A polar bear rummages through Paul Etungat’s garbage bin in Kinngait on Nov. 4. Etungat said his mother was smoking outside just before the bear appeared at 6 a.m. They heard noises coming from the bin, then Etungat used an air horn to scare the animal away. (Photo by Paul Etungat)
Dinner guests dance while Qimitjuit, a band from Inukjuak, performs during the Aqsarniit Trade Show and Conference gala Thursday night in Ottawa. The band’s four members — from left, singer and guitarist Charlie Iqaluk, drummer Eric Atagotaaluk, keyboardist Paulosie Kasudluak, and bassist Jobie Oweetaluktuk — have been playing together for 35 years and have built a following across Inuit Nunangat. The dinner marked the end of the four-day trade show and conference organized by the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce and Makivvik Corp. (Photo by Corey Larocque)
Dozens of people visit the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre in Iqaluit Feb. 14 for the launch of a photo and video exhibition about food sovereignty. The exhibit includes photos of country food captured by hunters and youth in Kinngait and Pond Inlet as part of a three-year research project on food sovereignty in Nunavut. Dozens of people visited the exhibit throughout the evening with country food provided to them. The food centre will host the installation until September. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
The Canadian flag flies above the federal building in Iqaluit on Friday. Although Saturday is National Flag of Canada Day, few Iqaluit businesses or residences had flags displayed prominently Friday. Flags also didn’t appear to be offered for sale at grocery stores. In a joint statement this week, Canada’s five surviving former prime ministers — Joe Clark, Kim Campbell, Jean Chretien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper — urged Canadians to fly the flag on Saturday in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats against Canadian sovereignty. (Photo by Daron Letts)
The under-18 boys’ soccer team scrimmages Saturday in the Inuksuk High School gym for Soccer Day in Iqaluit. The event attracted dozens of young athletes eager for skill-challenging drills, games and lots of pizza. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Colton Whalen, 7, runs a drill during his first-ever curling lesson with instructor Sadie Pinksen. He’s taking part in the Little Rocks program, hosted Monday nights by the Iqaluit Curling Club for children aged six to 12. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Sukhpaul Garcha holds six-week-old Hera in Iqaluit. The newly adopted puppy and her brother, Apollo, got vaccinated at the Nunavut Animal Rescue clinic held at Joamie School on Saturday. A four-member volunteer team from Wellington Veterinary Hospital in Toronto vaccinated approximately 125 dogs for rabies, parvovirus and distemper over the weekend. The next vet clinic is planned for March, said Samantha Oldham, executive director of Nunavut Animal Rescue. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Teachers in Umiujaq picket in front of the school on Jan. 17. Nunavik teachers entered their third day of a four-day strike on Monday. The strike is set to end Tuesday at 11 a.m. The Kativik Ilisarniliriniq school board said last week that schools in the region’s 14 communities are closed during the strike. The teachers have worked without a new contract since May 2023. (Photo by Malaya Qaunirq Chapman, special to Nunatsiaq News)
Siblings April, Viola, and Nate Fredlund, enjoy a swing at the Nakasuk School playground shortly after sunset on Sunday afternoon, with parents Brianna Eetuk and Nathaniel Fredlund. The family moved to Iqaluit from Rankin Inlet last month. It is dark by late afternoon in the city, but the days are getting longer now that the Dec. 21 winter solstice has passed. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Canadian North’s Amazon Hub team takes a breather Saturday after handling the lingering holiday rush of packages made busier by the Canada Post strike that lasted from Nov. 15 to Dec. 17. Last week, the Iqaluit crew processed 18 flats of parcels — so many, they issued a social media call-out for people to pick up their packages to clear warehouse space. From left are Donald Lyttle, Brad Mackay, Gerard MacDougall, Eduardo Trujillo, Mark Layman, Tajah Pruitt, Rob Rivet, Ammar Hassan, and Shaun Bond, 5, son of off-duty worker Jason Bond. (Photo by Daron Letts)
People gathered at the Arctic Winter Games arena Wednesday for a night of free skating. More than 50 people turned out to lace up their skates including, from left, Martha Mitsima, 11, Tatiana Sheutiapik, 10, Braelyn Lewis, 10, Kaniq Allerton, 16, Beatrice Allerton, 12, and Leah Allen, 12. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Callan Fischer, 3, skates with her dad, Brady Fischer, on Dec. 8 at the Arctic Winter Games arena in Iqaluit. They were participating in CanSkate lessons which are held Sunday afternoons. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Instructor Adam Kudlak, left, and John Haniliak participate in a traditional bow-making workshop Monday in Cambridge Bay. Kudlak and fellow instructor Charlie Ikkutisluk led the workshop, offered through the Kitikmeot Heritage Society. The society is also known as Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq, or PI, which in Inuinnaqtun means “learning through culture.” (Photo courtesy of Eva Omilgoetok)
Eliyah Qaqasiq, 6, gets air on a jump on the hill leading to the Nakasuk School grounds earlier this week. He was sliding with his brother Nathan Qaqasiq, 5, and his grandmother, Rhoda Pudloo. “It’s lots of fun,” said Pudloo. “Even the adults love it.” (Photo by Daron Letts)
Volunteer firefighter Isaiah McKeown-Philip, left, and Capt. Sol Tagak assist with the Pack the Back donation drive Dec. 7 near Arctic Ventures. The initiative was hosted by the City of Iqaluit in collaboration with the Iqaluit Fire Department and Iqaluit Firefighters’ Association. Residents helped fill the back of an emergency vehicle with new toys, which the city plans to distribute to families in need through local organizations. About 500 toys, clothing and non-perishable food items were collected plus $400 in cash donations, Tagak said. (Photo by Daron Letts)
A detour around the construction zone at the intersection of Queen Elizabeth Way and Sinaa Street in Iqaluit will remain in effect until Dec. 13. City spokesperson Geoffrey Byrne gave the update Wednesday in a news release. The construction, related to sewer installation, was originally expected to be complete by Dec. 1, and then extended to Dec. 6. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Santa Claus, Premier P.J. Akeeagok, a few MLAs and around 300 others came out Thursday evening for a winter lights ceremony in front of the legislative assembly in Iqaluit. The ceremony opened with a speech by Nunavut Commissioner Eva Aariak and carols from the Aqsarniit Middle School choir before trees in front of the assembly were lit up with Christmas lights. The tree lighting ceremony is an annual event with similar ones happening all across Canada. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
David Kunuk of Iqaluit shows off his truck, decorated in a festive fashion Monday. He says he plans to go big with brightly lit decorations at his home as well for the City of Iqaluit’s upcoming annual Holiday Light Contest. Judges will award first, second and third-place prizes for the best-decorated homes or businesses after touring the city on Dec. 11 between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Dimitri Pellerin, 10, mills wood on a table saw with Robert Comeau, a supervisor with the Qajakkut Society, on Dec. 2. Pellerin was part of a twice-weekly drop-in workshop hosted by the society. Funded by the Qikiqtani Inuit Association’s Cultural Activities Program, the workshops offer Inuit of all ages hands-on experience piecing together two varieties of traditional-style kayaks. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Santa Claus visits with children at the Christmas Craft Market organized by Carrefour Nunavut, held Dec. 1 at École des Trois Soleils in Iqaluit. Santa circled the gymnasium several times, ensuring all the children had an opportunity to share a special moment and receive some candy canes. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Completion of sewer installation work at the Queen Elizabeth Way and Sinaa Street intersection in Iqaluit is delayed. The full road closure — which was expected to end Dec. 1 — will instead remain in effect until Dec. 6 and traffic will continue to be rerouted via Palaugaa Drive and Mattaaq Crescent, said city spokesperson Geoff Byrne. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Mary Itorcheak displays fresh Arctic char for sale on Nov. 23 at Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit. Her partner and his friend caught the fish on the Sylvia Grinnell River the day before. She offered her catch as part of a bake sale and rummage sale fundraiser for student leadership programs at the school. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Mosesee Ekao offers Arctic char and various cuts of fresh caribou at his country food stand near St. Jude’s Cathedral on Mattaaq Crescent in Iqaluit. The hunter and entrepreneur sets up his table twice weekly, he said. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Ralph Pichie gets in some cross-country skiing near Niaqunngusiariaq Road in Iqaluit on Nov. 16. He said he anticipated his afternoon ski would stretch four or five kilometres. The ski enthusiast is a member of the Aniirajak Ski and Adventure Club. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Peter Qumaq pauses to pose for a photo as he gathers refundable recycling in Iqaluit during a snowy afternoon on Thursday. He says it takes about three hours to amass a worthwhile number of cans to bring in for a refund. Beer cans net 10 cents per can when redeemed at Northern Collectibles on Ulu Lane. (Photo by Daron Letts)
