒃᑯᕕᐊᓂᓪᓗ. ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ

the most cutting-edge inventions that changed aviation in the

ᖃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓈᕈᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᑦ ᐅᒃᑯᐊᖃᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᖏᔫᑎᓂᒃ ᐊᒥᓱᐃᓪᓗ

Arctic forever, the tundra tire. This innovative piece of technology

ᐲᕋᑦᓴᐅᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᐃᑦᓯᕙᐅᑕᖏᑦ ᖁᓛᓃᑦᑐᐃᓪᓗ ᓱᓇᒃᑯᑖᒃᑯᕕᖏᑦ. ᐃᓚᓯᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᒍᑦ

allowed for smoother landings on Arctic terrain using oversized

“ᐅᓯᒃᑯᕕᓐᓂᒃ ᓯᒃᑭᑦᑕᕐᓂᒃ” ATR ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᓄᑦ ᐅᓯᒃᑲᓐᓂᕈᓐᓇᓚᕿᓪᓗᑕ ᐃᑦᓯᕐᕕᓐᓂ

balloon tires, which, when fitted onto small aircraft like the Piper

ᐅᓯᔭᐅᒋᐊᓕᓐᓂᓪᓗ ᐱᒋᐊᖃᕈᑎᑦ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐋᖅᑭᒋᐊᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖓ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᖅᑎᑦᓯᕙᑦᑐᖅ

Super Cub, which was popular during this period, allowed them

ᐋᖅᑭᒋᐊᕈᓐᓇᖅᑐᒋᑦ ᐱᐊᓚᓂᖅᓴᒥᒃ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕈᓐᓇᖁᓪᓗᑕ.

to land and take off safely from tundra-based airfields. This invention revolutionized northern air travel forever, making many more sites usable as runways.

Over the next 10 years, Bradley Air Services expanded the charter operation in the Arctic by adding larger aircraft such as De Havilland Beavers and single-engine Otters. By 1971,

ᐅᓄᕈᓘᔭᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖅᑐᖃᖃᑦᑕᕐᒪᑦ ᓇᒡᓯᐅᑎᓇᓱᒃᑕᓯ ᑎᑭᑎᑕᐅᓇᓱᒃᑎᓪᓗᒋ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᖅᑎᕝᕕᒋᖃᑦᑕᖅᑕᔅᓯᓐᓄᑦ. ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᖅᑕᕗᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒌᒃᑐᑦ ᐅᓯᓂᒃ ᑲᒪᔨᐅᕙᒃᑐᓂᑦ ᐃᖃᓗᖕᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕆᕙᑦᑕᓕᒫᖏᓐᓄᑦ.

It takes a team of many people to deliver your package from one destination to another. Thanks to our team of hard working Cargo Attendants in Iqaluit for all they do. © Sam Wauchope

Twin Otters made up the backbone of the fleet because of their versatility and dependability in northern climates. These new capabilities enabled Bradley to open a base in Resolute Bay in 1973 and 1975 we began serving the North as First Air. By 1989, Canadian Airlines established Canadian North Inc. to service northern communities. At this point First Air had opened a base in Iqaluit, (at that time it was known as Frobisher Bay, Northwest Territories), they purchased Baffin operations and expanded their services to what is now Nunavut. By 1986, First Air linked the Baffin region to Ottawa by commencing the use of a B727 jet service. As 2008 rolled around, Canadian North Inc. was operating their own aircraft and crew, adopting a new logo that depicted a polar bear, midnight sun, and aurora borealis. They had also expanded into Nunavut serving the Qikiqtaaluk and the Kitikmeot Region with newly purchased De Havilland Dash-8 aircraft.

In 2015, Canadian North Inc. had opened charter terminals in both Edmonton and Calgary. There was also an introduction ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

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ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓂᒃ 75ᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᖅᓯᒪᔭᕗᑦ ᐃᓗᓕᖃᖅᑐᖅ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᕋᑦᓴᑦᓯᐊᕙᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᓇᖅᑐᓂᓪᓗ ᐱᖃᓯᐅᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᕘᔅ ᐃᐊ (First Air), ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦ (Canadian North Inc.), ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕗᕌᑦᓕ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔩᑦ ᐊᑐᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓂᒃ 75ᓂᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓖᕆᓂᕐᒥ.

1946ᒥ, ᕗᕌᑦᓕ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔩᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕆᐅᖅᓴᖅᑐᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐋᑐᕚ, ᐋᓐᑎᐅᕆᔫᒥ, ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᓪᓗᓂ ᕋᓱ ᕗᕌᑦᓕᒧᑦ (Russell Bradley), ᐱᖃᓯᐅᓪᓗᒍ ᐅᐃᓚᓐ “ᕕᑉᔅ (Welland ’Weldy’ Phipps). 1958ᒥ, ᐅᐃᓪᑎ ᕕᑉᔅ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑎᑦᓯᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᔾᔨᐅᙱᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᒥᒃ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᙱᑦᑐᒥ ᐊᓯᔾᔩᓪᓗᓂ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥ, ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᒥᒍᓐᓇᖅᑐᕐᒥ ᐊᑦᓴᓗᐊᕐᒥᒃ. ᑖᓐᓇ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᙱᑦᑐᕐᒥ ᓴᓇᓯᒪᓂᖅ ᒥᒍᓐᓇᖅᑎᑦᓯᕙᑦᑐᖅ ᐊᐅᓚᓇᙱᓂᖅᓴᒥᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑑᑉ ᓄᓇᖓᓐᓂ ᐊᑐᖅᑐᓂ ᐊᖏᓈᖅᓯᒪᔪᕐᓂᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᒥ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᖅᑎᕗᑦ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᖏᓐᓇᐅᔭᖅᑐᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᒦᓐᓂᔅᓯᓐᓂᒃ ᖃᓄᐃᖁᓇᓯ ᐃᖢ ᕐᕆᑦᑎᐊᖁᓪᓗᓯᓪᓗ. ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕗᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᔨᐅᔪᓪᓗ ᐊᓯᙳᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᓕᕋᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᓂᒍᖅᑐᓂ, ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᒥ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᑦᑕ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᒐᖃᕐᓂᖓᑦ ᖁᐊᖅᓵᕐᓇᙱᑦᑐᒦᑦᑎᑦᑎᓇᓱᒃᖢᑎᒃ ᐃᓄᖕᓂᓪᓗ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᕐᓂᕆᕙᒃᑕᖏᑦ ᐊᓯᙳᖅᓯᒪᙱᒃᑐᑦ.

Our flight attendants are there every step of your inflight journey to keep you safe and comfortable. Though our fleet and team have changed over the years, our flight crew’s commitment to safety and customer service remains the same.

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ᐳᕕᒐᐅᔭᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᑦᓴᓗᐊᕐᓂᒃ, ᐋᖅᑭᑦᑕᐅᒍᑎᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕋᓚᕐᓄᑦ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᓕᓐᓄᑦ, ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᒐᔪᑦᑑᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᑕᐃᑦᓱᒪᓂ, ᒥᒍᓐᓇᖅᑎᑦᓯᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᕈᓐᓇᖅᑎᑦᓯᓪᓗᑎᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᐃᓐᓇᕐᒥ ᒥᑦᑕᕐᕕᓐᓂ. ᑕᒪᑐᒪ ᓴᓇᓯᒪᓂᖓ ᐊᓯᔾᔩᓪᓚᕆᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᕐᒥ, ᒥᒍᓐᓇᓚᕿᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᒥᓱᒃᑲᓐᓂᕐᓄᑦ ᒥᕝᕕᒋᒍᓐᓇᖅᑕᖏᓐᓄᑦ. ᐊᕐᕌᒍᐃᑦ ᖁᓕᑦ ᐊᑐᓚᐅᖅᑐᓂ, ᕗᕌᑦᓕ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔩᑦ (Bradley Sir Services) ᐊᖏᓪᓕᒋᐊᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓯᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓵᑕᖅᑐᓕᕆᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐃᓚᓯᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᐊᖏᓂᖅᓴᓂᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᙱᑦᑐᓂᒃ. 1971ᖑᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ,

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

ᐊᕐᕌᒍᒐᓚᖕᓄᑦ, ᒪᕐᕈᓖᑦ ᐱᓪᓗᐊᑕᕆᔭᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐳᕌᑦᓕ (Bradley Air Service) ᑕᖓᑕᓲᖏᓐᓂᑦ. ᓇᓗᓇᙱᑦᑐᖅ ᑕᑯᔪᓐᓇᕋᕕᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᙱᓐᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕆᓚᐅᖅᑕᕗᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕗᑦ ᒫᓐᓇ − ᑖᓐᓇ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᖅ ᐃᓅᓯᕆᓕᖅᑕᕗᑦ! ᐃᒪᐃᒃᑲᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᖅᓯᒪᓕᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᓂᒍᖅᑐᓂᑦ 75 ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂᑦ, ᐊᖏᖅᓯᒪᓂᕗᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᕐᓗᑎᒍᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ ᓄᓇᓖᑦ ᓱᓕ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᓕᖓᐃᓐᓇᖅᐳᖅ.

For several decades, Twin Otters were the backbone of the Bradley Air Services fleet. I’m sure you can see a few differences between our aircraft then and our aircraft now – one being our livery! Though a lot has changed over the past 75 years, our commitment to serving northern communities remains the same. © Jason MIller - Baffin Photography

of their first 737-300 Combi aircraft, which was the world’s

ᒪᕐᕈᓖᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᑦ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᓪᓚᕆᓯᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᑕᐅᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᖃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ

first -300 with a moveable bulkhead.

ᐋᖅᑭᑦᑕᐅᒍᓐᓇᕐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᑕᑎᒋᔭᐅᒍᓐᓇᕐᓂᖏᓐᓄᓪᓗ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑑᑉ ᓯᓚᖓᓂᒃ.

Both First Air and Canadian North did so much to change

ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᖅᓯᓯᒪᓃᑦ ᕗᕌᑦᓕ (Bradley) ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓂᒃ

aviation in the Arctic resulting in better service to the

ᒪᑐᐃᖅᑎᑦᓯᒍᓐᓇᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᖃᐅᓱᐃᑦᑐᕐᒥ 1973ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ 1975ᒥᓪᓗ

communities in the North that in 2018 both owners, Makivik

ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᓯᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᒍᑎᖃᓕᖅᑐᑎᑦ ᕘᔅ ᐃᐊᒥᒃ (First Air).

Corporation and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation,

1989ᖑᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔩᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑎᑦᓯᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ

announced a tentative agreement to merge First Air and

ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖁᑎᒥᒃ (Canadian North Inc.) ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᑕᓕᖅᑐᑎᑦ

Canadian North, beginning the three-year merger journey.

ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᑕᐃᑦ. ᑕᐃᑦᓱᒪᓂ ᕘᔅ ᐃᐅᒃᑯᑦ (First Air) ᐊᐅᓚᓂᖃᓕᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐃᖃᓗᓐᓂ, ᓂᐅᕕᖅᑐᑎᓪᓗ ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒻᒥ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᐅᕙᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᖏᓪᓕᒋᐊᖅᑐᑎᓪᓗ

The Merger

ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᓂᕆᕙᑦᑕᖏᑦ ᒫᓐᓇ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᓕᖅᑐᕐᒥ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ. 1986ᒥ, ᕘᔅ ᐃᐊ

Uniting the airlines into one strong unified northern airline first

(First Air) ᑲᓱᖅᑎᑦᓯᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒻᒥᐅᓂᒃ ᐋᑐᕚᒧᑦ ᐊᑐᓕᖅᓱᑎᑦ

originated from both ownerships and once they had tentatively

B727 ᓯᐴᔫᕐᓂᒃ. 2008 ᑎᑭᑦᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᑦ ᓇᒻᒥᖁᑎᖏᑦ (Canadian

announced an agreement to do so, it was time to get to work.

North Inc.) ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖁᑎᖃᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᕐᒥᓐᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᖁᑎᖃᖅᑐᑎᓪᓗ,

While keeping their service levels up for cargo customers and

ᐊᑐᓕᖅᓱᑎᑦ ᓇᓄᙳᐊᕐᒥᒃ ᑕᖅᓴᖃᓕᖅᑐᑎᑦ, ᐊᐅᔭᐅᑉ ᓯᕿᓂᙳᐊᖓᓂᒃ,

passengers, First Air and Canadian North officially began the

ᐊᖅᓴᕐᓂᙳᐊᓂᓪᓗ. ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᓂᕆᕙᑦᑕᖏᑦ ᐊᖏᓪᓕᒋᐊᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ

journey of becoming one northern airline in July 2019.

ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᓕᖅᓱᑎᑦ ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒻᒥ ᕿᑎᕐᒥᐅᓂᓪᓗ ᓂᐅᕕᐊᕆᕋᑖᖅᑕᒥᓐᓄᑦ

By November 2019, the NEW Canadian North branding, website, and customer experience launched. This launch began

ᒪᕐᕈᓕᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᖏᓂᖅᓴᓄᑦ.

2015ᒥ, ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖁᑎᖏᑦ (Canadian North Inc.)

by proudly going red with the First Air Inuksuk on the New

ᒪᑐᐃᖅᓯᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓵᑕᕐᕕᓐᓂᒃ ᑕᒪᒃᑮᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᑦᒪᓐᑕᓐᒥ ᑳᓪᒍᕆᒥᓪᓗ.

Canadian North livery to help guide travellers and cargo to

ᓴᖅᑭᑎᑦᓯᒋᐅᓚᐅᕐᒥᔪᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᕐᐹᕐᒥᒃ 737-300 ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᓂᒃ,

their destination. The next few years would be very busy for

ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐸᐅᓪᓗᓂ -300 ᐲᕋᑦᓴᐅᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᖁᓛᓃᑦᑐᑦ ᓱᓇᒃᑯᑖᒃᑯᕕᖏᑦ.

the airline as it worked hard to align two airlines as one and

ᑕᒪᒃᑮᒃ ᕘᔅ ᐃᐊᓗ (First Air) ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᓪᓚᕆᑦᓯᒪᔫᒃ

navigate through a pandemic. Countless merger milestones

ᐊᓯᔾᔩᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᕐᒥ ᐱᐅᓂᖅᓴᐅᓕᖅᑐᑎᑦ

happened between 2019 and 2021 from a unified schedule,

ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᓂᕆᕙᑦᑕᖏᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᕐᒥᐅᓂᒃ ᑕᐃᑲᓂ 2018ᒥ ᑕᒪᒃᑮᒃ

pricing structure, intranet communication landing page,

ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖃᖅᑏᒃ ᒪᑭᕕᒃ ᑯᐊᐸᕇᓴᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓄᕕᐊᓗᐃᑦ ᐊᕕᑦᑐᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂ ᑯᐊᐸᕇᓴᒃᑯᓪᓗ,

and the single AMO (Approved Maintenance Organisation).

ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖃᕆᐊᙵᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᖏᖃᑎᒌᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᕐᒥᓐᓂ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕈᖅᑎᑕᐅᓗᓂ ᕘᔅ

One of the more exciting changes that came from the

ᐃᐊᓗ (First Air) ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᓗ (Canadian North), ᐱᒋᐊᓕᖅᑐᓂ ᐱᖓᓱᓂᒃ

merger was the introduction of a new single-call sign for all

ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓂᒃ ᑲᓂᓐᓂᐅᒐᓱᖅᑐᖅᔭ

new Canadian North flights. Originally First Air was operating under the call sign FIRST AIR and Canadian North was operating

ᑲᑎᓐᓂᖅ

under EMPRESS. With the airline becoming one strong unified

ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕈᖅᑎᑦᑐᒋᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔩᑦ ᓴᙱᓂᖅᓴᐅᓕᕐᓗᓂ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᕐᒥ

airline, moving into a new generation you will hear pilots call

ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᓂᖅ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᕐᒥ ᐱᒋᐊᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑕᒪᒃᑮᓐᓂᒃ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖃᖅᑏᓐᓂᒃ

A B O V E + B E Y O N D

ARCTIC for all Canadian North flights.

A B O V E + B E Y O N D

ᐊᖏᖃᑎᒌᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᓕᕋᒥᓪᓗ ᑲᑎᓐᓂᐊᕆᐊᖅ, ᐱᓕᕆᐊᑦᓴᖅᑖᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ. ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᐃᓐᓇᓕᒫᖅᑐᑎᑦ ᐅᓯᔭᑦᓴᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᓂᒃᑯᓪᓗ ᐃᑭᒪᔪᓂᒃ, ᕘᔅ ᐃᐊ (First Air) ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᓗ (Canadian North) ᑲᑎᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᓪᓚᕆᓯᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔫᒃ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕈᓕᖅᑐᓂ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᕐᒥ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᓂᖅ ᔪᓚᐃ 2019ᒥ.

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

31

ᓄᕕᐱᕆ 2019ᒥ, ᓄᑖᖅ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦ (Canadian North) ᓇᓗᓇᐃᒃᑯᑕᖅ, ᐃᑭᐊᖅᑭᕕᒃ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᕙᑦᑐᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑎᑕᐅᓕᖅᓱᑎᑦ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᓂᖃᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᐅᐸᖅᓯᓪᓗᓂ ᕘᔅ ᐃᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓄᒃᓱᙳᐊᖓ (First Air Inukshuk) ᓄᑖᕐᒥ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᒥ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᒃᑯᑕᕐᒥ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᐊᕐᒪᑕ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᑕᕗᑦ ᓇᒧᙵᓕᕐᒪᖔᑕ. ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑦ ᒪᓕᑦᑐᑦ ᐅᐸᓘᖅᑲᓇᓪᓚᕆᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕈᖅᑎᑕᐅᒐᓱᐊᖅᑐᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔩᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᖃᓕᖅᓱᑎᓪᓗ ᖃᓂᒪᓐᓇᖅᑐᖅᓯᐅᓕᖅᑐᓂ. ᐊᒥᓱᒻᒪᕇᑦ ᑎᑭᐅᑎᔭᐅᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᑯᓐᓂᖏᓐᓂ 2019ᓗ 2021ᓗ, ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕈᖅᑎᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᓂᕆᕙᑦᑕᖏᑦ, ᐊᑭᖏᑦᑕ ᐋᖅᑭᑦᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ, ᐃᑭᐊᖅᑭᕕᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᑦᑕᕐᕕᖓ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᐅᓕᖅᑐᓂ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᒥᐅᔪᖅ. ᐃᓚᖓᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓇᕐᓂᖅᐸᐅᖃᓯᐅᑎᔪᖅ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᓴᖅᑭᖅᑎᑕᐅᒋᐅᕐᓂᖓ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᐅᓕᖅᑐᓂ ᖃᖓᑖᓲᓕᕆᔨᓄᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᒃᑯᑕᖓ ᐃᓘᓐᓇᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᑦ (Canadian North) ᖃᖓᑕᓂᕆᕙᑦᑕᓕᒫᖏᓐᓄᑦ. ᕘᔅ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᑦ (First Air) ᐊᐅᓚᓂᖃᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᒃᑯᑕᖃᖅᑐᓂ FIRST AIR−ᒥᒃ ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᓪᓗ (Canadian North) ᐊᐅᓚᓂᖃᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ EMPRESS−ᒥᒃ. ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔨ ᓴᙱᓂᖅᓴᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᐅᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᐊᓕᖅᑐᖅ ᑐᓴᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᐊᓕᖅᑕᓯ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑏᑦ ᑕᐃᓯᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ARCTIC−ᒥ ᐃᓘᓐᓇᖏᓐᓄᑦ A B O V E + B E Y O N D

ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦᑯᑦ (Canadian North) ᖃᖓᑕᓂᓕᒫᖏᓐᓄᑦ.

A B O V E + B E Y O N D

ᐃᖃᓗᖕᓂ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᖅᑎᕗᑦ ᐃᓕᖕᓂᒃ ᐅᑕᖅᑭᓕᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᑭᒋᐊᖅᑐᖅᑎᓪᓗᑎᑦ! ᑎᑭᓕᕌᖓᕕᑦ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᓕᕈᕕᓪᓘᓐᓃᑦ YFB ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ ᒥᑦᑕᖅᕕᖓᓂᒃ, ᓲᓇ, ᕌᑉ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᓯᓕᒫᖏᓪᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᕗᑦ ᐃᓕᖕᓂᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᑦ.

Our Iqaluit Customer Service team is ready to check you in! When you are travelling to or from YFB airport, Sona, Rob, and the rest of our team have your back. © Sam Wauchope

32

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

INUIT FORUM

An interview with Captain Dawn MacFarlane

Flying is a family affair Territories, to as an adult essentially meet my

aboriginal stories are surfacing, I am happy

Inuvialuit family and learn a forgotten part

to be a positive aboriginal example.

of my culture. Other than travelling, I stayed in Inuvik until 2002 when I left to finish my

What about flying do you love the most?

I think most pilots would admit that the

degree and start my pilot license.

views that you see are incredible. There is When did you decide that you wanted to pursue a career in aviation?

Captain Dawn Macfarlane. © Captain Dawn MacFarlane (2)

Where did you grow up?

always a terrific sunrise or sunset above the clouds, night city lights, and views of

I think I always wanted to fly airplanes. My

mountains, lakes and rivers. There is

father, Cecil Hansen, was a pilot, and grow-

sometimes a certain light during dusk that

ing up I always saw him enjoy what he did

casts over our Northern wilderness that will

every day. That notion is what I aspired to

silence your thoughts and fills you with awe.

— enjoy your job and life the same — not

Moreover, I think the special part about

work to enjoy life after. Aviation is certainly

being a pilot is the multifaceted skills you

a career and lifestyle all in one. My first career

use every day: technical knowledge of

job was at Kenn Borek Air and my first base

aircraft systems, experience with weather

was in Inuvik. There was extreme satisfaction

forecasts and weather patterns, physical

for me that I returned home and began my

ability to fly the aircraft, interpersonal skills

career there. Between flying for Kenn Borek

and communication skills working with a crew.

and Canadian North, I have flown the

You must be able to multitask, prioritize and

My father was a pilot, so my brother and

scheduled service flight to every Inuvialuit

focus on demand. And in the end, when you

I essentially grew up all over the world.

community. There is not only a synergy

safely finish your last leg of flying for that

My father initially flew for Dome Petroleum

but a sense of pride in who I am in being

day and shut the engines down, you have

when I was little, then his career took us to

able to say that.

successfully achieved your goal. There is a

Ontario, then later to Australia. It was in

I had the opportunity to fly with my

simplicity to that satisfaction; not many

Australia where I did all my high school and

father at Canadian North. He was the first

jobs can you feel a simplistic sense of

parts of my university degree. I returned to

Inuit jet Captain back in 1980, and to

achievement every day.

Canada in 1996 when I graduated high

follow and now to be the first female,

school at 16 years old. My first destination

is an incredible honour. In today’s cultural

returning to Canada was Inuvik, Northwest

climate in Canada where so many sad untold

“I had the opportunity to fly with my father at Canadian North. He was the first Inuit jet Captain back in 1980, and to follow and now to be the first female, is an incredible honour. In today’s cultural climate in Canada where so many sad untold aboriginal stories are surfacing, I am happy to be a positive aboriginal example.”

Captain Dawn Macfarlane and her father, Cecil Hansen.

34

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

INUIT FORUM

What do you find to be the most

to return and be able to contribute with

children that is innate in them; I can only

challenging part of being a pilot?

your skills in a gainful way is even more

imagine the heights they will get to with

rewarding.

that confidence and support. Everyone is

There are a lot of challenges to being a pilot, which I would say there are for most career paths. As a pilot you are constantly refining and testing your skills. Every six months we

I was raised to believe you can do

in charge of their own path: if you have the

anything if you put your heart in it and

dedication, courage and perseverance, you

work hard to achieve it. I know with my

can become whatever you want to be.

A B O V E + B E Y O N D

A B O V E + B E Y O N D

are in the simulator testing our abilities and judgements for if there is a failure or malfunction with the aircraft. The simulator is a challenging environment; often you are facing the worst-case scenario for an engine failure, hydraulic failure, etc. so you know you can handle it safely if it ever happens when you are on the line flying. That is a part of being a pilot I enjoy though; if you are always open to learning and becoming better at your craft, you no doubt grow as a person as well.

Another challenge in aviation is you are constantly away from home. I have always believed though it is your decision making within your career that guides your sense of home and self. I have been with Canadian North for almost 14 years, and actively chose to do so. During that time I have raised two wonderful children with my husband Bryan.

I fly for Canadian North because it takes me to the northern communities, and I am an active contributor to the Inuvialuit people.

So even when I am away, it feels like home.

What do you want to say to other young people about becoming a pilot or chasing their dreams?

Do it! When our world recovers from this pandemic, the opportunities to get into aviation will be there. As an Inuvialuit, there is such great opportunity to get your education. I have always been grateful for the opportunities I was given for funding for my degree and bursaries for my pilot’s license. I know it is hard to leave your home community and get that education, but ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

35

“Your determination and commitment to supply transport of people and cargo in Nunavik and Nunavut is quite remarkable. Our business relationship is crucial for us to accomplish our mission which is: Melting the Distance.”

— Robert Pelletier President, Arctic Consultants Inc.

“Canadian North is driven to provide world class service. Their attention to detail is commendable. They have always done a stellar job for us.”

— Silvano Cendou VP Operations, Arctic Fresh Inc.

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ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

Top left: ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐅᑯᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᐃᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᕼᐋᑭᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᙳᐊᓂᕐᔪᐊᕐᓂᖃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᔭᓗᓇᐃ ᕝ, ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕐᒥ, ᐊᕐᕌᒍᒐᓴᒻᒪᕆᖕᓂᑦ.

First Air sponsored the Rec Hockey Tournament in Yellowknife, NWT, for many years. © FA Files Top right: ᑲᓇᐃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᐃᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᕘᒃᔅ ᐋᓐ ᑕ ᐅᕌᒃᔅ (Folk on the Rocks) ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᑦ ᐊᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ ᓂᔾᔭᐅᓯᔭᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᒍᑎᖃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᒐᓴᒻᒪᕆᖕᓂᒃ.

Canadian North has sponsored the Folk on the Rocks annual summer music festival for many years. © Kevin O'Reilly Left: ᓯᑎᐱᕆ 2015-ᒥ, ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐅᑯᑦ ATR-42ᒥ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᑎᑦᑎᕗᑦ ᐸᓖᓯᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᙳᐊᕈᑎᖃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᔭᓗᐊᐃᕝ ᒥᑦᑕᕐᕕᐊᖓᓂ.

In September 2015, First Air provided an ATR-42 for the Law Enforcement Torch Run Airplane Pull at the Yellowknife Airport. © Kim Poulter Bottom: ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᕐᒧᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᖅᑐᕐᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒌᒃᑯᓂ ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐅᑯᑦ 70 ᐊᕐᕌᒍᕐᓂᒃ ᓇᓪᓕᐅᓐᓂᖅᓯᐅᕈᑎᒧᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᒥ, 2016ᒥ.

Members of the Project North team pose with the First Air 70th Anniversary aircraft, 2016. © Lindsey Gibeau

ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᖓᓂ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᒋᐊᖅᑐᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐅᑕᖅᑭᖃᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᑐᑭᓕᐊᕈᑎᖃᖅᑐᑎᑦ ᐲᕗᕐᑏᐅᓪᓂᒃ, ᐊᑭᖃᙱᒃᑐᒥᒃ ᐱᑎᒃᓯᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᕗᔅᑦ ᐃᐅᑯᑦ 2019-ᒥ.

Nunavut Day revellers join the continual long line-up for Beavertails, compliments of First Air in 2019. © Doris Ohlmann

38

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

Eureka 1956. © Tom York

Eureka First of five JAWS

By Season Osborne John Gilbert was dubbed a greenhorn when he arrived at the Eureka weather station on Ellesmere Island. Radio operators were in short supply in April 1956, so the 19-year-old, who had recently finished training, was sent to replace an ill operator who was evacuated out.

Eureka today. © Pierre Fogal

40

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

T

he weather station was less than a decade old when Gilbert got off the D’Iberville icebreaker he had boarded in Resolute. Eureka, established in April 1947, was the first

of five Joint Arctic Weather Stations (JAWS) established in the High Arctic islands.

Realizing that the Arctic air mass had an enormous effect on weather in both Canada and the United States, both governments agreed to set up stations to jointly study the weather to help improve their weather predictions. Eureka, at 80°00’ N, 85°56’ W, was chosen because it was a sheltered spot on the Fosheim Peninsula in central Ellesmere Island. The other stations were built at Resolute on Cornwallis (August 1947), Mould Bay on Banks (April 1948), Isachsen on Ellef Ringnes (April 1948), and Alert on Ellesmere (April 1950).

John Gilbert at the radio-communications station CHS20. © John Gilbert

In 1947, eight men were left at Eureka. The roles were split between the two countries. The staff consisted of four

“Every three hours, we had to go out to the Stevenson

meteorological technicians (met techs), two Canadians from

screen [a raised box with louvered sides that protect the

the Meteorological Service of Canada and two Americans

meteorological instruments inside from the elements], open

from the United States Weather Bureau; two radio operators,

it up, take the current temperature, maximum and minimum

one Canadian and one American; a mechanic who looked

temperatures. Using other instruments, we’d measure rainfall,

after the station’s equipment and power; and a cook.

wind speed and direction on the ground,” says Gilbert.

The met techs focussed on upper air measurements, while

Twice a day, the met techs, working in pairs (one Canadian,

the radio operators took meteorological measurements on the

one American), would release a weather balloon with a

ground. This was still the situation when Gilbert arrived nine years

radiosonde instrument attached to it that sent back information

later. It was the reason he had been given meteorological training.

on atmospheric and barometric pressure, temperature, humidity,

He would be a weather observer, as well as radio operator.

and wind speed via radio signals. One met tech made the

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

41

Between 70,000 and 110,000 feet would be the height they’d go before they broke.”

York explains that the balloons were launched 12 hours apart on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). It was part of a concerted global effort to study weather, with meteorologists at 1,300 upper air stations around the world conducting radiosonde readings at the same time. The met techs would take all the readings, fill the information in spaces on preprinted forms, then give them to the radio operators to transmit.

“It was a complicated process,” says Gilbert. The met techs would code it and give it to me, and I’d send the report by Morse code to Resolute. Then it would be sent to Montreal, Filling the radiosonde balloon before releasing it. © John Gilbert

and then go to the rest of the country and get on the international circuit.”

hydrogen, filled, and released the balloon, while the other lined

Eureka is a stunning spot, protected from the northwestern

up a big dish-type antenna with the radiosonde signal box,

winds by surrounding hills, with incredible views of Ellesmere’s

and tracked the ascending balloon.

mountainous terrain beyond. Eureka has the lowest average

“Some balloons went to 100,000 feet [30.48 kms] and

annual temperature (−18.8°C), and the least precipitation of any

must’ve been the size of Walmart by the time they broke,”

weather station in Canada, being considered a polar desert.

says Tom York, who was a met tech at Eureka in 1961. “They

Despite the short growing season, many colourful flowers grow

were made of a special type of rubber that allowed it to expand

on the surrounding tundra. It is also home to a variety of Arctic

as the pressure decreased. As the balloon rose, it would get

animals, such as muskox, wolves, Arctic fox, and hares. The wild-

bigger. Hydrogen would take up more space inside the balloon.

life and environment provide plenty of photo opportunities,

Releasing radiosonde. © Tom York

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and Eureka had a darkroom so staff could develop their photos.

York was at Eureka from May to November, but Gilbert spent 18 months and two dark periods there. He recalled the sun set October 24 and returned February 22. There were radio communications, but no radio broadcasts, television, telephone, or satellite connection with the south then. But the station was well stocked with books, board games, and a pool table. The men also passed the time hiking, fishing, and exploring the surrounding land.

The station was resupplied by ships from the south in the summer. There were two airlifts a year when planes came in with mail, and a parachute drop of packages at Christmas.

“By end of May, the airstrip was unusable because

Lowell DeMond, a Canadian met tech, tracking the radiosonde balloon, 1956. © John Gilbert

permafrost was coming out of the ground. We had to wait until September before a plane could land again,” says Gilbert.

“We put out flares, in the shape of a big cross, so they’d know where to land. The landing lights were coffee cans full of toilet paper, soaked in diesel oil.”

By the 1960s, the runway was maintained so it could be accessible all summer.

The Americans withdrew from JAWS in July 1972.

Eureka and the four others became the High Arctic Weather Stations. Eureka has been continually staffed. Today, its 10 to 12 Environment Canada employees live and work there on a rotational basis. Most are on three-month contracts and not year-long ones, as in Gilbert’s time.

Telephone and television arrived in 1982 when a satellite

Stevenson Screen (or instrument shelter). © John Gilbert

receiving station was established at nearby Skull Point. Internet became available in 1998. So, those based at Eureka are no

The old mercury thermometer never fails,” says Al Gaudet, who

longer isolated—at least not virtually.

was station manager at Eureka from 1999 to 2018.

In addition to weather station personnel, Eureka is a

Radiosonde balloons continue to be sent up twice daily at

stopover for researchers flying in and out of their field sites

11:15 and 23:15 GMT. However, now the radiosonde instruments

in Quttinirpaaq National Park, north of Eureka. Since 1994,

instantly relay data to a computer at the station, which sends it

Eureka has provided living quarters to researchers working

directly to the Meteorological Centre in Montreal. The need to

at the Arctic Stratospheric Ozone Observatory (ASTRO) lab,

transmit information south via Morse code has been eliminated,

14 kms west of Eureka. ASTRO closed in the early 2000s,

as well as the job of radio operator.

but the facility reopened in 2005, as the Polar Environment

Seventy-four years after it was established, Eureka

Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL). Eureka is also

continues to collect daily meteorological information that

one of the last stops in Canada before the North Pole,

is still an important contribution to our knowledge of weather

where those making the trek meet up and restock.

that impacts North America.

As for weather, upper atmosphere and ground weather observations are still made at Eureka much like they were when Gilbert worked there.

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Season Osborne is the author of In the Shadow of the Pole: An Early History of Arctic Expeditions, 1871-1912.

She lives and writes in Ottawa, Ontario.

“They still have a Stevenson screen, as electronics tend to fail in the Arctic because of wind, weather, and -50°C temperatures.

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

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S C I E N C E  Supported by Canadian North

Lemming cycles The heartbeat of the tundra

By Dominique Fauteux For 10 years, starting with my Ph.D research and now as a scientist with the Canadian Museum of Nature and adjunct professor at Université Laval, I have had the fortune to observe, and study, many of the amazing animals that populate the Canadian Arctic.

Dominique Fauteux handling a Northern bog lemming on the tundra near Salluit in July 2021. It was an unexpected discovery, as the species was found much further north than its known distribution. © Greg Rand, Canadian Museum of Nature

But the focus of my research, as a wildlife ecologist, is lemmings, the most abundant mammal in the tundra. This tiny creature has an impact on Arctic food webs that might surprise many, and I am collaborating with other scientists to unravel the complex interactions that underlie their population cycles, which I like to refer as the “heartbeat of the tundra”.

After all, through notions of ecology, we learn that every species from an ecosystem is connected in one way or another. In the tundra, almost every mammal and bird is connected to lemmings, whether through

consumption or by sharing the same predators and habitat.

As a result, when lemmings are abundant, the tundra bursts with life for the summer with lots of baby foxes, owls, hawks, jaegers, geese and sandpipers. Even bumblebees often use in summer what lemmings build in winter and leave behind in spring—nests made of dried grass that become the perfect spot to raise the bees’ larvae. The regular pulse of lemmings creates a regular pulse of life on the tundra.

An Ungava collared lemming. This species is easily distinguished from the closely related Meadow vole by its very short tail and the length of its hind feet. Meadow voles, in contrast, have tails equal to three to four times the length of their feet. This species is only found in Nunavik. © Greg Rand, Canadian Museum of Nature

Facts about lemmings There are six species of lemmings found in Canada’s Arctic. They are the: • Northern collared lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus); the most common lemming in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago; • Ungava collared lemming (Dicrostonyx hudsonius); a species endemic to Nunavik and nowhere else; • Richardson’s collared lemming (Dicrostonyx richardsoni); a species mainly found in northern Manitoba, southern Nunavut and eastern Northwest Territories; • Brown lemming (Lemmus trimucronatus); second most common lemming in the Canadian Arctic, it is found in all the territories and northern British Columbia; • Northern bog lemming (Synaptomys borealis); a species found in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavik; • Ogilvie mountain lemming (Dicrostonyx nunatakensis); but this species is still not fully documented. It is found in the Ogilvie Mountains in the Yukon.

Lemmings are well adapted to the Arctic winter and breed easily under the snow. By building nests made of dry grass near the ground deep under the snow (sometimes up to two metres), they can keep themselves and their young warm. By eating willow buds, mosses, and other frozen plants, lemmings consume enough energy to remain active all winter long. This is why peak lemming abundances are reached just before the snow melts!

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Supported by Canadian North  S C I E N C E

A Brown lemming as seen on Bylot Island. Scientists have been studying wildlife on the island for decades, including the population cycles of lemmings. © Dominique Fauteux, Canadian Museum of Nature.

Searching for the cause for lemming cycles The important role of lemmings in the Arctic is well known in Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, and ecologists became interested in the phenomenon a century ago—modern ecology is indeed relatively young. What fascinated ecologists was the regularity of the lemming’s population growths and declines, which happen every three to four years. In one year, there may be no lemmings to be seen, and in the following year, people on the land would need to be careful to not step on them!

Because such cycles are so common over the whole Arctic and also for many vole populations in boreal forests, there has been much research to decipher the mechanisms behind this regularity, especially in northern Europe. Cycles of abundance are not unique to lemmings.

Snowshoe hares, Western tent caterpillars, and Scottish rock ptarmigans are examples of other species with cycles. However, lemmings and voles are special, not only because of their shorter cycles, but also because of how common they are over a large geographical range.

Despite a century of research, pinpointing a single factor driving lemming cycles has proven to be very difficult: instead, the complexity of such a phenomenon has been brought to light. Extreme meteorological events, seasonal migrations, parasitism, overgrazing, increasing plant defenses against herbivores, social stress and aggressivity, and

An ermine on Bylot Island, one of the numerous predators of lemmings. The impact of ermines on lemming populations is new areas of study for Fauteux and his colleagues. © Dominique Fauteux, Canadian Museum of Nature.

View of the field research camp on Bylot Island. © Dominique Fauteux, Canadian Museum of Nature.

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S C I E N C E  Supported by Canadian North

the structure of the whole food web, such as what plant and predator species are present, must all be considered.

So, how do we learn about and study these factors? Much evidence has come from field research on Bylot Island at Sirmilik National Park, near Pond Inlet. After 30 years of study by researchers from the Centre for Northern Studies, of which I have been involved for about 10 years, evidence shows that predation is the most important factor responsible for the lemming cycles there.

Our studies have shown that the plants lemmings eat barely change throughout their cycles, which tells us their food remains available and abundant. We also found that by fencing an area to keep all predators away (including a net to keep birds away), the abundance of lemmings doubled compared to outside the fence. The fencing also succeeded in slowing down the population decline, although not completely because lemmings could leave the fence.

Comparing lemming cycles in the Canadian Arctic A Northern bog lemming observed near Salluit, July 2021. © Greg Rand, Canadian Museum of Nature

In 2018, my collaborators and I decided to study if other lemming populations of the Arctic were cycling. To do this, we started field monitoring programs in both Salluit in Nunavik and Cambridge Bay in western Nunavut to make comparisons with the field site on Bylot Island and determine if the factors driving the cycles are the same.

We already know that Cambridge Bay has a different habitat than Bylot Island with less microtopography caused by the melting of permafrost, and less common mossy wetlands, which are typical habitats for brown lemmings.

In Salluit, which I most recently visited in the summer of 2021, we were surprised that in addition to the one and only Ungava collared lemming, a species only found in Nunavik, we found Northern bog lemmings, a species that was never recorded there, and Meadow voles in very similar habitats.

We are very excited to pursue our monitoring over the next few years to understand how these three species interact and whether they all cycle together or not.

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Dominique Fauteux is a research scientist in zoology at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario.

Dominique Fauteux’s fieldwork is supported by Canadian North, Air Inuit, the Centre for Northern Studies, and the Polar Shelf Continental Program of Natural Resources Canada. His current research is done in collaboration with Polar Knowledge Canada.

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YO U T H

Canoe trip affirms IQ works Paddlers take on the North Arm This past summer, despite COVID restrictions, the Ayalik Fund was able to provide potentially life-changing experiences for 14 Inuit youth from Nunavut through on-the-land experiences, which Inuit Quajimajatuqangit (traditional knowledge) affirms are instrumental in “making capable human beings” for the future. Seven boys and seven girls from five different communities in Kivalliq and Kitikmeot participated in two-week canoe trips organized and guided for Ayalik by Jackpine Paddle in Yellowknife.

Besides canoeing and paddling skills, other activities included learning about drumming songs from Dene youth, swimming, group discussions, on-the-land skills such as fishing, fire-building and cooking up the pikes they caught.

The Ayalik Fund is a privately�funded charitable initiative that gives Inuit youth who would otherwise not have such opportunities a chance to build self-esteem and confidence through challenging outdoor adventure, meeting other young Canadians, and social-cultural exploration. www.AyalikFund.ca

Several of the youth caught (and ate!) pike for the first time. Here, Rebecca Oleekatalik, 14, from Taloyoak, proudly shows off the pike she just caught. © The Ayalik Fund ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

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YO U T H

Makayla Saviakjuk, 14, from Coral Harbour, jumping into Great Slave Lake. Swimming in a big, freshwater lake was a new experience for all the girls. © The Ayalik Fund (6)

Jocelyn Illuitok, 14, from Kugaaruk, learns from Jackpine guide Colin Gisiger how to cook fresh pike on an open fire — another delicious meal coming soon!

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Hector Inuksaq, 15, from Kugaaruk, on his second Ayalik-Jackpine canoe trip, wrote a note after this trip: “Last year I was just learning how to canoe and this year I was in the stern the whole time. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

YO U T H Swimming in the big lake was a new experience for all of the girls and a lot of fun, especially on the hot days. Lifejackets were worn at all times when on, in, or near the water.

Front to back: Cady Angootealuk, Rebecca Oleekatalik, Makayla Saviakjuk, Jocelyn Illuitok, and others behind.

John Kayasark, 14, from Kugaaruk, cuts up sweet potatoes for the evening’s stew.

Preparing and eating delicious, healthy meals is all part of an Ayalik experience.

The Ayalik Fund canoe trip for girls paddled 160 km on Great Slave Lake over 12 days, outfitted and led by Jackpine Paddle.

Front (L to R): Jocelyn Illuitok, 14, Kugaaruk; Rebecca Oleekatalik, 14, Taloyoak; Millie-Anna Aaruaq, 14, Baker Lake; and Akeesha Pudnak, 14, Baker Lake.

Back (L to R): Allegra Oleekatalik, 14, Taloyoak; Makayla Saviakjuk, 14, Coral Harbour; and Cady Angootealuk, 14, Coral Harbour.

A B O V E + B E Y O N D

A B O V E

ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

B E Y O N D

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RECIPE

Lemon Cranberry Loaf From the Kitchen of Shayna Allen FOR THE LOAF: 1 cup fresh cranberries 1 tbsp lemon zest, from about 1 lemon 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 large eggs 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 cup milk 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

FOR THE GLAZE: 1 cup powdered sugar 2 tbsp lemon juice, from about 1 lemon

COOK TIME: 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

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ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

BOOKSHELF

How Frog Brought Winter / Daani Ts’ali Xok’e Gots’q Ayila Story by Joe Lazare Zoe Story collected by Richard Van Camp Illustrated by Carla Rae Taylor Yellowknife Education District 1, 2021 How Frog Brought Winter is the second book in a series in which an Indigenous teaching story is reclaimed, honoured, translated and illustrated for all to enjoy. How Frog Brought Winter was published in the TłichϞ language earlier this year, exactly 100 years after the signing of Treaty 11.

This story by TłichϞ Elder Joe Lazare Zoe of Gameti, Northwest Territories, reminds us that everyone is needed in the great circle of life, and that everyone has gifts to share. The book is available in English and TłichϞ. To purchase a copy, call the Yellowknife Book Cellar at (867) 920-2220 or visit their website at www.yellowknifebooks.com

Into the Arctic Painting Canada’s Changing North Cory Trépanier Figure 1 Publishing, October 2021 Painter Cory Trépanier journeyed to the Arctic five times between 2006 and 2018, travelling more than 60,000 kilometres to visit over a dozen Inuit communities and six national parks, sketching and painting en plein air the stunning landscapes he encountered. The result is an awe-inspiring portrait of the breathtaking lands and waters that have sustained the Inuit for countless generations. This stunning volume features over 120 paintings, as well as several dozen sketches and photos that document both the process and adventure behind the works.

Reindeer Reflections Lessons in an Ancient Culture Jerry Haigh Rocky Mountain Books October 2021 Reindeer Reflections recounts Jerry Haigh’s travels and research in the Arctic tundra and northern forests of North America, working among the Sami of Finland, and getting to know the nomadic Tsaatan herders in the foothills of the Sayan mountains of Mongolia. This decades-long journey to uncover how this unique species of deer has been woven into the lives of people scattered across the northern hemisphere examines the changes, mostly collapses, in population numbers of both wild and domestic caribou, along with the effects of climate change, poaching, and disease, from Alaska to Siberia.

A B O V E + B E Y O N D

A B O V E + B E Y O N D

Carrying a good selection of northern titles.

Check out the website.

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4921 - 49th Street Yellowknife, NT X1A 2N9 1-800-944-6029 / 867-920-2220

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TRIVIA

Arctic Trivia Quiz

By Alan G. Luke

Inuit mythology is a repository of Inuit culture, passed down by elders through the generations to enrich and enlighten. Ancient oral traditions were employed to convey and preserve the folklore, myths and legends often enhanced by song and dance. Supernatural spirits and creatures accompany many of the stories.

Test your knowledge with the following polar Arctic trivia quiz.

1. In one myth, a young girl is cast into the ocean where she becomes the keeper of all the sea mammals. Which one of the following was this legendary sea goddess not known as? a) b) c) d)

8. In Inuit mythology, Agloolik is a spirit that lives underneath the ice and acts as a tutelary guardian for which animal to aid hunters and fishers?

Nuliayuk Taleelayuk Sedna Anunnaki

2. Who is one of the most important mythological characters to have travelled over land as he overcame obstacles and successfully defeated the fearsome foes he encountered? a) b) c) d)

Giant polar bear and giant Inuit hunter. © Inhabit Media Inc.

Kiviuq Kavgjagjuk Tupilaq Tizheruk

a) b) c) d) 4. Considered a harbinger of death, Keelut is an evil spirit resembling what animal? a) b) c) d)

Giant polar bear Tri-horned hare Long fanged caribou Hairless dog

5. In Inuit mythology, what is an evil sea God associated with death and destruction known as? a) b) c) d)

Whales Walruses Seals Narwhals

9. In Inuit folklore, Akhlut is a very fierce animal and is depicted as what type of hybrid? a) b) c) d)

Wolf-orca Wolf-seal Polar bear-orca Muskox- narwhal

Aipaloovik Megoupchuk Tkachuk Muklok

6. Match the mythological Inuit entity to their individual characteristic:

a) b) c) d)

He he Tee hee Mahaha Hahaha

Ijiraat Taqriaqsuit Qalupalik Inupasugjuk Tuniit

A. Extremely strong Inuit ancestors B. Giants who capture human beings C. A scary, underwater monster who captures children who wander too close to the water D. Shadow people who are rarely seen but often heard E. Shape shifters that may change into any Arctic animal 7. Several folk legends highlight a gigantic wolf who stalked and devoured any person who was foolish enough to hunt at night.

What is the name of the legendary wolf? a) b) c) d)

Alerik Amaroq Adlet Adlivun

Legendary characters in novels. © Inhabit Media Inc. ABOVE&BEYOND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

Inuit Mythology.

10. What gifted individuals have the power to journey in trances and in dreams, visiting places that ordinary mortals would only experience in the afterlife? a) b) c) d)

Tribal elders Native shamans Inuit hunters Nanuq

6. a) E b) D c) C d) B e) A 7. b) Amaroq 8. c) Seals 9. a) Wolf-orca 10.b) Native shamans (aka angákut)

3. Various supernatural beings are featured in many Inuit myths. What is the name of the demon that terrorizes the Arctic and tickles its victims to death?

a) b) c) d) e)

ANSWERS: 1. d) Anunnaki 2. a) Kiviuq 3. c) Mahaha 4. d) Hairless dog 5. a) Aipaloovik

Amaroq (wolf ).

Unikkaaqtuat © Inhabit Media Inc.

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INUIT FORUM

In the words of Jose Kusugak: We will always be Inuit Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is celebrating 50 years of Inuit unity and representation this year. Our © Jessica Deeks

organization was founded in 1971 to amplify the voices of Inuit across our homeland in the face of shared challenges and concerns. Our founding leaders chose the name Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (Inuit will be united in Canada) in recognition of the work that lay before them.

In 2001, we took another momentous step as an organization. That year, the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement-in-Principle was signed.

Nunatsiavut was the last of our four regions to complete negotiations with the Crown. At our annual general meeting in Nain, our Board of Directors passed a resolution to change the name of our national organization to reflect the shift. So we became Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (United Inuit of Canada).

With a new name came a new logo. Twenty years ago this year we held a contest in search of a new visual identity to help tell the story of who we are and what we do. It had to be something that would bring us together as four distinct regions working together as one, and it had to resonate with Inuit and demonstrate the significance of our work in shaping a prosperous future for Inuit.

At that time, I was Director of ITK’s Department of Social and Economic Development. The late Jose Kusugak, my mentor and friend, was President. We received more than 200 contest entries from across the country and laid them out on our boardroom table and pinned them to the walls. We loved seeing them all. There were a number of common elements among our favourite submissions.

First, there were various depictions of Inuit in traditional clothing.

Some of the best featured four Inuit, representing the four regions of Inuvialuit Nunangat, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut, and the four settled land claims agreements. There was the ulu, the distinctive and multifunctional tool invented by Inuit.

Then, there was the maple leaf. Jose in those days had become known for telling a story about how Inuit view the concept of identity, coining the phrase that Inuit are First Canadians, Canadians First. “We will always be Inuit,” he said.

Putulik Ilisituk of Salluit, Nunavik, captured the essence of the four

ITK logo contest winners. (Top, from left): First place by Putulilk Ilisituk, second place by Chris Dewolf and third place by Mary Ugyuk. (Bottom, from left): honourable mentions

by Sammy Kudluk, John Metcalfe and Chris Eccles. © ITK

hoods, their style of dress and their clasped hands caught our attention.

He took the top prize.

The second and third place winners, Chris Dewolf of Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, and Mary Ugyuk of Taloyoak, Nunavut, both featured the ulu and maple leaf. Honourable mentions went to Sammy Kudluk of Kuujjuaq, Nunavik; John Metcalfe of Nain, Labrador; and Chris Eccles of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, all featuring similar elements of Inuit wearing winter clothing and Canadian iconography.

We delivered a binder full of these visual concepts to our designer as inspiration for a single cohesive identity. Jose and Nancy Karetak-Lindell, then MP for Nunavut, unveiled the final artwork in 2002. You have likely seen it in these pages. It features four Inuit, two men and two women, wearing silapaaqs and atigis, encircling a maple leaf and ulu. Its complexity and simplicity has stood the test of time.

Our relationship with the Crown, and with Canadians, has evolved considerably since 2001, but the maple leaf at the centre of our logo, and Jose’s words regarding our responsibility as partners in the reconciliation journey, continue to reflect the role ITK plays at the national level.

Unity is the central theme in who we are and what we do. Our ability to foster a shared identity and national vision for our collective future is A B O V E + B E Y O N D

the cornerstone of our success as an organization over 50 years.

central characters who would form our final logo. His submission featured

Natan Obed

a family representing the four regions of Inuit Nunangat. Their distinctive

President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

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