#nued

It was so hard to get out of bed on Friday. The Hotel Arctichas phenomenally warm duvets, plus looking outside to a snow bank made wakingup look that much less appealing.

Friday Morning, Mila and I made our way to the Parish hall, which is where Global Vision held all of its activities for the duration of our trip. There, we had breakfast together, and everyone was able to get to know one another.

The first presentation we saw was by J. Shirley from the Nunavut Research Institute, who spoke about Climate Change, and impacts seen in the North.

 Next, we heard from Sara Statham from the Nunavut Food Security Coalition. She spoke about Food Security. Food security is a threat to the wellbeing of Inuit communities. 70% of the community is considered to be food insecure, which is characterized as “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, an nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”. This issue is multifaceted and difficult to confront, and is even further proved by Global Vision flying in 11 boxes of food, as it is significantly cheaper than buying locally. It is very interesting to see the issues presented with culture, for example the nutritional, cost, and availability issues presented balancing country food (caribou, polar bear - food from the land) with store-bought food.

Locals visited during the lunch hour, and we were able to discuss and share our experiences from the trip, and able to talk about the treasures of Iqaluit, such as Arctic Foods, where I hope to grab some treats for my family.

After lunch, we bundled up and trekked back, past the hotel, to the Nunavut Legislature. There, we were able to learn more about the creation of the territory (very admirably done completely peacefully), and we also had a chance to speak with the Honourable Paul Quassa, Minister of Education. This opportunity really opened my eyes to the disparity and weakness of the Nunavut Education system, as well as the total and complete lack of accountability and transparency, which I will touch on in a separate post. 

After this, we had free time, where Mila and I decided to head to North Mart to buy water - several had recommended this to us. On our way back, we decided to climb a small hill back to the Parish hall. Climbing up the small icy ledge, Mila slipped, almost landed on her face, however I caught her just in time. Just after standing up, she stepped forward, and her foot went right through the ice ledge and into a pile of water (according to Google Maps, a small stream runs right through the town where we were, so I imagine as it ran down the hill, it remained unfrozen, and very welcome to any unexpected passer-by). As any good Canadian would do, I lent Mila my dry long johns. 

For dinner, we had macaroni and hot dogs. Over the meal, I spoke to Iqaluit students about the changes they wish to see in their education system, and what they perceived to be the biggest challenges. One thing that shocked me is that despite Grade 12 biology being taught for over 10 years, they only received textbooks this past year. Calculus isn’t even offered as a course – humbling, as I have been complaining about the difficulty of an educational opportunity not even offered to these students. They also expressed a concern in familial support, explaining that often the students struggling in school do not have a family that openly supports or encourages education. It is undeniably difficult for Northern students to graduate due to a variety of factors, and in one community, just 2/70 students graduated this past year.

After dinner, several Northern students sang and played guitar for us (introducing me to the Jerry Cans, who's album I later bought off iTunes), and in turn Mila played as well.  A group of us, both Northern and Southern, spent some time together that night and discussed the issues we had discussed that day.