Grise Fiord is an Inuithamlet in the Qikiqtaaluk Region in the territory of Nunavut, Canada. Despite its low population, it is the largest community and only public community on Ellesmere Island. The settlement at Grise Fiord, created by the Canadian Government in 1953 through a forced relocation of Inuit families from Inukjuak, Quebec, is the northernmost public community in Canada. It is also one of the coldest inhabited places in the world, with an average yearly temperature of.
History
Settlement
The settlement was created by the Canadian government in 1953, partly to assert sovereignty in the High Arctic during the Cold War. Eight Inuit families from Inukjuak, Quebec, were relocated after being promised homes and game to hunt, but the relocated people discovered no buildings and very little familiar wildlife. They were told that they would be returned home after a year if they wished, but this offer was later withdrawn as it would damage Canada's claims to sovereignty in the area and the Inuit were forced to stay. Eventually, the Inuit learned the local beluga whale migration routes and were able to survive in the area, hunting over a range of each year. In 1993, the Canadian government held hearings to investigate the relocation program. The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples issued a report entitled The High Arctic Relocation: A Report on the 1953–55 Relocation, recommending a settlement. The government paid CAD10 million to the survivors and their families, and gave a formal apology in 2010. In 2009, Looty Pijamini was commissioned by Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated to build a monument to commemorate the Inuit who sacrificed so much as a result of the Government relocation 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. The Grise Fiord monument was unveiled by John Duncan, at the time, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, on September 10, 2010. Grise Fiord was the location for a 1995 BBC documentary entitled Billy Connolly: A Scot in the Arctic, in which the comedian Billy Connolly camped alone for a week on the pack ice near to the settlement, armed with a rifle to protect him from polar bears.
Just to the north of the community is the actual fiord, Grise Fiord. It means "pig inlet" in Norwegian. Otto Sverdrup from Norway named it so during an expedition around 1900 because he thought the walrus in the area sounded like pigs. The Inuktitut name is ᐊᐅᔪᐃᑦᑐᖅ, which means "place that never thaws."
Living conditions
The population of Grise Fiord is declining, and consists of around 129 permanent residents, a decrease of 0.8% from the 2011 census. The houses are wooden and built on platforms to cope with the freezing and thawing of the permafrost. 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 of seals, walruses, narwhal and beluga whales, polar bears and muskox. Ecotourism is developing as people come to see the northern wildlife found on Ellesmere and surrounding islands.
Transportation
There are no connecting roads on Ellesmere Island, so Grise Fiord is connected to the rest of the world by a small airstrip, in length. Surrounded by mountains, it is one of the most difficult approaches for aircraft—it is cautioned that only very experienced pilots of Pilatus PC-12, DHC-6 Twin Otter, and DHC-7 aircraft attempt the approach. For local travel needs, the villagers use all-terrain vehiclesin 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 the town off from the rest of the island. Small boats are used in summer to reach hunting grounds, or hunting sea mammals on the ocean. Once a year large ships arrive with supplies and fuel.
Economy, development, and sustainability
The local co-operative is the main place to purchase supplies. There are local guide and outfitting operations, which are an important source of income for many families. Carving, traditional clothing and other Inuit crafts and are also important sources of income. The economy is a subsistence-based one due to the extreme location. Because of falling rock/avalanche potential from mountains, there is no room for growth.
Communications
In 1970, Bell Canada established what was then the world's most northerly telephone exchange. It is in the 867 area code with its only exchange code of 980. The community has been served by the Qiniq 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 by SSI Micro. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice. In 2019, Bell Mobility became available to Grise Fiord.
Crime and safety
A Simon Fraser University study of Royal Canadian Mounted Police activity in the Baffin Region states that Grise Fiord had the lowest rate of criminal offences of all communities looked at in 1992, and cites a 1994 Statistics Canada survey that gives the highest perception of personal safety.
Climate
Grise Fiord has a Tundra climate with very short but cool summers and long, cold winters lasting almost the entire year.
