Photo: Blizzard brings Nunavik, Iqaluit to a standstill

A snowmobiler readies his machine Nov. 26 in Kangiqsujualujjuaq, where winds were gusting up to 90 kilometres an hour. Blizzard conditions along Nunavik’s Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay and in South Baffin on Nov. 26 meant many schools and government offices remained closed for the day. In Kuujjuaq, a meeting of the Kativik Regional Government council, its first since the recent election of new municipal leaders, got underway later than scheduled, while in Iqaluit, the Government of Nunavut postponed the opening of the Circumpolar Conference on Education for Indigenous Populations that was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. After opening this morning, schools across Iqaluit shut down and sent students home by bus. “The City of Iqaluit would like to advise residents that there is no water or sewer truck services due to bad weather. The City Hall is also closed until further notice,” a municipal notice said. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please conserve water at this time. Some ways you can conserve water is by taking smaller baths or not at all, take shorter showers, do not use dishwashers.” The Qikiqtani General Hospital remains open for emergency services only. Read Nunatsiaqonline.ca for more about the impact of the stormy weather. (PHOTO BY PASCAL POULIN)