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Canadian High Arctic Research Station campus
Cambridge Bay is the location of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) campus as announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
on 24 August 2010. This multidisciplinary station is operated by Polar Knowledge Canada, a federal agency, and will operate year-round. It is a keystone of Canada's Northern Strategy. Its mandate is stated:
Cambridge Bay was chosen after a feasibility study that also included Pond Inlet
Pond Inlet ( iu, Mittimatalik, lit=the place where Mittima is buried) is a small, predominantly Inuit community in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada, located on northern Baffin Island. To the Inuit the name of the place "is and always ...
and Resolute as potential locations. Prime Minister Harper announced that, starting in 2012, the Government of Canada would spend $142.4 million over a six-year period to build, equip and provision the station. Additionally, again starting in 2012 and spread over six years, the government would provide $46.2 million for the CHARS Science and Technology Program. The prime minister stated that to provide for the continuing research and operations $26.5 million per year, beginning in 2018–19, would be made available. It is expected that the station will provide 35 to 50 jobs. These jobs, which will be full-time, part-time and seasonal, will start in 2017 and run the Science and Technology Program as well as provide the day-to-day operations of the station. In addition it is expected that 150 jobs will be created during construction for local and other people throughout the north. However, some of these jobs will require the hiring of specialised people from southern locales. Construction began in August 2014.
Education
Several educational services are available, including daycare, preschool, Kullik Ilihakvik (elementary school) named for the traditional stone lamp the ''qulliq
The qulliq (seal-oil, blubber or soapstone lamp, iu, ᖁᓪᓕᖅ, ''kudlik'' ; ik, naniq), is the traditional oil lamp used by Arctic peoples, including the Inuit, the Chukchi people, Chukchi and the Yupik peoples.
This characteristic ty ...
'', Killinik High School, and a public library and museum located in the high school. The community is also the regional centre for the Kitikmeot Campus of Nunavut Arctic College
Nunavut Arctic College ( iu, ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᒃ, french: Collège de l’Arctique du Nunavut, Inuinnaqtun: ''Nunavunmi Inirnirit Iliharviat'') is a public community college in the territory of Nunavut, Canada. The colle ...
who oversee the Cambridge Bay Community Learning Centre. Courses range from Adult Basic Education to the Nunavut Teacher Education Program (NTEP), which, in partnership with the University of Regina
The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchew ...
, is able to offer a Bachelor of Education
A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...
.
Land claims
The Kitikmeot Inuit Association, Nunavut Impact Review Board, and Nunavut Planning Commission have offices in Cambridge Bay, as well as the Lands and Resources Department of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI; , ) is the legal representative of the Inuit of Nunavut for the purposes of native treaty rights and treaty negotiation. The presidents of NTI, Makivik Corporation, Nunatsiavut, and the Inuvialuit Regional Corp ...
.
Religion
There are three churches in Cambridge Bay: St. George's Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
Church, which is part of the Diocese of Arctic, Our Lady of the Arctic Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, which is part of the Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith, and the Glad Tidings Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement Church.
Economy and infrastructure
There are several businesses in the community and these include a Northern Store
The North West Company is a multinational Canadian grocery and retail company which operates stores in Canada's western provinces and northern territories, as well as the US states of Alaska, Hawaii, and several other countries and US terri ...
which includes a Quick Stop, selling KFC
KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...
and Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert at d ...
products, the Ikaluktutiak Co-operative, part of the Arctic Co-operatives Limited
Arctic Co-operatives Limited is a cooperative federation owned and controlled by 32 community-based cooperative business enterprises located in Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon and northern Manitoba, Canada. Arctic Co-ops coordinates resourc ...
, a branch of the Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; french: Banque royale du Canada) is a Canadian multinational financial services company and the largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 17 million clients and has more than 89,000& ...
and a stand-alone Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...
postal service. Other community businesses include Jago Services, plumbing and electrical, Qillaq operates construction services, mechanics shop, heating fuel and gasoline sales as well as a service garage. Kalgen's operates the Dis & Dat Convenience Store and a separate Dis & Dat Hardware Division (formerly Kitikmeot Supplies), a hardware store. Kalvik Enterprises and Nanook Woodworking, both construction companies and Inukshuk Enterprises, a general contractor, who also operate a service garage and a convenience store.
There are three taxi services, Akohk Taxi, Angnaoyok and Go Cargo Taxi. There is a modern health centre, the Kitikmeot Regional Health Centre, in the community that opened in 2005. It provides facilities that were previously unavailable in the region, however certain procedures still require a trip to Yellowknife
Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the ...
or Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
. In 2010 the birthing centre
A birthing center is a healthcare facility, staffed by nurse midwives, midwives and/or obstetricians, for mothers in labor, who may be assisted by doulas and coaches. The midwives monitor the labor, and well-being of the mother and the baby duri ...
was opened in the same building and included local midwives. In 2017, the long term residential care unit was opened upstairs at the Kitikmeot Regional Health Centre. There is a RCMP detachment in Cambridge Bay and the Kitikmeot Law Centre has its offices in the community. The hotels include the Umingmak Lodge Bed and Breakfast, the Arctic Islands Lodge, run by the Co-op and the Green Row operated by Inukshuk Enterprises.
Phone service is provided by Northwestel
Northwestel Inc. (stylized as NorthwesTel) is a Canadian telecommunications company that is the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) and long-distance carrier in the territories of Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Originally est ...
, a division of BCE Inc. and, with their companion Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility Inc. is a Canadian mobile network operator, wireless network operator and the division of Bell Canada which offers wireless services across Canada. It operates networks using LTE (telecommunication), LTE and Evolved HSPA, HSPA+ on i ...
, also handle cell phone coverage. Buildings in Cambridge Bay, like in most Nunavut communities, have water and sewage tanks that require regular services by truck. These services along with garbage pick-up are done by the Hamlet.
Media
Radio
Cambridge Bay is served by two CBC Radio One rebroadcasters to allow residents to hear Inuvialuktun
Inuvialuktun (part of ''Western Canadian Inuit/Inuktitut/Inuktut/Inuktun'') comprises several Inuit language varieties spoken in the northern Northwest Territories by Canadian Inuit who call themselves ''Inuvialuit''. Some dialects and sub-dialec ...
language programming, which is the language spoken in Cambridge Bay, that is aired in the afternoons by CHAK.
Television
*Channel 9 – CBENT, CBC North
CBC North ( iu, ᓰᐲᓰ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ, lit=CBC Northwest, translit=, SiiPiiSii Ukiuqtaqtumi; cr, ᓰᐲᓰ ᒌᐌᑎᓅᑖᐦᒡ, label=cr, SiiPiiSii Chiiwetinuutaahch; french: Radio-Canada Nord) is the Canadian Broadcasting Corpora ...
went dark 31 July 2012
*Channel 51 is a local channel run by the Kitikmeot Inuit Association featuring local and territorial films, videos and documentaries.
Cable television is available from the local Co-op and satellite television from either Shaw Direct
Shaw Direct is a direct broadcast satellite television distributor in Canada and a subsidiary of the telecommunications company Shaw Communications. As of 2010, Shaw Direct had over 900,000 subscribers. It broadcasts on Ku band from two communic ...
or Bell Satellite TV
Bell Satellite TV (french: Bell Télé; formerly known as Bell ExpressVu, Dish Network Canada and ExpressVu Dish Network and not to be confused with Bell's IPTV Bell Fibe TV, Fibe TV service) is the division of BCE Inc. that provides satellite ...
.
Internet services
*Northwestel High Speed Internet, DSL
* Qiniq, broadband Internet
In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...
service provider for Nunavut. 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 Canada. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice.
*Starlink
Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, providing satellite Internet access coverage to 45 countries. It also aims for global mobile phone service after 2023. SpaceX started launching Starlink satellites in 2019. As ...
, a satellite internet constellation
A satellite internet constellation is a constellation of artificial satellites providing satellite internet service. In particular, the term has come to refer to a new generation of very large constellations (sometimes referred to as a megaco ...
operated by SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...
, providing satellite Internet access
Satellite Internet access is Internet access provided through communication satellites. Modern consumer grade satellite Internet service is typically provided to individual users through geostationary satellites that can offer relatively high dat ...
Transportation
Although Cambridge Bay lies on the Northwest Passage there are no passenger ships other than tourist cruises. NEAS (from Nunavut (1998) and Nunavik (2011) Eastern Arctic Shipping) and Nunavut Sealink and Supply a joint operation of Arctic Co-operatives Limited
Arctic Co-operatives Limited is a cooperative federation owned and controlled by 32 community-based cooperative business enterprises located in Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon and northern Manitoba, Canada. Arctic Co-ops coordinates resourc ...
, Desgagnes Transarctik, the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation, Sakku Investments Corporation and the Kitikmeot Corporation. provide annual sealift
Sealift is a term used predominantly in military logistics and refers to the use of cargo ships for the deployment of military assets, such as weaponry, vehicles, military personnel, and supplies. It complements other means of transport, such as ...
to the community.
The only passenger services are through the Cambridge Bay Airport
Cambridge Bay Airport is located southwest of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada, and is operated by the government of Nunavut.
In December 2005 the Government of Nunavut announced that they would spend $18 million to pave the runway.
On 14 ...
from which daily air service to Yellowknife
Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the ...
, and to the other Kitikmeot Region communities with Canadian North
Bradley Air Services, operating as Canadian North, is a wholly Inuit-owned airline headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. It operates scheduled passenger services to communities in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Nunavik region o ...
.
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
and MEDIVAC (air ambulance
Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...
) services are provided by Keewatin Air
Keewatin Air (IATA: FK) is an airline that operates from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The airline was started by Frank Robert May (who had been a pilot for Lamb Air) and his wife Judy Saxby in 1971, in the Keewatin Region, then part of the Northwe ...
. Former MEDIVAC operator Adlair Aviation
Adlair Aviation (1983) Ltd. is a family-owned charter airline in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada. Adlair Aviation was established in 1983 by pilot Willy Laserich and his family. Adlair has bases at Cambridge Bay Airport and Yellowknife Airpor ...
still operates charters in the region. In the summer floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...
charters are provided by DAL Aviation from the Cambridge Bay Water Aerodrome
Cambridge Bay Water Aerodrome is located just east of the community of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada. Landing is usually possible only from the middle of July until the middle of September but ice may be encountered until well into August.
DAL ...
.
In 2012, the roads of Cambridge Bay were imaged for Google Street View
Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides interactive panoramas from positions along many streets in the world. It was launched in 2007 in several cities in the United States, and has since expa ...
by a tricycle fitted with a camera system. While Cambridge Bay had no cars at the time (only snowmobiles, ATVs, SUVs, buses and trucks), Google responded to a proposal by Cambridge Bay resident Chris Kalluk to include Arctic communities in Street View in order to educate the rest of the world. Through Google Street View, one can even enter the indoor swimming pool and have a look around.
Climate
Cambridge Bay has a polar climate
The polar climate regions are characterized by a lack of warm summers but with varying winters. Every month in a polar climate has an average temperature of less than . Regions with polar climate cover more than 20% of the Earth's area. Most of ...
, no month having an average temperature of or higher, and is listed as ''ET'' on the Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
. It has never recorded a temperature above freezing between 31 October and 19 April. Summers are typically cool and rainy, with pleasant days and chilly nights. Winters are cold, dark, and long, with October being the snowiest month. Snowfall and frosts are possible all year round. Rainfall is usually limited to the summer months, when the temperature shortly rises above freezing for a few months before dipping back down for another nine months of winter. Springs are typically sunny but still very chilly. Autumns are short and crisp, with more frequent cloud cover starting to appear during August and with September being almost constantly cloudy.
The sun is continuously below the horizon, polar night
The polar night is a phenomenon where the nighttime lasts for more than 24 hours that occurs in the northernmost and southernmost regions of Earth. This occurs only inside the polar circles. The opposite phenomenon, the polar day, or midnig ...
, from approximately 30 November to 11 January and above the horizon, midnight sun
The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When the midnight sun is seen in the Arctic, t ...
, 19 May to 22 July.
Notable residents
* Stephen Angulalik, an Ahiarmiut
The Ahiarmiut ᐃᓴᓪᒥᐅᑦ or Ihalmiut ("People from Beyond") or ("the Out-of-the-Way Dwellers") are a group of inland Inuit who lived along the banks of the Kazan River, Ennadai Lake, and Little Dubawnt Lake (renamed ''Kamilikuak''), ...
fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...
r and trading post
A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded.
Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...
operator at Kuugjuaq ( Perry River).
* Bill Lyall
William Lyall (born 1941 in Fort Ross - 28 December 2021), known as Bill Lyall, of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada, was a territorial politician. Lyall was elected to the 8th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly in the 1975 election.
Lyal ...
, was a member of the 8th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly from 1975 to 1979, he was later awarded the Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
for his work with the Arctic Cooperative
* Helen Maksagak
Helen Mamayaok Maksagak, (April 15, 1931 – January 23, 2009) was a Canadian politician. She served as the commissioner of the Northwest Territories from January 16, 1995 until March 26, 1999 and as the first commissioner of Nunavut from Apr ...
, the first woman and the first Inuk to be Commissioner of the Northwest Territories
The commissioner of the Northwest Territories (french: Commissaire des Territoires du Nord-Ouest) is the Government of Canada's representative in the Northwest Territories. Similar in certain functions to a lieutenant governor, the commissioner s ...
(1995–1999) and the first Commissioner of Nunavut
The commissioner of Nunavut ( iu, ᑲᒥᓯᓇ ᓄᓇᕗᒧᑦ; Inuinnaqtun: ''Kamisinauyuq Nunavunmut''; french: Commissaire du Nunavut) is the Government of Canada's representative in the territory of Nunavut. The current commissioner since Janua ...
(1999–2000), she was awarded the Order of Canada for her work.
* Kelvin Ng
Kelvin Ng (born November 10, 1958) is a former territorial and municipal level politician in Canada who was elected in both the Nunavut Legislature and Northwest Territories Legislature.
Ng began his political career on the municipal level. He ...
, won the 1995 election and the first Nunavut election in 1999 representing the Cambridge Bay riding.
* Red Pedersen
Asger Rye "Red" Pedersen (sometimes Asgar Rye Pederson, born 1935, Denmark) is a former territorial-level Canadian politician. In 1953, he got a job in the Canadian Arctic with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) at Cambridge Bay, Nunavut (then t ...
, worked with Stephen Angulalik while at Perry River and was elected in both the 1993 NWT election and the 1997 NWT election.
* Keith Peterson
Alan Keith Peterson (born February 2, 1956) was born in Whitehorse, Yukon, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada and lives in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. He was the ember of the Nunavut MLAfor the Electoral district (Canada), electoral district of Cambridg ...
, was the current member of Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut is the legislative assembly for the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The seat of the Assembly is the Legislative Building of Nunavut in Iqaluit.
Prior to the creation of Nunavut as a Canadian territory on Apr ...
having won in the 2004 election and was acclaimed in the 2008 election. Peterson was the longest serving Minister of Finance, and was Minister of Health and Social Services. He retired in 2017.
* Tanya Tagaq
Tanya may refer to:
* Tanya (Judaism),an early work of Hasidic philosophy by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi.
* Tanya (name), a given name and list of people with the name
* Tanya or Lara Saint Paul (born 1946)
* List of Mortal Kombat characters#Tany ...
(Tanya Tagaq Gillis), an Inuk throat singer
Overtone singing – also known as overtone chanting, harmonic singing, polyphonic overtone singing, and diphonic singing – is a set of singing techniques in which the vocalist manipulates the resonances of the vocal tract, in order to arous ...
and painter She has performed at Folk on the Rocks
Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the o ...
in 2005, 2010 and 2015, toured with Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...
and released four albums, '' Sinaa'', '' Auk/Blood'', '' Anuraaqtuq'' and ''Animism
Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—Animal, animals, Plant, plants, Ro ...
''.
* Kane Tologanak
Kane Tologanak (born: ?) is a Copper Inuit and former Member of the Northwest Territories Legislature from 1979 to 1983.
Tologanak was first elected to the Northwest Territories Legislature in the 1979 Northwest Territories general election. He ...
, elected to represent the Central Arctic The Central Arctic was an electoral district of the Northwest Territories, Canada, created in 1966 and abolished in 1983. The district consisted of Pelly Bay, Spence Bay, Gjoa Haven, Cambridge Bay, Bathurst Inlet, Bay Chimo, Coppermine and Holm ...
in the 1979 election.
See also
*List of municipalities in Nunavut
Nunavut is the least populous of Canada's three territories with 36,858 residents as of 2021, but the largest territory in land area, at . Nunavut is also larger than any of Canada's ten provinces. Nunavut's 25 municipalities cover only o ...
* Martin Hartwell
Marten Hartwell (1925 – April 2, 2013) was a German-Canadian bush pilot in the Canadian Arctic. On November 8, 1972, the plane that Hartwell was flying on a medical evacuation crashed. One passenger was killed on impact, another died shortly a ...
References
Further reading
* 2007. "Mosaic – Snow Sprints in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut – Photography by Finn O'Hara". ''Canadian Geographic''. 127, no. 2: 100.
* Barlishen, W. J., and T. N. Webber. ''A History of the Development of Commercial Fishing in the Cambridge Bay Area of the Northwest Territories''. 1973.
* Canada. ''Cambridge Bay''. Ottawa: Environment Canada, Atmospheric Environment Service, 1984.
* Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology, and Resource Ventures Incorporated. ''Cambridge Bay Wind Farm''. ttawa The Branch, 1997.
* Gajda, Roman. ''Terrain and Site Analysis of Cambridge Bay, N.W.T''. Ottawa: Dept. of Mines and Technical Surveys, Geographical Branch, 1962.
* Hill, Steven Grant. ''Ethnography of Inuit Elderly in a Present Day Arctic Settlement, Cambridge Bay, N.W.T''. Ottawa: National Library of Canada, 1990. .
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Hamlets in the Kitikmeot Region
Hudson's Bay Company trading posts in Nunavut
Populated places in Arctic Canada
Victoria Island (Canada)
Road-inaccessible communities of Nunavut