Igloolik ᐃᒡᓗᓕᒃ Iglulik | |
|---|---|
 Igloolik | |
  Igloolik  Igloolik | |
| Coordinates:69°23′N081°48′W / 69.383°N 81.800°W /69.383; -81.800[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Territory | Nunavut |
| Region | Qikiqtaaluk |
| Electoral district | Aggu Amittuq |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | George Auksaq[2] |
| • MLA Aggu | Edward Attagutaluk[3] |
| • MLA Amittuq | Abraham Qammaniq |
| Area (2021)[6] | |
• Total | 104.86 km2 (40.49 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 53 m (174 ft) |
| Population (2021)[6] | |
• Total | 2,049 |
| • Density | 19.5/km2 (51/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC– 05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC– 04:00 (EDT) |
| Canadian Postal code | |
| Area code | 867 |
Igloolik (Inuktitut syllabics:ᐃᒡᓗᓕᒃ,Iglulik,Inuktitut pronunciation:[iɣ.lu.ˈlik]) is anInuit hamlet inFoxe Basin,Qikiqtaaluk Region inNunavut, northern Canada. Because its location onIgloolik Island is close toMelville Peninsula, it is often mistakenly thought to be on the peninsula. The name "Igloolik" means "there is a house here". It derives fromiglu meaning house or building, and refers to thesod houses that were originally in the area, not to snowigloos.[8] InInuktitut[9] the residents are called Iglulingmiut (the suffixmiut means "people of").
Information about the area's earliest inhabitants comes mainly from numerous archaeological sites on the island; some dating back more than 4,000 years. First contact with Europeans came when the BritishRoyal Navy shipsHMSFury andHMSHecla, under the command of CaptainWilliam Edward Parry, wintered in Igloolik in 1822.
The island was visited in 1867 and 1868 by the American explorerCharles Francis Hall in his search for survivors of the lostFranklin Expedition. In 1913,Alfred Tremblay, aFrench-Canadian prospector with CaptainJoseph-Elzéar Bernier's expedition toPond Inlet, extended his mineral exploration overland to Igloolik, and in 1921 a member ofKnud Rasmussen's Fifth Thule Expedition visited the island.
The first permanent presence by southerners in Igloolik came with the establishment of aRoman Catholic Mission in the 1930s. By the end of the decade, theHudson's Bay Company had also set up a post on the island.
Non-indigenous establishments, such asRoyal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stations,day schools, andclinics, were here before they came to be in surrounding communities. The Igloolik Research Centre focuses on documentingInuit traditional knowledge and technology, as well as climatology and seismic data research.[10]
Anthropologically,Iglulik Inuit are usually considered to be the Iglulingmiut, theAivilingmiut,[11] and the Tununirmiut, the Inuit from northernBaffin Island, onSouthampton Island, and in theMelville Peninsula.[12]
An ancient legend from the Igloolik area was adapted byZacharias Kunuk into the award-winning Canadian filmAtanarjuat: The Fast Runner in 2001. In 2004,Isuma produced the filmThe Journals of Knud Rasmussen which was released in September 2006 after premiering at theToronto International Film Festival.
Igloolik is also the home-base of the only Inuitcircus,Artcirq. This collective is active in video-making, music production and live circus show performances. Early in 2008, when temperatures in Igloolik were at −50 °C (−58 °F), eight members of Artcirq went toEssakane north ofTimbuktu,Mali, where temperatures were 40 °C (104 °F), to perform at theFestival au Désert.[13][14] In February 2010, six members of Artcirq represented Nunavut in performances at the2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.[15]
In late 2007, the Igloolik Hunters and Trappers Organization (HTO) banned all forms of tourism (sport hunting, filming, photography, watching) related to the northern Foxe Basinwalrus population for a period of two years.[16] This ban was in response to an observed decrease in walrus. The Igloolik Inuit continued to harvest walrus while the tourism ban was in place.
In 2017, documentary film makerAlan Zweig releasedThere Is a House Here, a documentary film about his visits to the community.[17]
As of 2025[update] the mayor of the hamlet is George Auksaq,[2] who was elected in the 23 October 2023 municipal elections.[18] At the same election the following seven councillors were acclaimed, Edward Attagutaluk, Amanda Curley, Ludger Makkik, Jacob Malliki, Shanshan Tian, Celina Uttuigak, and Celestino Uyarak.[19]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 566 | — |
| 1976 | 675 | +19.3% |
| 1981 | 746 | +10.5% |
| 1986 | 857 | +14.9% |
| 1991 | 936 | +9.2% |
| 1996 | 1,174 | +25.4% |
| 2001 | 1,286 | +9.5% |
| 2006 | 1,538 | +19.6% |
| 2011 | 1,454 | −5.5% |
| 2016 | 1,744 | +19.9% |
| 2021 | 2,049 | +17.5% |
| Source:Statistics Canada [6][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] | ||
In the2021 Canadian census conducted byStatistics Canada, Igloolik had a population of 2,049 living in 394 of its 468 total private dwellings, a change of17.5 per cent from its 2016 population of 1,744. With a land area of 104.86 km2 (40.49 sq mi), it had a population density of19.5/km2 (50.6/sq mi) in 2021.[6]
| Panethnic group | 2021[29] | 2016[30] | 2006[31] | 2001[32] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |||
| Indigenous | 1,935 | 94.85% | 1,580 | 94.61% | 1,445 | 93.83% | 1,230 | 96.09% | ||
| European[a] | 90 | 4.41% | 70 | 4.19% | 95 | 6.17% | 45 | 3.52% | ||
| South Asian | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.6% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||
| Southeast Asian[b] | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.6% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||
| Latin American | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.6% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||
| East Asian[c] | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.65% | 0 | 0% | ||
| African | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||
| Middle Eastern[d] | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||
| Other/multiracial[e] | 15 | 0.74% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||
| Total responses | 2,040 | 99.56% | 1,670 | 95.76% | 1,540 | 100.13% | 1,280 | 99.53% | ||
| Total population | 2,049 | 100% | 1,744 | 100% | 1,538 | 100% | 1,286 | 100% | ||
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses | ||||||||||
TheCanadian Broadcasting Corporation interviewed people from the region in April 2008, about their concerns over plans to ship iron ore from the nearbySteensby Inlet on Baffin Island from theBaffinland Iron Mine.[33]Jaypetee Palluq, an Igloolik resident who had been asked to serve on a Baffinland advisory committee, was concerned that the mine's operation would interfere with the traditional hunts for sea mammals, likewalrus. He called on Baffinland to"find an alternate shipping route to the mine, regardless of the cost."
Paul Quassa, former mayor of Igloolik, also expressed concern, over the effect of freighters on the ice used by the walrus. He said the region was known for its highly prized aged, fermented walrus meat, a valuable export from the region.
On 2 November 2016,CBC News reported that residents had detected a "ping" via sonar, describing it as a hum or buzz emanating from the seabead of theFury and Hecla Strait—nearSteensby Inlet where Baffinland has one of its ports.[34]
Paul Quassa, Igloolik's representative to theLegislative Assembly of Nunavut, said the hum had been disturbing thesea mammals community members rely on for food.[34] TheRoyal Canadian Air Force sent aLockheed CP-140 Aurora to the area but were unable to detect the noise or the source.[35]
Igloolik has apolar climate (ET) with nine months averaging below 0 °C (32 °F). Winters are long and cold, with October being the snowiest month. Summers range from chilly to sometimes mild, with cold nights.
| Climate data forIgloolik (Igloolik Airport) Climate ID: 2402543; coordinates69°22′N81°49′W / 69.367°N 81.817°W /69.367; -81.817 (Igloolik Airport); elevation: 52.7 m (173 ft); 1991–2020 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record highhumidex | −4.2 | −0.6 | −3.9 | 0.3 | 5.6 | 18.7 | 24.3 | 24.5 | 11.2 | 3.4 | −0.5 | −1.5 | 24.5 |
| Record high °C (°F) | −1.0 (30.2) | −1.0 (30.2) | −3.0 (26.6) | 1.5 (34.7) | 7.0 (44.6) | 19.0 (66.2) | 24.5 (76.1) | 25.0 (77.0) | 15.0 (59.0) | 5.0 (41.0) | −0.5 (31.1) | −1.5 (29.3) | 25.0 (77.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −27.6 (−17.7) | −27.8 (−18.0) | −23.8 (−10.8) | −14.3 (6.3) | −4.5 (23.9) | 4.1 (39.4) | 11.7 (53.1) | 8.8 (47.8) | 1.8 (35.2) | −4.6 (23.7) | −15.0 (5.0) | −21.6 (−6.9) | −9.4 (15.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −30.9 (−23.6) | −31.0 (−23.8) | −27.7 (−17.9) | −18.4 (−1.1) | −7.8 (18.0) | 1.6 (34.9) | 7.9 (46.2) | 5.8 (42.4) | 0.0 (32.0) | −6.8 (19.8) | −18.4 (−1.1) | −25.4 (−13.7) | −12.6 (9.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −34.1 (−29.4) | −34.2 (−29.6) | −31.3 (−24.3) | −22.6 (−8.7) | −11.3 (11.7) | −0.9 (30.4) | 4.0 (39.2) | 2.7 (36.9) | −1.9 (28.6) | −9.1 (15.6) | −21.7 (−7.1) | −29.0 (−20.2) | −15.8 (3.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −45.0 (−49.0) | −45.5 (−49.9) | −47.0 (−52.6) | −37.5 (−35.5) | −28.0 (−18.4) | −13.5 (7.7) | −1.0 (30.2) | −5.5 (22.1) | −11.0 (12.2) | −22.5 (−8.5) | −36.0 (−32.8) | −42.5 (−44.5) | −47.0 (−52.6) |
| Record lowwind chill | −61.0 | −66 | −58 | −49 | −35 | −21 | −4 | −11 | −18 | −50 | −50 | −56 | −66 |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 6.6 (0.26) | 7.1 (0.28) | 13.4 (0.53) | 17.0 (0.67) | 15.2 (0.60) | 16.5 (0.65) | 25.7 (1.01) | 34.9 (1.37) | 27.6 (1.09) | 35.0 (1.38) | 18.5 (0.73) | 11.5 (0.45) | 228.9 (9.01) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.2 (0.01) | 12.8 (0.50) | 25.7 (1.01) | 32.2 (1.27) | 17 (0.7) | 1.3 (0.05) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 89.2 (3.51) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 6.6 (2.6) | 7.2 (2.8) | 14.0 (5.5) | 17.5 (6.9) | 15.3 (6.0) | 3.8 (1.5) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.7 (1.1) | 11.7 (4.6) | 33.4 (13.1) | 18.5 (7.3) | 11.6 (4.6) | 142.2 (56.0) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 4.2 | 4.4 | 6.6 | 7.3 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 9.3 | 10.4 | 9.5 | 11.6 | 7.9 | 6.3 | 91.4 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.11 | 0.11 | 5.6 | 9.3 | 9.9 | 5.9 | 0.42 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 31.4 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 4.4 | 4.4 | 6.6 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.59 | 4.5 | 10.8 | 7.7 | 6.2 | 60.7 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 1500LST) | 73.3 | 80.5 | 73.2 | — | — | 79.8 | — | — | — | — | 81.4 | 78.6 | — |
| Source:Environment and Climate Change Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020[36] (Humidex, wind chill, and humidity from Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010)[37] | |||||||||||||
The community has been served by theQiniq network since 2005. Qiniq is a fixed wireless service to homes and businesses, connecting to the outside world via a satellite backbone. The Qiniq network is designed and operated bySSI Micro. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice.
The community is served by theIgloolik Airport.
Tie vote – New Election required (see s. 149(2) of the Act)
Sometimes called a beep, a ping, or a hum, the sound is blamed for scaring away animals.
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