Mass Transit
More or less the only steady way of getting in and out of town is by plane.
These smaller models jump around all over Nunavut, the Northwest Territories,
the Yukon, Alaska, and the top ends of the other provinces. There's usually at least one
flight north and one south each day transporting passengers, mail, and
other supplies. Because the weather is often disagreeable, though, service is
often delayed and interrupted which sends everyone's schedules out of whack. The best rule
of thumb for travel and shipping is to always expect and account for the worst
case scenarios.
Twice a year a sealift arrives in the cove to deliver equipment,
construction supplies, vehicles, groceries, and other large items ordered by the
individuals and residents of the community. It's a good idea to order a lot of
groceries from the south this way in order to avoid paying around $20 for five
kilograms of flour and other such mind-boggling prices at the Co-op.
The good old-fashioned Bombardier has never gone out of style up here. When the
bay is frozen these guys run all over the place taking passengers to different
communities, or hauling big objects such as new cars on huge sleds called "kammitiks."
For the most part, snow mobiles (known as "machines" up here) have
replaced the dogsled, although there are some who haven't yet made the
transition entirely.
Smaller kammitiks are pulled by machines to transport equipment on hunting
trips, or people when traveling to other places. When the snow has melted,
four-wheelers (all called "Hondas" regardless of the actual
manufacturer) are used to go "out on land," which means outside the
confines of town.
With temperatures sticking around minus thirty Celsius for months on end, it's
often uncomfortable, if not dangerous, for people to walk around town even if it
is a small place. Taxis are used in this case, or when people have groceries and
other things to carry. John, the taxi owner, is also there to take people to and
from the airport when flights arrive. This particular vehicle is one I actually
drove for a day. In a mere handful of hours I was able to get it stuck in the
snow four times and wedge it sideways in drifts lining the road to the airport.
