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)
Galaxy Cat, or John Manzo, seen here behind a portion of his $20,000 DJ roost, is set to host his fifth silent disco dance party at Iqaluit’s Franco Centre on Sept. 26. (Photo courtesy of John Manzo)
Artist Haiga Ashoona sews her felt art designs in the lobby of the Nunavut Trade Show in Iqaluit on Thursday. She is the granddaughter of the late renowned Kinngait sewer and drawer Pitseolak Ashoona. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Taloyoak hunter Justin Aqqaq shows off a grizzly bear he caught in late August. He was hunting at a site known as Aqviqtunnuaq, which is located approximately 360 km north of his community — the northernmost on Canada’s mainland. (Photo courtesy of Justin Aqqaq)
Adam Nauya hauls a caribou he caught 50 kilometres south of Puvirnituq on Sept. 5. The meat was shared with others in the community. Nauya, originally from Ivujivik, hunts almost every day, said his uncle Joshua Tarriasuk. (Photo courtesy of Joshua Tarriasuk)
Workers install a section of Iqaluit’s water and sewer main line at the intersection of Atungauyait Drive and Paunna Road on Saturday. Pauna Road remains open to single-lane traffic, while Atungauyait Drive is scheduled to remain closed until Sept. 27, announced city spokesperson Geoff Byrne in a news release over the weekend. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Jonathan Agligoetok controls traffic as a crew works along the road to Apex shortly after daybreak on Saturday. This summer’s Niaqunngusiariaq Road repaving project is complete, said City of Iqaluit spokesperson Geoff Byrne. Crews were patching up the road over the weekend after completing an installation near Tuktu Road, he said. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Galaxy Cat Entertainment instructor John Manzo, left, and dance club member Assol Kubeisinova promote their next Silent Disco event, planned for Sept. 26 at the Franco Centre. Silent Disco is a dance party where the music is pumped through headphones instead of speakers, so participants have control over the music. The pair were part of the mass registration event at the Iqaluit Curling Club on Saturday, which had 34 organizations participate. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Tara Nutaralak, left, and her partner Tagaaq Saila sell berries in the foyer of Iqaluit’s Arctic Ventures on Sunday evening. The couple picked 17 bags “over the mountain” in Apex. (Photo by Daron Letts)
The work of Puvirnituq artist Juanisialuk Irqumia shines on the facade of Iqaluit’s Northmart. The piece, titled “Hunting Walrus by Kayak,” was installed Aug. 25. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Friends Cameron Sharpe, left, and Caiden Joamie display their catch of Arctic char on Sylvia Grinnell River, near Iqaluit, on Saturday morning. The fish were so bountiful, the teens said, that they snagged them with a jerk of the line without waiting for a bite. (Photo by Daron Letts)
An iceberg the size of a two-car garage is beached about 500 metres from shore between Apex and Iqaluit. Cousins Viivi Morrison-Mike, left, Harper Strutz, and Laivi Morrison-Mike collected tubs of drinking water from the ice Saturday because “it tastes good,” they said. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Sukha Panesar, 2, holds still like a tiger stalking prey as facepainter Melissa Bascunan blackens his nose during a barbecue Saturday at Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park. Hundreds of people took part in the event, hosted by the Northern Territories Federation of Labour and the Nunavut Employees Union. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Amare Castillo defends against Aaron Lewis, who looks for an open receiver downfield during the Thursday night Ultimate Frisbee League game at Iqaluit’s Arctic Winter Games Arena. This is the first year the league is free to join thanks to a $5,000 grant from CUSO International, a non-profit focused on creating equity. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Ronan Carlson, 11, makes a move against his chess opponent and younger brother, Gavin Carlson, 8, at Iqaluit’s Black Heart Café early on Thursday morning. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Kylie Curry, principal of Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik school in Rankin Inlet, re-enacts the countdown that kicked off a scavenger hunt involving 70 local teachers on Friday. All three of the hamlet’s schools are fully staffed, Curry said. The scavenger hunt was a team-building exercise to welcome six new teachers to the community. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Joseph Pameolik kicks a soccer ball Friday, as his mom, Katrina Pameolik, protects the net on the Leo Ussak Elementary School soccer field in Rankin Inlet. The seven-year-old did not score many goals because his mom has goalie experience from playing soccer when she was around his age. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Community instructor Kevin Naitok carries the front of a kayak as Victor Sammurtok School students Ryder Simik, Brian Mullins and Keagan Aggark follow behind. The Chesterfield Inlet students were learning to kayak on Police Lake in the hamlet on Thursday. The kayak program runs through August. (Photo by Daron Letts)
The National Geographic Explorer, operated by Lindblad Maritime Enterprises, sits anchored Monday in Iqaluit’s Koojesse Inlet. The ship carries passengers on an expedition called Baffin Island: Exploring Canada’s Wild Arctic Frontier. The trip begins and ends in Reykjavik, Iceland, according to the company’s website, with cabin costs starting at US$14,900 per person. In the foreground is MV Mitiq, a cargo ship operated by NEAS. (Photo by Mosha Folger)
Troy Innuksuk of Rankin Inlet, left, beats Russell Suluk of Arviat in the senior men’s hand pull event during the Kivalliq Summer Games in Chesterfield Inlet on Friday evening. Mark Amarok of Chesterfield Inlet officiates. The Games continue through Sunday in the community hall. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Kevin Kolola zips by during a bike rodeo in Rankin Inlet on Wednesday. The 10-year-old was among 60 young cyclists who participated in the event, during which children rolled through an obstacle course and learned about bike safety. It was hosted by the hamlet, fire department, RCMP and Government of Nunavut. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Players with the Iqaluit Youth Recreation Softball League christen the city’s new-look ball field Tuesday. Parents, fans and several city employees, including firefighters and emergency medical technicians, joined to celebrate the upgraded diamond. The field was originally scheduled to reopen on Aug. 10, the city’s communications manager Geoff Byrne said in a news release, but crews were delayed by high winds over the weekend. (Photo by Mosha Folger)
Martin Kreelak spearfishes from the shore of Prince River just outside Baker Lake on Friday. A light rain fell as he caught a lake trout. Other days he catches Arctic char as well, he said. (Photo courtesy of Mary Kreelak)
Veterinary assistant Erin Pybus welcomes a dog named Cindy Crawford to the vaccination clinic at Joamie School on Saturday afternoon. A four-person team from Ottawa’s Capital City Specialty and Emergency Animal Hospital vaccinated 74 dogs and 10 cats for rabies and distemper throughout the day. The event was organized by Nunavut Animal Rescue and the Iqaluit Animal Hospital. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Eight-year-old Ashynn Rose Alareak picks blueberries approximately 35 kilometres inland from Arviat on Sunday. Alareak is enjoying the berries with bannock this week, said her mom, Lizzie Alareak. (Photo courtesy of Lizzie Alareak)
