Tags for this video have been changed from 'inuk, inukness, canada, northern, life, iqaliuit, nunavut, qikiqtani' to 'inuk, inukness, canada, northern, life, iqaluit, nunavut, qikiqtani' - edited by doogle

>> ^JesseoftheNorth:

OK, so having grown up in Nunavut, I feel I should weigh in on this and dispell some of the misconceptions that have come up in the comments. These prices are from two of the larger communities in Nunavut which means that the prices are even higher in the more isolated communities. The prices are so high partly because everything has to be flown in or shipped during the few months of ice-free summer. Also, there is basically a duopoly when it comes to grocery stores in Nunavut meaning they can charge pretty much whatever they want.
I don't know where citystats.ca got their data from on the median incomes, but it's actually much lower according to Statistics Canada. The median income reported by Nunavut tax filers in 2008 was only $26,460 a year and $57,330 for Iqaluit that same year. In Sanikiluaq, which is one of the poorer communities, the median income was a measly $9,730. In Arctic Bay, where I grew up, the median income for the year fell to $11,810 from $12,500 in 2006.
There is a serious income disparity problem in Nunavut and it is the local Inuit that suffer as a result. The largest employer in the Territory by far is the Territorial and Federal Government. Those of us who are lucky enough to have a job in the public center enjoy high salaries and benefits and are able to afford the exorbitant cost of living here, but everyone else is pretty much shit outta luck. Unfortunately, it is mainly southerners that enjoy the high wages. There are of course southerners that live here because they genuinely love the land and the people (such as my Quebecois mother) but the vast majority of southern workers are here only for the purposes of lining their pockets and don't contribute much to the communities.
As for those who don't understand why people live up here, I'm not even going to bother to explain it, because you probably won't get it anyways. I'm proud to be from Nunavut despite all the problems there are up here.



dude, if you gotta pay near 50 bucks for a pack of toilet paper, forget pride man. emigrate.

OK, so having grown up in Nunavut, I feel I should weigh in on this and dispell some of the misconceptions that have come up in the comments. These prices are from two of the larger communities in Nunavut which means that the prices are even higher in the more isolated communities. The prices are so high partly because everything has to be flown in or shipped during the few months of ice-free summer. Also, there is basically a duopoly when it comes to grocery stores in Nunavut meaning they can charge pretty much whatever they want.

I don't know where citystats.ca got their data from on the median incomes, but it's actually much lower according to Statistics Canada. The median income reported by Nunavut tax filers in 2008 was only $26,460 a year and $57,330 for Iqaluit that same year. In Sanikiluaq, which is one of the poorer communities, the median income was a measly $9,730. In Arctic Bay, where I grew up, the median income for the year fell to $11,810 from $12,500 in 2006.

There is a serious income disparity problem in Nunavut and it is the local Inuit that suffer as a result. The largest employer in the Territory by far is the Territorial and Federal Government. Those of us who are lucky enough to have a job in the public center enjoy high salaries and benefits and are able to afford the exorbitant cost of living here, but everyone else is pretty much shit outta luck. Unfortunately, it is mainly southerners that enjoy the high wages. There are of course southerners that live here because they genuinely love the land and the people (such as my Quebecois mother) but the vast majority of southern workers are here only for the purposes of lining their pockets and don't contribute much to the communities.

As for those who don't understand why people live up here, I'm not even going to bother to explain it, because you probably won't get it anyways. I'm proud to be from Nunavut despite all the problems there are up here.

>> ^notarobot:
That is not a boatload of money!
>> ^shogunkai:
The average family income in Nunavut in 2000 was C$59,206 for a family of five.
Source
>> ^probie:
Right, expensive. Now let's do a video on people's paychecks in the area, as I'm sure they're substantially higher too.
Can't wait for teleportation to get invented, as it will throw the world's current currency market in the toilet.




Actually, probie has it right, in 2006 the median family income for Iqualit, one of the towns pictured, was like $89,000 compared to the Territory (Nunavut) median of $60,000... and the CANADIAN median of $53,634.

Couples sharing a household, with or without kids, had a median over $100,000 in 2005
SINGLE people had median income of over $60,000.

They're doing just fine.

Lulz, oh come on. The ENTIRE population of Baffin Island (where they were) is a grand total of 11,000 people, and they AREN'T all in the same place (well, half are in Iqaluit). There's no economy of scale. I bet most of those items are flown in too.

I saw them perform live at the Ottawa BluesFest that summer and they were absolutely amazing. I was told that their show in Iqaluit was pretty incredible as well. It's pretty neat to see them with Inuit elders. Hopefully more bands like them will make it up north more often.

Qujannamiik Throbbin!
I find the language very fascinating, and I was pleased to see they had audio examples for most words. I'd love to visit Iqaluit and other places in Nunavut and northern Canada in general. One day :}

*quality !

Cool. Iqaluit is a nice place to visit. I lived there for a coupla years, wouldn't repeat, but a nice place to visit.

I actually graduated from the high school on the hill (not the white one, but a similar blue and white one above it).

Unfortunately that igloo church burnt down a year or 2 ago.

I think every Canadian should visit Nunavut at least once.

I often say that Canadians perceive Nunavut the way Americans perceive Canada.

In reply to this comment by calvados:
I know it some. I know some people who used to live in Iqaluit, too -- they were there for five years recently. I used my Aeroplan points to visit them there -- saw the big white modular school and the igloo church and so on.


In reply to this comment by Throbbin:
Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.

You know your north?

In reply to this comment by calvados:
I say there's some *darkness to this vid as well considering the hard living and poverty.

Which settlement are you from, Throbbin?

I know it some. I know some people who used to live in Iqaluit, too -- they were there for five years recently. I used my Aeroplan points to visit them there -- saw the big white modular school and the igloo church and so on.


In reply to this comment by Throbbin:
Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.

You know your north?

In reply to this comment by calvados:
I say there's some *darkness to this vid as well considering the hard living and poverty.

Which settlement are you from, Throbbin?