Clyde River, Nunavut

This article is about the settlement. For the river, see Clyde River (Baffin Island). For other places, see Clyde River.
Clyde River
ᑲᖏᖅᑐᒑᐱᒃ
Kangiqtugaapik
Hamlet

Clyde River 1997

Seal
Clyde River
Coordinates: 70°28′26″N 068°35′10″W / 70.47389°N 68.58611°W / 70.47389; -68.58611Coordinates: 70°28′26″N 068°35′10″W / 70.47389°N 68.58611°W / 70.47389; -68.58611
Country Canada
Territory Nunavut
Region Qikiqtaaluk Region
Electoral district Uqqummiut
Government[1][2]
  Mayor Jerry Natanine
  MLA Pauloosie Keyootak
Area[3]
  Land 106.55 km2 (41.14 sq mi)
Elevation[4] 27 m (89 ft)
Population (2011)[3]
  Total 934
  Density 8.8/km2 (23/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Canadian Postal code X0A 0E0
Area code(s) 867

Clyde River (Inuktitut: Kanngiqtugaapik, Syllabics: ᑲᖏᖅᑐᒑᐱᒃ) is an Inuit hamlet located on the shore of Baffin Island's Patricia Bay, off Clyde Inlet,[5] an arm of Davis Strait in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, of Nunavut Canada. It lies in the Baffin Mountains which in turn form part of the Arctic Cordillera mountain range. The community is served by air and by annual supply sealift.

The community is served by Quluaq School, the Northern Stores, an arena, a community hall, an Anglican church (the Church of the Redeemer,[6]) a health centre, hotel and Clyde River Airport with regular flights to Iqaluit and Pond Inlet.

Demographics

Beached komatiks at Clyde River.

At the 2011 census the population was 934, an increase of 13.9% from the 2006 census.[3] About half of the people here are under the age of 18 and the population is growing rapidly. According to current figures from the Hamlet office, the population stands at 1 061.

Geography

It is located on a flood plain, surrounded by spectacular fiords that stretch all the way into the Barnes Icecap. The mountains, icebergs and glaciers in the Clyde River area attract rock and ice climbers from around the world.

There is also a multitude of animals to be seen, including barren-ground caribou, narwhals, polar bears and other sea mammals. The proposed "Igaliqtuuq National Wildlife Area", which would be a protected bowhead whale sanctuary, is located in Isabella Bay.

Clyde River is home to Piqqusilirivvik, Nunavut's Inuit Cultural Learning Centre. Piqqusilirivvik opened its doors May 2011.

Supreme Court Case

On June 26, 2014 the National Energy Board (NEB) approved the 5-year plan to conduct seismic blasting off the coast of Baffin Island, Nunavut, jointly submitted by TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA (TGS), Petroleum GeoServices (PGS) and Multi Klient Invest AS (MKI).[7] The approval sparked strong criticism from Inuit including the communities of Clyde River and Pond Inlet, the Arctic Fishery Alliance, the Baffin Fisheries Coalition and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.[8] Okalik Eegeesiak, then-president of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association said “They still don't get the fact that Inuit have concerns and we want to be part of the process,”[9] while Inuit photographer and Clyde River resident Niore Iqalukjuak was quoted saying “We depend on these waters for food and the very existence of Inuit life depend on them...We fear that what the Conservative government is doing is a cultural genocide and will end the Inuit way of life as we know it”[10] and Clyde River Mayor Jerry Natanine commented “Nobody cares for our concerns...And our Minister [of the Environment] in Ottawa, Leona Aglukkaq, not speaking up against this for Inuit is very wrong.”[11]

Mayor Natanine approached the environmental organization Greenpeace Canada in hopes that they could work together to prevent seismic blasting operations from taking place.[12] This led to the development of a collaboration many dubbed “surprising” due to the long history of Inuit distrust of Greenpeace and other environmental groups.[13]

On July 23, 2014, the community of Clyde River staged a protest against the NEB’s approval,[14] and on July 28 the Hamlet of Clyde River, the Nammautaq Hunters and Trappers Organization of Clyde River, and Clyde River Mayor Jerry Natanine filed a request for a judicial review at Federal Court of Appeal. The legal case argues that the NEB’s decision goes against the government of Canada’s duty to consult with Indigenous Peoples under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Speaking of the importance of the case, constitutional lawyer Nader Hasan, who is representing Clyde River, argued: “The federal government has a solemn constitutional obligation to meaningfully consult and accommodate the people of Nunavut on any issues affecting their Aboriginal or treaty rights. That didn’t happen here. Once again, the NEB was a rubber stamp for the energy industry.”[15]

The Court of Appeal denied the request in August 2015. But the groups requested leave to appeal before the Supreme Court of Canada in October 2015, arguing that the Court of Appeal’s decision was mistaken, and that the case is of national importance, thus needing further debate.[16] In November of the same year Greenpeace launched an international petition that has gathered over 129,000 signatures (as of July 2016)[17] in support of this legal challenge.

On March 10, 2016 the Supreme Court of Canada granted Clyde River leave to appeal their case at the country’s highest court,[18] giving credence to the community’s claim that their case is significant, thus needing further review by the courts. The hearing of the case has been scheduled for November 20, 2016.

Climate

Climate data for Clyde River Airport, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1933–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 3.3
(37.9)
3.3
(37.9)
0.1
(32.2)
11.7
(53.1)
8.9
(48)
17.8
(64)
22.2
(72)
20.6
(69.1)
14.6
(58.3)
10.3
(50.5)
6.7
(44.1)
2.8
(37)
22.2
(72)
Average high °C (°F) −25.2
(−13.4)
−25.7
(−14.3)
−22.6
(−8.7)
−14.1
(6.6)
−4.2
(24.4)
3.9
(39)
8.8
(47.8)
7.3
(45.1)
2.8
(37)
−3.8
(25.2)
−13.4
(7.9)
−20.1
(−4.2)
−8.9
(16)
Daily mean °C (°F) −29.1
(−20.4)
−29.9
(−21.8)
−27.2
(−17)
−19.1
(−2.4)
−8.2
(17.2)
1.0
(33.8)
5.0
(41)
4.3
(39.7)
0.5
(32.9)
−7.0
(19.4)
−17.2
(1)
−24.1
(−11.4)
−12.6
(9.3)
Average low °C (°F) −33.0
(−27.4)
−33.8
(−28.8)
−31.7
(−25.1)
−24.0
(−11.2)
−12.2
(10)
−1.8
(28.8)
1.2
(34.2)
1.1
(34)
−1.9
(28.6)
−10.1
(13.8)
−20.8
(−5.4)
−27.9
(−18.2)
−16.2
(2.8)
Record low °C (°F) −50.2
(−58.4)
−50.1
(−58.2)
−47.8
(−54)
−41.1
(−42)
−31.1
(−24)
−17.2
(1)
−6.8
(19.8)
−5.6
(21.9)
−16.1
(3)
−28.7
(−19.7)
−39.5
(−39.1)
−45.0
(−49)
−50.2
(−58.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 8.8
(0.346)
6.3
(0.248)
7.4
(0.291)
15.6
(0.614)
17.7
(0.697)
16.5
(0.65)
22.3
(0.878)
31.4
(1.236)
33.0
(1.299)
37.7
(1.484)
22.9
(0.902)
13.5
(0.531)
233.0
(9.173)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.5
(0.02)
5.6
(0.22)
14.5
(0.571)
32.2
(1.268)
10.2
(0.402)
0.3
(0.012)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
63.3
(2.492)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 10.6
(4.17)
8.7
(3.43)
8.4
(3.31)
12.7
(5)
16.5
(6.5)
12.5
(4.92)
6.6
(2.6)
5.2
(2.05)
27.7
(10.91)
40.4
(15.91)
28.2
(11.1)
17.2
(6.77)
194.7
(76.65)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 7.1 6.3 6.6 8.5 10.3 6.9 7.6 10.6 14.0 16.7 11.6 8.1 114.4
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 1.6 6.6 9.1 3.8 0.3 0.1 0.0 21.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 7.3 6.6 6.8 8.7 10.5 5.6 2.4 3.3 12.0 17.0 11.8 8.4 100.3
Average relative humidity (%) 65.1 63.6 63.6 71.2 81.1 83.5 78.5 80.1 80.8 81.6 74.8 67.5 74.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours 0.0 56.1 175.6 253.3 264.1 273.4 279.0 161.6 83.9 45.5 0.0 0.0 1,592.5
Percent possible sunshine 0.0 28.6 48.8 51.8 37.9 38.0 37.6 28.0 20.7 16.4 0.0 0.0 34.2
Source: Environment Canada[19] (temperatures, rain and snow),[20] (1971–2000 normals for precipitation, average precipitation, humidity and sun)[21]

Gallery

Brand new cultural centre 
Hamlet offices 
Another shot of Clyde River 
Rock with welcome sign on it 

See also

References

  1. Nunavummiut elect new municipal leaders
  2. Nunavut recounts produce one winner and one intractable deadlock
  3. 1 2 3 Clyde River, HAM Nunavut (Census subdivision)
  4. Elevation at airport. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 15 September 2016 to 0901Z 10 November 2016
  5. "Nunavut Communities". 2007 Western Premiers' Conference. gov.nu.ca. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  6. Clyde River
  7. "National Energy Board Letter Authorizing Seismic Tests". National Energy Board. neb-one.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  8. "Baffin communities condemn seismic test plan". Nunatsiaq News. nunatsiaq.com. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
  9. "Ottawa greenlights Arctic offshore seismic tests over Inuit objections". CBC News. cbc.ca/news. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
  10. "Greenpeace, Inuit come together to fight Arctic seismic testing for oil and gas". The Globe and Mail. theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  11. "Nunavut Inuit furious over seismic testing decision". CBC News. cbc.ca/news. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  12. "Seismic testing - Not now. But soon?". Arctic Journal. arcticjournal.com. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  13. "Clyde River hunters laud 'surprising' Greenpeace partnership". CBC News. cbc.ca/news. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
  14. "Frustrated Nunavut protesters look to federal MP for support". Nunatsiaq News. nunatsiaqonline.ca. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
  15. "Clyde River groups challenge Nunavut seismic testing in court". Nunatsiaq News. nunatsiaqonline.ca. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  16. "Clyde River wants Supreme Court to weigh in on seismic testing". CBC News. cbc.ca/news. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  17. "Save the Arctic Clyde River Petition". Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  18. "Canada's Supreme Court agrees to hear Arctic seismic testing case opposed by Inuit". Radio Canada International. rcinet.ca. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  19. "Canadian Climate Data". Environment Canada. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  20. "Clyde River A" (CSV (4222 KB)). Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Climate ID: 2400800. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
  21. "Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000". Environment Canada. Retrieved 2013-11-27.

Further reading

  • Gearheard S, W Matumeak, I Angutikjuaq, J Maslanik, HP Huntington, J Leavitt, DM Kagak, G Tigullaraq, and RG Barry. 2006. ""It's Not That Simple": A Collaborative Comparison of Sea Ice Environments, Their Uses, Observed Changes, and Adaptations in Barrow, Alaska, USA, and Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada". Ambio. 35, no. 4: 203-11.
  • Igutaq Group Clyde River. Igutaq Group Clyde River Prints/Estampes, 1981. Ottawa: Igutaq Group, 1981. ISBN 0-920234-47-X
  • Nickels, Scot. Northern Conservation and Tourism The Perceptions of Clyde River Inuit. Ottawa: National Library of Canada, 1992. ISBN 0-315-80424-6
  • Sekerak, A. D. A Community Plan to Increase Fish Populations Near Clyde River, N.W.T. [Yellowknife, N.W.T.]: The Dept, 1991.

External links

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