Inuvik Inuuvik | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Buildings of central Inuvik from south of town | |
  Inuvik  Inuvik | |
| Coordinates:68°21′39″N133°43′47″W / 68.36083°N 133.72972°W /68.36083; -133.72972[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Territory | Northwest Territories |
| Region | Inuvik Region |
| Constituency | Inuvik Boot Lake Inuvik Twin Lakes |
| Census division | Region 1 |
| Surveyed[2] | 1954 |
| Official start[2] | 18 July 1958 |
| Village[2] | 1 April 1967 |
| Town[2] | January 1970 |
| Incorporation[3] | 1 January 1979 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Clarence Wood |
| • SAO | Grant Hood |
| • MLA | Lesa Semmler (Twin Lakes) |
| • MLA | Denny Rodgers (Boot Lake) |
| • MP | Michael McLeod |
| Area | |
| • Land | 62.68 km2 (24.20 sq mi) |
| • Population centre[5] | 1.60 km2 (0.62 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 68 m (223 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Population (2021)[4] | |
• Total | 3,137 |
| • Density | 50.0/km2 (129/sq mi) |
| • Population centre | 3,001 |
| • Population centre density | 1,871.4/km2 (4,847/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| Canadian Postal code | X0E 0T0 |
| Area code | 867 |
| Telephone exchange | 620, 678, 768, 777 [777 was previously (403) 979], 888 |
| – Living cost (2018) | 147.5A |
| – Food price index (2019) | 158.6B |
| Highways | Dempster Highway Inuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway |
| Waterways | Mackenzie River |
| Climate | Dfc |
| Website | www |
| Sources: Department of Municipal and Community Affairs,[3] Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,[6] Canada Flight Supplement[7] ^A 2018 figure based onEdmonton = 100[8] ^B 2019 figure based onYellowknife = 100[8] | |
Inuvik/ɪˈnuːvɪk/ (place of man) is the only town[9] in theInuvik Region, and thethird largest community in Canada'sNorthwest Territories. Located in what is sometimes called the Beaufort Delta Region,[10] it serves as the region's administrative and service centre. Inuvik is home to federal, territorial, and Indigenous government offices, along with a regional hospital and airport.
Inuvik is located on the northern edge of aboreal forest just before it begins to transition totundra. It is on the east side of the enormousMackenzie River delta. The town lies within theGwich'in Settlement Region[11][12] and theInuvialuit Settlement Region.[13][14][15]
Inuvik was conceived in 1953 as a replacement administrative centre for the hamlet ofAklavik on the west of theMackenzie Delta, as the latter was prone to flooding and had no room for expansion. Initially called "New Aklavik", it was renamed Inuvik in 1958. The school was built in 1959 and the hospital, government offices and staff residences in 1960, when people, includingInuvialuit,Gwichʼin (Dene) andMétis, began to live in the community.
Naval Radio Station (NRS) Inuvik, later CFS Inuvik, callsign CFV, was commissioned on 10 September 1963 after operations had been successfully transferred from NRS Aklavik. Station CFV was part of the SUPRAD (Supplementary Radio) network of intercept and direction finding stations.
CFS Inuvik closed on 1 April 1986 and the site was transferred to theDepartment of Transport for use as a telecommunications station. Nothing remains of CFS Inuvik today. The Navy Operations base at the end of Navy Road was completely dismantled and removed.
Inuvik achieved village status in 1967 and became a full town in 1979 with an elected mayor and council. In 1979, with the completion of theDempster Highway, Inuvik became connected toCanada's highway system, and simultaneously the most northerly town to which one could drive in Canada. While a winter onlyice road through the Mackenzie River delta still connects Inuvik toAklavik, southwest of Inuvik, theTuktoyaktuk Winter Road, which ran northeast toTuktoyaktuk, is no longer being built due to the opening in November 2017, of theInuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway (ITH), which is open all year round. The Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway, which connects to Canada's highway system at Inuvik via the Dempster Highway, is the first road in history to reach theArctic Ocean in North America.[16]
Between 1971 and 1990, the town's economy was supported by the localCanadian Armed Forces Station, CFS Inuvik, (originally a Naval Radio Station, later a communications research/signals intercept facility[17]) and bypetrochemical companies exploring the Mackenzie Valley and theBeaufort Sea for petroleum. This all collapsed in 1990 for a variety of reasons, including disappearing government military subsidies, local resistance to petroleum exploration, and low international oil prices. Since then the economy has been based on some minor tourism and subsidy provided by theCrown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC),Health Canada (for the regional hospital) and theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1,248 | — |
| 1966 | 2,040 | +63.5% |
| 1971 | 2,669 | +30.8% |
| 1976 | 3,116 | +16.7% |
| 1981 | 3,147 | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 3,389 | +7.7% |
| 1991 | 3,206 | −5.4% |
| 1996 | 3,296 | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 3,152 | −4.4% |
| 2006 | 3,484 | +10.5% |
| 2011 | 3,463 | −0.6% |
| 2016 | 3,243 | −6.4% |
| 2021 | 3,137 | −3.3% |
| Source:Statistics Canada [4][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] | ||
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| Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics (2008–2019),[8] NWT Bureau of Statistics (2001–2017)[28] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the2021 Canadian census conducted byStatistics Canada, Inuvik had a population of 3,137 living in 1,223 of its 1,464 total private dwellings, a change of-3.3 per cent from its 2016 population of 3,243. With a land area of 62.68 km2 (24.20 sq mi), it had a population density of50.0/km2 in 2021.[4]
As of the 2021 Canadian census there were 1,990 people who identified asIndigenous. Of these 63.6 per cent wereInuvialuit (Inuit, predominantlyUummarmiut), 26.1 per centFirst Nations, 5.8 per centMétis and 4.8 per cent reported other Indigenous heritage. The non-Indigenous population of Inuvik was 36.6 per cent. LocalGwichʼin are enrolled in theInuvik Native Band.
| Panethnic group | 2021[29] | 2016[30] | 2011[31] | 2006[32] | 2001[33] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Indigenous | 1,990 | 65.14% | 2,080 | 66.56% | 2,485 | 67.99% | 2,175 | 63.41% | 1,690 | 59.19% |
| European[a] | 765 | 25.04% | 820 | 26.24% | 1,015 | 27.77% | 1,140 | 33.24% | 1,085 | 38% |
| Southeast Asian[b] | 115 | 3.76% | 75 | 2.4% | 45 | 1.23% | 10 | 0.29% | 15 | 0.53% |
| African | 80 | 2.62% | 35 | 1.12% | 45 | 1.23% | 35 | 1.02% | 15 | 0.53% |
| South Asian | 55 | 1.8% | 50 | 1.6% | 15 | 0.41% | 25 | 0.73% | 15 | 0.53% |
| Middle Eastern[c] | 25 | 0.82% | 35 | 1.12% | 35 | 0.96% | 25 | 0.73% | 30 | 1.05% |
| East Asian[d] | 20 | 0.65% | 20 | 0.64% | 10 | 0.27% | 10 | 0.29% | 0 | 0% |
| Latin American | 10 | 0.33% | 10 | 0.32% | 10 | 0.27% | 10 | 0.29% | 10 | 0.35% |
| Other /multiracial[e] | 30 | 0.98% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.35% |
| Total responses | 3,055 | 97.39% | 3,125 | 96.36% | 3,655 | 105.54% | 3,430 | 98.45% | 2,855 | 98.65% |
| Total population | 3,137 | 100% | 3,243 | 100% | 3,463 | 100% | 3,484 | 100% | 2,894 | 100% |
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses | ||||||||||
The main language spoken in Inuvik is English, though schools teach and a handful of local people still speakInuinnaqtun (Inuvialuktun), andGwichʼin.[34] LocalCBC Radio,CHAK (AM), broadcasts an hour of programming a day in each of these languages.
There are also about 100 Muslims, most of whom came there for economic opportunities. A small mosque (dubbed "Little mosque on the tundra" in reference to the CBC showLittle Mosque on the Prairie) was established in 2010.[35]
Inuvik is located on the East Channel of the Mackenzie Delta, approximately 100 km (62 mi) from the Arctic Ocean and approximately 200 km (120 mi) north of theArctic Circle. Thetree line lies north of Inuvik, and the town is surrounded byboreal forest.[36]
Due to its northern location, Inuvik experiences an average of 56 days ofmidnight sun every summer and 30 days ofpolar night every winter.
Until November 2017, Inuvik was the most northern community in Canada to be accessible by road (now second toTuktoyaktuk). The 736 km (457 mi)Dempster Highway links Inuvik to the rest of Canada, providing relatively easy access to a wide variety of goods, and greatly reducing their cost. In contrast, many Arctic communities depend on cargo flights for regular goods and summersealifts for larger freight, making goods expensive and often slow to arrive.[37]In 2017, theInuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway was extended north from Inuvik another 138 km (86 mi) to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic coast. Inuvik is also connected toAklavik by anice road across the Mackenzie Delta from late December until late April each year.[38]
The Dempster Highway relies on ferries to cross thePeel River nearFort McPherson and theMackenzie River atTsiigehtchic during the summer. In winter, ice bridges are constructed to cross the rivers. During the spring the crossings close throughout May as the ice on the rivers breaks up. Similarly, they are impassible for most of November while the rivers freeze.[38][39]During these times air travel is the only way for people and goods to reach Inuvik.
TheInuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport is serviced by several regional carriers.Canadian North has regular direct flights toYellowknife andNorman Wells. It further connects toEdmonton, and a number of smaller communities in the Northwest Territories andNunavut.[40]Air North connects to points in theYukon and travels as far south asVancouver.[41]Aklak Air flies north to the small communities ofSachs Harbour,Paulatuk, andUlukhaktok.[42]Freight services, helicopters, andfloatplane charters are also available from Inuvik. Floatplane service operates out of the nearbyInuvik/Shell Lake Water Aerodrome.
When the Mackenzie River is ice-free,Marine Transportation Services provides a commercial barge service fromHay River, onGreat Slave Lake to the regional terminal in Inuvik. The annualsealift moves supplies east into theKitikmeot Region ofNunavut and west toUtqiagvik, Alaska.[43]Many locals own small boats withoutboard motors which are used to access family hunting and fishing camps or to visitAklavik. Boat traffic comes to a halt in the winter when the Mackenzie River freezes.
Inuvik has asubarctic climate (KöppenDfc,TrewarthaEclc/Ecld). Summers are typically wetter and cool, with temperatures varying wildly throughout the months due to its peculiar location near the coldArctic Ocean. The average hottest month of the year, July, has a mean high of 19.5 °C (67.1 °F) and mean low of 8.6 °C (47.5 °F). Unlike many other North American continental climates, Inuvik warms up very quickly during May and June due to the rapidly increasing day length, and that remaining snow cools down until May. June is a warmer month than August.
Seasonal transitions are extremely short, with mean daily temperatures rising or falling as fast as 0.5 °C (0.90 °F) per day. Winters are long and cold; the coldest month of the year, January, having a mean high of −22.8 °C (−9.0 °F) and a mean low of −31.0 °C (−23.8 °F). Freezing temperatures can occur any month of the year. Inuvik has a great variation of temperatures during the year, usually peaking below −40 °C (−40 °F) in the winter and above 30 °C (86 °F) in the summer.[44] The highest temperature ever recorded in Inuvik was 34.8 °C (94.6 °F) on 7 August 2024.[45] The coldest temperature ever recorded was −56.7 °C (−70.1 °F) on 4 February 1968.[44]
Snow that falls from October onward usually stays until the spring thaw in mid-May but can sometimes last until June.[44]
| Climate data for Inuvik (Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport) Climate ID: 2202570; coordinates68°18′15″N133°28′58″W / 68.30417°N 133.48278°W /68.30417; -133.48278 (Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport); elevation: 67.7 m (222 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1957–present[f] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record highhumidex | 5.9 | 4.9 | 8.4 | 14.9 | 29.2 | 35.8 | 40.0 | 36.6 | 26.7 | 20.6 | 10.0 | 5.0 | 40.0 |
| Record high °C (°F) | 7.1 (44.8) | 5.2 (41.4) | 8.7 (47.7) | 15.3 (59.5) | 30.1 (86.2) | 32.8 (91.0) | 33.0 (91.4) | 34.8 (94.6) | 26.7 (80.1) | 20.9 (69.6) | 10.6 (51.1) | 5.0 (41.0) | 34.8 (94.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −21.4 (−6.5) | −19.5 (−3.1) | −16.3 (2.7) | −5.6 (21.9) | 6.3 (43.3) | 17.5 (63.5) | 19.3 (66.7) | 15.4 (59.7) | 7.9 (46.2) | −3.0 (26.6) | −14.3 (6.3) | −19.7 (−3.5) | −2.8 (27.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −24.9 (−12.8) | −23.5 (−10.3) | −21.1 (−6.0) | −10.6 (12.9) | 1.5 (34.7) | 11.6 (52.9) | 14.2 (57.6) | 10.9 (51.6) | 4.4 (39.9) | −5.9 (21.4) | −17.6 (0.3) | −23.0 (−9.4) | −7.0 (19.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −28.4 (−19.1) | −27.3 (−17.1) | −25.8 (−14.4) | −15.5 (4.1) | −3.3 (26.1) | 5.7 (42.3) | 9.0 (48.2) | 6.4 (43.5) | 0.8 (33.4) | −8.6 (16.5) | −20.8 (−5.4) | −26.4 (−15.5) | −11.2 (11.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −54.4 (−65.9) | −56.7 (−70.1) | −50.6 (−59.1) | −46.1 (−51.0) | −27.8 (−18.0) | −6.1 (21.0) | −3.3 (26.1) | −6.1 (21.0) | −20.1 (−4.2) | −35.0 (−31.0) | −46.1 (−51.0) | −50.0 (−58.0) | −56.7 (−70.1) |
| Record lowwind chill | −64.1 | −67.0 | −59.6 | −51.1 | −35.2 | −13.3 | −5.2 | −9.2 | −23.4 | −43.1 | −55.0 | −59.6 | −67.0 |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 13.4 (0.53) | 10.8 (0.43) | 13.6 (0.54) | 9.9 (0.39) | 13.7 (0.54) | 23.5 (0.93) | 40.1 (1.58) | 42.4 (1.67) | 32.5 (1.28) | 23.0 (0.91) | 15.2 (0.60) | 11.7 (0.46) | 249.8 (9.83) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | — | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.3 (0.01) | 6.0 (0.24) | — | 31.8 (1.25) | 36.0 (1.42) | 17.7 (0.70) | 1.1 (0.04) | 0.3 (0.01) | 0.0 (0.0) | — |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | — | 22.7 (8.9) | 23.1 (9.1) | 13.3 (5.2) | 9.7 (3.8) | — | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.7 (0.3) | — | 32.9 (13.0) | 29.7 (11.7) | 25.7 (10.1) | — |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 10.8 | 10.2 | 11.9 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 8.9 | 12.8 | 14.8 | 13.9 | 14.8 | 14.1 | 11.2 | 139.5 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | — | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.7 | — | 9.6 | 13.0 | 8.9 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.2 | — |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | — | 11.6 | 11.9 | 5.6 | 4.2 | — | 0.1 | 0.6 | — | 11.5 | 12.3 | 10.9 | — |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 1500LST) | 68.7 | 66.6 | 58.5 | 57.5 | 57.9 | 49.7 | 57.2 | 64.1 | 70.1 | 79.4 | 76.6 | 71.2 | 64.8 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 7.3 | 65.2 | 174.1 | 248.7 | 295.0 | 375.1 | 339.8 | 216.2 | 109.4 | 50.2 | 17.8 | 0.0 | 1,898.8 |
| Source:Environment and Climate Change Canada[44] (January maximum)[46] (April maximum)[47] (May maximum)[48] (July maximum)[49] (August maximum)[45] (sunshine)[50] | |||||||||||||
Inuvik'sOur Lady of Victory Church, often calledIgloo Church, is a famous landmark in the region. It is the most-photographed building in the town[citation needed].
Inuvik has theMidnight Sun Mosque, North America's northernmost, which opened in November 2010 after being built inWinnipeg and moved 4,000 km (2,500 mi) by truck and barge.[51] Some media reports have mistakenly called the mosque "the world's northernmost mosque", but in fact theNord Kamal Mosque inNorilsk, Russia, and a mosque inTromsø, Norway, are both slightly further north than Inuvik.[52][53]
TheGreat Northern Arts Festival has been held annually for 10 days in the middle of July since 1989.[55] The Festival has hosted over 3,000 artists from across Canada's north, and from as far away as Japan and Australia over 31 years and is the largest annual tourism event in the Beaufort Delta. Featuring on-site demonstrations, 50+ arts workshops, a 3,500-piece gallery, an outdoor carving village, an interactive artist studio zone, nightly cultural performances, northern film screenings, family activities and anArctic fashion show, the Festival attracts visitors from around the world to travel the Dempster Highway to visit Inuvik and the Gwich'in andInuvialuit Settlement Regions.
The annual Sunrise Festival happens on the second weekend of the new year, when the sun finally breaks the horizon after about thirty days ofpolar night. The Festival is an all-day community event highlighted bydog sled races, a long-program fireworks show and community bonfire. This Festival was highlighted in the award-winning[56] 2010 national Tropicana Orange Juice commercialArctic Sun.[57]
Inuvik celebrates the Muskrat Jamboree each year in late March or early April. Started in 1957, the event brings together thousands of people to participate in traditional games, watch the dog sled and snowmobile races and dance (jig) the night away in town. Most events are held on the Mackenzie River where several community groups operate concessions in stove-heated traditional McPherson tents, preparing hot soup,bannock, baked goods, coffee,Labrador tea, hot chocolate and other traditional refreshments. Many participants and spectators wear traditional clothing and often local artisans will have something to sell. In conjunction with the Muskrat Jamboree, the Town of Inuvik hosts the annual Muskrat Cup 3-on-3 Pond Hockey Tournament on the frozen Mackenzie River, the world's most northerly cash tournament.
The weekend closest to the summer solstice (21 June) each year features the Midnight Sun Fun Run, a 5K, 10K andhalf marathon that starts at midnight under the24-hours of sunlight experienced for over 50 days each summer in Inuvik. Runners from around the world make their way north to participate in this unique event under the midnight sun.
A new hospital opened in early 2003, providing service to an area extending fromSachs Harbour onBanks Island, toUlukhaktok onVictoria Island, and fromPaulatuk into theSahtu Region includingNorman Wells,Tulita,Délı̨nę,Fort Good Hope, andColville Lake.
The Midnight Sun Complex, a stage-built multi-use facility, was completed in 2006. Featuring the Roy 'Sugloo' Ipana Memorial Arena, with an NHL-sized ice surface; the Inuvik Curling Club with three sheets and a well-situated licensed lounge/viewing area; the Inuvik Pool, an award-winning Class B recreational pool with lane swimming, waterpark features including a two-story waterslide, hot tub, sauna and steam room; two squash courts; a multi-use community hall with stage; on-site business centre/production office; full building wireless; video-conferencing facility; on-site catering/kitchen; and meeting rooms for groups of 5 to 500. At full-building use, the Complex can host conferences, conventions and trade shows with up to 1200 delegates/exhibitors.[58]
The community has a state-of-the-art school called East 3. The construction budget for the school exceeded $110 million, and it features modern technologies such as 'smartboards' and videoconferencing facilities as well as a large gym.
A distinct feature of Inuvik is the use of "utilidors" – above-ground utility conduits carrying water and sewage – which are covered by corrugated steel. They run throughout town connecting most buildings, and as a result there are many small bridges and underpasses. The utilidors are necessary because of thepermafrost underlying the town.
The town is served by theInuvik Drum, a community newspaper published weekly byNorthern News Services.
| OTA channel | Call sign | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 (VHF) | CH4221 | Aboriginal Peoples Television Network |
Inuvik was previously served byCHAK-TV,VHF channel 6, aCBC Northtelevision repeater ofCFYK-DT (Yellowknife). That station closed on 31 July 2012 due to budget cuts affecting the CBC.[59][60]
| Frequency | Call sign | Branding | Format | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM 860 | CHAK | CBC Radio One | Talk radio,public radio | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | Part ofCBC North; broadcasts programming in English,Gwichʼin, andInuvialuktun |
| FM 98.7 | CKRW-FM-2 | The Rush | Hot adult contemporary | Klondike Broadcasting | Rebroadcaster ofCKRW-FM (Whitehorse) |
| FM 101.9 | VF2082 | CKLB Radio: The Voice of Denendeh | Community radio | Native Communications Society of the Northwest Territories | First Nations community radio; rebroadcaster ofCKLB-FM (Yellowknife) |
Landline telephone service is provided byNorthwestel, and cellular service byIce Wireless and Arctic Digital (Bell Mobility). Cable television is also offered in Inuvik by New North Networks.
Fibre optic communications were added in Inuvik in June 2017 with the completion of theMackenzie Valley Fibre Link; the $82 million 1,200 km (750 mi) line adds new capability to the town. However, the dependence on this single trunk line occasionally causes widespread Internet outages during Dempster or Alaska Highway maintenance or construction.[61][62] A backup trunk line betweenFort Simpson and Inuvik was under construction as of 2015.[63]
In 1988, theInternational Astronomical Union's Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (IAU / WGPSN) officially adopted the nameInuvik for a crater onMars, at 78.7° north latitude and 28.6° west longitude. The crater's diameter is 20.5 km (12.7 mi).[64]
Articles related to Inuvik | |
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