Bad weather means days of delays for flights south

SARAH ROGERS

KANGIQSUJUAQ — Teachers in some Nunavik communities got a warmer-than-usual welcome from family and friends when they finally arrived south for the holidays.

That’s because heavy fog and freezing rain between Dec. 18 and Dec. 22 meant planes were unable to land in a handful of communities, for as long as four days in one village.

Unseasonably high temperatures reaching 0 C across the region’s northwest created weather conditions that kept dozens of holiday season travellers grounded and unsure when they’d be leaving.

“When you’re waiting to fly out, the big issue is that you can’t do anything else,” said Nelson Lamoureux, principal at Quaptaq’s Isummasaqvik school. “You have to be at home waiting. You can’t start any projects.”

Isummasaqvik staff were to fly south on Dec. 18, right when a heavy fog moved in. Teachers waited three more days until the weather had cleared long enough for their charter to land and pick them up.

Someone from Air Inuit could not be reached for comment, but Lamoureux said in his 10 years working in Nunavik, he’s never experienced or heard of delays so lengthy.

Frustration grew and peaked on the 20th he said, when a regularly scheduled flight managed to land in Quaqtaq during a brief lull in the freezing drizzle – but not long enough for the charter to arrive.

“Some of the teachers had tears in their eyes,” he said. “It was very, very frustrating. Everyone was so anxious to get home and see their families and you just feel like you have no control.”

School staff in Kangiqsujuaq had the longest wait for their chartered flight to arrive – four days – while regularly-scheduled flights could not touch down in the community for five days.

Teacher David Benoit said the disappointment and anxiety among teachers was clear while daily hopes of flying out became clouded over.

“You couldn’t even leave the house for very long,” Benoit said. “You’d have to call a neighbour to let them know you were going to the store to get groceries. Four days of that is tough.”

Teachers travelling beyond Montreal had the added challenge of re-booking connecting flights on a daily – sometimes hourly – basis.

On Dec. 22, skies cleared just long enough for a charter to land, board and take off again, which Benoit described as an “extraordinary relief.”

While it was a lot of trouble for a lot of people, he said the school board did their best to get staff home.

Arsaniq school in Kangiqsujuaq also planned to resume some classes later in the week (Jan.7) to allow teachers a few extra days to return north.

Hudson Bay communities had better luck. Iguarsivik school principal Judy Renaud said Puvirnituq’s teachers flew both ways over the holidays without any hold-ups.

“We were fortunate,” Renaud said. “It’s hard – especially for first-year teachers, who are so eager to touch base with their families.”