And the Winds Blow in the Kivalliq! Again...

Jimmy Jacquard, Road Warrior

From the desk of Jimmy Jacquard, Road Warrior:

It is well known that the Kivalliq region is famous for bad weather. That large body of water called Hudson Bay can make Mother Nature a little unpredictable at times to say the least. The first N-CAMP (Nunavut Community Aquatic Monitoring Program) consultations were slated to be held in Coral Harbour from March 13th to 16th. Luckily, I was able to get to Coral Harbour directly from Iqaluit on the 13th. Not so lucky was Sarah Arnold, Fisheries Sector Specialist for the Government of Nunavut's Department of Environment, who was stuck in a blizzard in Rankin Inlet. Zoya Martin from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans was slated to fly to Coral as well, but ended up flying over Rankin (because of a blizzard- surprise!) and ended up in Yellowknife. To make a long story short, I ended up by myself in Coral without the fisheries and biology experts! Arghh!

So, off to work I went in trying to promote the N-CAMP idea. I must say that the consultation was a complete success. The visit generated support from all of the key stakeholders, including Sakku School, the local Hunters and Trappers Organization, the Hamlet Council and the MLA for the Hamlet, Johnny Ningeongan. All stakeholders are looking forward to sharing their insights and providing feedback as the N-CAMP program is developed. It was apparent that the people of Coral Harbour are very passionate about their island and its resources. The opportunity to have local people trained in aquatic monitoring was fully supported, as it will help Coral Harbour develop some of the char fishery potential on Southampton Island.

Now, getting home from Coral. Did I mention that the winds like to howl in the Kivalliq? The first try to fly out was unsuccessful, and the drive from the community to the airport was one of the only times I've worn my seatbelt in Nunavut! Gordon, our driver, was very cautious and an experienced driver, but there were times that we had practically no visibility. We made a second attempt later in the day while the weather was still quite bad, but the taxi managed to make it to the airport, and the plane landed while the winds had subsided for a few minutes. Although the people from the community were of the friendliest kind, I was happy to be able to make it back home to Iqaluit.

The next N-CAMP consultation is in Igloolik in early April- let’s hope the weather gods are nicer to our group this time around! More to follow after Igloolik...