Rangers, military stake their cold claim on Ellesmere Island

EUREKA – Gideon Taqaogak, 56, of Igloolik has two patches of frostbite, each the size of a loonie, on his cheeks.

The one on his left cheek he got while hunting. The other he got while making a point: that Ellesmere Island is part of Canada.

He's one of a dozen Canadian Rangers, joined by four regular forces troops, waiting out fierce winds and blowing snow at the Eureka weather station, where the temperature is -48C this Saturday, March 31, but far colder when you consider the 80 km/hr winds – never mind the additional chill from riding a snowmobile without a helmet to protect your face, as he does.

This is Operation Nunalivut, phase two, a $1 million flag-waving exercise meant to boost Canada's claim to Arctic sovereignty, which began when these troops left Resolute Bay on March 23 to reach here,

80 degrees N. latitude, on Ellesmere's western coast.

When the weather settles, they plan to split into two groups. One will head north along the island's western coast – a route the military believes hasn't been traversed since the days of Robert Peary. The other will head over land. Both plan to meet up at the Alert listening post at the northern end of Ellesmere.

Along the way, at Ward Hunt Island on Ellesmere's northern tip, the troops plan to plant a special Canadian flag, made of metal.

A third group of eight also left Resolute Bay along Ellesmere's east coast, bound for Alexandra Fiord. This group, joined by an RCMP officer, is to look for Greenland hunters, who may hunt polar bears in the area.

Apparently, if they do encounter Greenlanders, the officer will ask to see some ID, and perhaps write up a ticket. At the very least, the hunters would be given a warning.

Ironically, when the RCMP originally set up the cabin, they depended on Inuit from Greenland to help them.

And Greenlandic Inuit are believed to have hunted in the area for millennia, which is a far older claim to the area than Canada can muster. Canadian Inuit have only lived in the High Arctic for about 50 years, when their government forcibly relocated them from Pond Inlet and Northern Quebec to Resolute and Grise Fiord.

But when this is raised with military staff, they point out they're simply soldiers following orders.

"That's a question to be put to (the department of) Foreign Affairs," says Sgt. Peter Moon, a spokesperson for the military.

The patrols have faced their share of obstacles. So far, they've destroyed two of their brand-new Skidoos and demolished a qamotik.

"We were sucked in by a river bed," explained Major Chris Bergeron.

Then they found their course blocked by boulders, which they needed to haul their machines and gear over using ropes. While doing this they managed to puncture the gear casing of one machine.

Thankfully, the Rangers demonstrated their resourcefulness by patching the machine up, using bits of rubber track. Rangers such as Taqaogak are the reason such an operation is possible, Bergerson says.

At points of their trip, blowing snow has limited visibility to just a few metres, leaving the men to depend on GPS and satellite maps as they plowed forward.

On Saturday, the soldiers cancelled plans to push north that afternoon due to the weather. "It's too difficult, for the men and the machines," Bergeron said.

But the weather doesn't bother Taqaogak so much as the lack of caribou to eat. The patrols haven't seen many animals, although a polar bear did creep near their tents one evening.

Until the mission ends at Alert, it looks like he'll have to make due with military rations instead.