Laying the groundwork for beauty

MIRIAM HILL

IQALUIT — “See how there’s a pocket there?”

Mary Crnkovich pushes a long metal tool in between flagstones just laid out in front of Iqaluit’s elders’ centre.

The sand collapses in on itself, leaving a hole between the rocks. She kneels on a blue foam pad and shows how the sand hasn’t been pushed tightly enough between the stones.

“You just need to pack it back in there,” she says, blowing strands of long grey hair from her face.

It’s Crnkovich’s last full day in Iqaluit. The Iqaluit Beautification Society flew her up here to help finish a landscaping project at the centre that they started two years ago.

Leena Evic says the beautification society was formed about three years ago by a small group who felt something had to be done about the lack of greenery in the city.

“We decided to do a section of the town that might have most benefit to people, so we decided we’d do something for the elders,” she says. The project began two years ago with construction of a small bridge and part of a flagstone patio.

“Last year we had a hard time getting funding and people with the skills, and the weather was not very cooperative, so we didn’t do much,” she says.

Now there are two low stone walls edging the project, and two patios adorned with carvings donated by the Nunavut Arts Association.

Arviat’s Lucy Tutsuitok made the carving farthest from the Ring Road. Her 14-year-old grandson, Billy Kritaqliluk, also from Arviat, created the other.

People may sit on one of the benches, donated by the Rotary Club of Iqaluit, enjoy the landscaping, and watch the world go by.

Evic says two years ago they brought in two stone masons to train volunteers. One of them was Crnkovich.

Evic says she hopes the project will be finished this year, but poor weather and low volunteer turnout have delayed it. Today, only two volunteers showed up.

“I’ve been sort of disappointed with the people I’ve asked to volunteer. They’re just not interested. I can understand that, but I’ve also offered to pay minimum wage… It’s very hard to get the commitment from some people on a regular basis,” she says.

Funding for the project has come from the city, and from R.L. Hanson Construction and Baffin Building Supplies. Volunteer stone pickers and wall builders — including Aaju Peter, Kakki Peter, Peggy Seale, Jim Tagler and Gavin Nesbitt — were essential for this year’s work, as were other members of the society.

Iqaluit is famous for being dusty and trash-covered, but the beautification society’s work is proof that changes can be made.

“We have really wanted to do more … but it’s very hard without funding to do good projects like this,” Evic says. “We need to make the whole town attractive. I see quite a lot of homes with landscaping outside so that’s a very positive thing.”

The society also wants to transplant tundra plants to the site, but that will take more planning and time, she says.

Evic says $10,000-$15,000 would go a long way, and she says the society is working on ways to raise money to beautify more sites.

Crnkovich, who patiently shows volunteers the best way to remove stubborn stones, and the right way to build a rock wall with no mortar, spent time working as a lawyer before she took up stone masonry full-time.

“I’m committed to the project because I think it’s a neat community project and people can take away from here skills that are very employable everywhere,” she says. “You’ve got so much stone here.”

Rain clouds threaten to unleash their contents on the elders’ centre site, so today’s volunteers decide to take a much-earned coffee break before digging in for the rest of the day’s work.