Iqaluit embraces life with brisk September dip into Frobisher Bay
Isaksimagit Inuusirmi Katujjiqatigiit Embrace Life Council attracts about 90 people for inaugural event
A team from Iqaluit’s RCMP detachment prepares to jump into Frobisher Bay on Sept. 17 as part of a polar dip organized by Embrace Life Council. (Photo by Lilli Akpaleeapik)
Turns out, people in Iqaluit love to take a polar dip for a good cause.
About 90 people gathered at Apex beach Sept. 17 to jump into icy Frobisher Bay to raise awareness for suicide prevention.
The high was approximately 5 C.
For one week every September, Isaksimagit Inuusirmi Katujjiqatigiit Embrace Life Council hosts free events focused on healing, connection, resilience and suicide prevention to recognize Embrace Life Week.
This year’s programming started Sept. 10, to mark World Suicide Prevention Day, and ended for the first time with a polar dip, a change from the organization’s usual walk.
The idea was inspired by a polar dip event in Montreal for suicide prevention that Cpl. JP DuPont, a member of the Nunavut RCMP First Nations and Inuit Policing Program attended a couple years ago, said Tooma Laisa, spokesperson for Nunavut’s Embrace Life Council.
“He thought it would be a great idea to bring this to Nunavut, and he connected with the Embrace Life Council earlier in the year, and we went along with it,” she said.
The organization was aiming for at least 50 registrations but landed 90, said Laisa.
The dip opened with a qulliq lighting ceremony and prayer provided by elders Lucassie Ikkidluak and Beatrice Ikkidluak. It was followed by remarks from the Nunavut RCMP and DuPont.
Then organizers called team names to signal that it was their turn to run into the water. Once finished, Embrace Life had a warming tent set up, along with coffee, tea and beef stew.
The elders mentioned that “although the polar dip is not common practice within Inuit culture, sometimes we have to find different ways outside of what we know to provide support and community,” Laisa said.
The first team to jump into the ice cold Frobisher Bay was the Iqaluit Fire Department. Other teams were made up of family members, co-workers and strangers who were meeting for the first time.
“I think this may be our annual main event for Embrace Life Week, if that’s the way the community would like to see it,” Laisa said.
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