Grise Fiord | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Grise Fiord, March 2004 | |
  Grise Fiord  Grise Fiord | |
| Coordinates:76°25′00″N082°53′45″W / 76.41667°N 82.89583°W /76.41667; -82.89583[3] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Territory | Nunavut |
| Region | Qikiqtaaluk |
| Electoral district | Quttiktuq |
| High Arctic relocation | 1953 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Meeka Kiguktak |
| • MLA | Steven Taqtu |
| Area | |
• Total | 332.90 km2 (128.53 sq mi) |
| Elevation (at airport)[7] | 41 m (135 ft) |
| Population (2021)[6] | |
• Total | 144 |
| • Density | 0.4/km2 (1.0/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| Canadian Postal code | |
| Area code | 867, Exchange: 980 |
Grise Fiord (/ɡriːzfiˈɔːrd/;Inuktitut:ᐊᐅᔪᐃᑦᑐᖅ,romanized: Aujuittuq,lit. 'place that never thaws'[1][2]) is anInuit hamlet on the southern tip ofEllesmere Island, in theQikiqtaaluk Region,Nunavut, Canada. It is one of three populated places on the island; despite its low population (144 residents at the2021 Canadian census),[6] it is the largest community (and only public community) on Ellesmere Island. Created by the Canadian Government in 1953 through arelocation of Inuit families fromInukjuak, Quebec, it is Canada's northernmost public community. It is also one of the coldest inhabited places in the world, with an average yearly temperature of −16.5 °C (2.3 °F).
This community (and that ofResolute) was created by the Canadian government in 1953, partly toassert sovereignty in the High Arctic during theCold War. Eight Inuit families fromInukjuak, Quebec (on theUngava Peninsula), were relocated after being promised homes and game to hunt, but the relocated people discovered no buildings and very little familiar wildlife.[9] They were told that they would be returned home after "two or three years" if they wished.[10] This offer was later withdrawn however, for it would have damaged Canada's claims to sovereignty in the area; the Inuit wereforced to stay. Eventually, the Inuit learned the localbeluga whale migration routes and were able to survive in the area, hunting over a range of 18,000 km2 (6,900 sq mi) each year.[11]
In 1993, the Canadian government held hearings to investigate the relocation program. TheRoyal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples issued a report entitledThe High Arctic Relocation: A Report on the 1953–55 Relocation, recommending a settlement.[12] The government paid CAD10 million to the survivors and their families,[13] and gave a formal apology in 2010.[14]
In 2009, artist and Grise Fiord residentLooty Pijamini was commissioned byNunavut Tunngavik Incorporated to build a monument to commemorate the Inuit who sacrificed so much as a result of the Government's forced relocation programme of 1953 and 1955. Pijamini's monument, located in Grise Fiord, depicts a woman with a young boy and a husky, with the woman sombrely looking out towards Resolute Bay. Amagoalik's monument, located in Resolute, depicts a lone man looking towards Grise Fiord. This was meant to show separated families, and depicting them longing to see each other again.[15] The Grise Fiord monument was unveiled byJohn Duncan, at the time,Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development andFederal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, on September 10, 2010.[16][17]
Grise Fiord was the location for a 1995 BBC television documentary entitledBilly Connolly: A Scot in the Arctic, in which the comedianBilly Connolly camped alone for a week on thepack ice near to the community, armed with a rifle to protect him from polar bears.
Located at the southern tip ofEllesmere Island, Grise Fiord is one of three permanent inhabited places on the island. Farther north on the island, Environment Canada has a permanent weather station atEureka, and atAlert there is a permanent Canadian Forces Base (CFS Alert) and weather station. Grise Fiord lies 1,160 km (720 mi) north of theArctic Circle, and is thenorthernmost civilian community in Canada.[18]
Grise Fiord is cradled by theArctic Cordillera mountain range.
Grise Fiord has atundra climate (Köppen:ETf;Trewartha:Ftkd) with very short, cool summers and long, cold winters lasting almost the entire year.
| Climate data forGrise Fiord (Grise Fiord Airport) WMO ID: 71971; coordinates76°25′22″N82°54′08″W / 76.42278°N 82.90222°W /76.42278; -82.90222 (Grise Fiord Airport); elevation: 44.5 m (146 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1984–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record highhumidex | −1.3 | −5.0 | 2.3 | −2.4 | 8.4 | 14.2 | 15.0 | 14.4 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 2.4 | −1.8 | 15.0 |
| Record high °C (°F) | −0.6 (30.9) | −0.5 (31.1) | 2.7 (36.9) | 3.0 (37.4) | 12.5 (54.5) | 14.4 (57.9) | 15.6 (60.1) | 14.8 (58.6) | 8.5 (47.3) | 7.5 (45.5) | 3.0 (37.4) | 0.5 (32.9) | 15.6 (60.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −27.1 (−16.8) | −27.7 (−17.9) | −25.0 (−13.0) | −15.8 (3.6) | −4.0 (24.8) | 4.0 (39.2) | 6.8 (44.2) | 5.6 (42.1) | 0.1 (32.2) | −7.5 (18.5) | −15.9 (3.4) | −21.4 (−6.5) | −10.7 (12.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −30.6 (−23.1) | −31.8 (−25.2) | −29.3 (−20.7) | −21.0 (−5.8) | −8.4 (16.9) | 1.1 (34.0) | — | — | −1.9 (28.6) | −10.0 (14.0) | −19.3 (−2.7) | −25.0 (−13.0) | — |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −31.7 (−25.1) | −33.7 (−28.7) | −32.1 (−25.8) | −24.3 (−11.7) | −11.1 (12.0) | −1.5 (29.3) | 1.1 (34.0) | 0.7 (33.3) | −3.6 (25.5) | −11.4 (11.5) | −20.2 (−4.4) | −27.0 (−16.6) | −16.3 (2.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −45.0 (−49.0) | −47.0 (−52.6) | −46.0 (−50.8) | −40.5 (−40.9) | −30.5 (−22.9) | −13.0 (8.6) | −3.5 (25.7) | −7.4 (18.7) | −16.0 (3.2) | −29.0 (−20.2) | −41.1 (−42.0) | −42.0 (−43.6) | −47.0 (−52.6) |
| Record lowwind chill | −53.3 | −51.8 | −54.5 | −44.9 | −31.3 | −12.3 | −4.9 | −12.6 | −20.0 | −33.2 | −48.0 | −45.6 | −54.5 |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 7.9 (0.31) | 6.0 (0.24) | 13.5 (0.53) | 12.1 (0.48) | 9.4 (0.37) | 13.8 (0.54) | 35.0 (1.38) | 28.0 (1.10) | 15.4 (0.61) | 18.6 (0.73) | 14.8 (0.58) | 8.8 (0.35) | 183.2 (7.21) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.01) | 10.2 (0.40) | 31.8 (1.25) | 21.3 (0.84) | 5.1 (0.20) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 68.7 (2.70) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 6.8 (2.7) | 5.7 (2.2) | 11.1 (4.4) | 10.4 (4.1) | 9.6 (3.8) | 4.7 (1.9) | 1.6 (0.6) | 11.2 (4.4) | 14.3 (5.6) | — | 14.8 (5.8) | — | — |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 7.2 | 6.6 | 9.3 | 9.0 | 7.6 | 6.0 | 8.9 | 8.6 | 7.4 | 9.6 | 8.00 | 8.0 | 96.0 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.12 | 3.7 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 1.4 | 0.13 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 19.8 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 5.5 | 4.7 | 6.1 | 5.2 | 5.6 | 1.6 | 0.47 | 2.2 | 5.1 | — | 6.6 | — | — |
| Source:Environment and Climate Change Canada[19] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 121 | — |
| 1981 | 106 | −12.4% |
| 1986 | 114 | +7.5% |
| 1991 | 130 | +14.0% |
| 1996 | 148 | +13.8% |
| 2001 | 163 | +10.1% |
| 2006 | 141 | −13.5% |
| 2011 | 130 | −7.8% |
| 2016 | 129 | −0.8% |
| 2021 | 144 | +11.6% |
| Source:Statistics Canada [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] | ||
In the2021 Canadian census conducted byStatistics Canada, Grise Fiord had a population of 144 living in 58 of its 64 total private dwellings, a change of11.6% from its 2016 population of 129. With a land area of 332.9 km2 (128.5 sq mi), it had a population density of0.4/km2 (1.1/sq mi) in 2021.[20]
Just to the north of the community is the actual fiord,Grise Fiord, which means "pig inlet" in Norwegian.Otto Sverdrup from Norway so named it during an expedition around 1900 because he thoughtwalruses in the area sounded like pigs.
TheInuktitut name isᐊᐅᔪᐃᑦᑐᖅ[1] (Aujuittuq), which means "place that never thaws".[2]
The houses are wooden and built on platforms to cope with the freezing and thawing of thepermafrost. Hunting is still an important part of the lifestyle of the mostly Inuit population. Quota systems allow the villagers to supply many of their needs from populations ofseals,walruses,narwhal andbeluga whales,polar bears andmuskox.Ecotourism is developing as people come to see the northern wildlife found on Ellesmere and surrounding islands.[29]
There are no connecting roads on Ellesmere Island, so Grise Fiord is connected to the rest of the world by a small airstrip (Grise Fiord Airport), 1,675 ft (511 m) in length. Surrounded by mountains, it has one of the most difficult approaches for aircraft; it is cautioned that only very experienced pilots ofPilatus PC-12,DHC-6 Twin Otter andDHC-7 aircraft attempt the approach.[7]
For local travel needs, the villagers use all-terrain vehicles in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter. During the winter months travel is limited to the town site and a small patch of land to the east, called Nuvuk, due to mountains and ice fields that cut off the town from the rest of the island. Small boats are used in summer to reach hunting grounds, and to huntsea mammals on the ocean. Once a year large ships (sealift) arrive with supplies and fuel.[30]
The local cooperative is the main place to purchase supplies. There are local guide and outfitting operations, which are an important source of income for many families, as are carving, traditional clothing and other Inuit crafts. Due to the extreme location, the economy is subsistence-based. Because of the potential for avalanches and falling rocks from mountains, there is no room for expansion.[citation needed]
In 1970,Bell Canada established what was then the world's most northerlytelephone exchange (operated since 1992 byNorthwestel). It is in the867 area code (formerly819 before October 1997) with its only exchange code of 980.
Since 2005, the community has been served by theQiniq network, a fixed wireless service to homes and businesses that connects to the outside world via a satellite backbone. In 2017 the network, designed and operated bySSI Micro, was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice. In 2019,Bell Mobility became available to Grise Fiord.[31][32]
ASimon Fraser University study ofRoyal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) activity in the Baffin Region states that Grise Fiord had the lowest rate of criminal offences of all communities examined in 1992,[33] and cites a 1994Statistics Canada survey indicating that the hamlet has the highest perception of personal safety.[34]
Our Home, Our Community …Aujuittuq
