Resolute, Nunavut
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Resolute (Inuktitut:Qausuittuq, sometimes Resolute Bay) is a small Inuit hamlet on Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, Canada. It is situated at the northern end of Resolute Bay and the Northwest Passage and is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region. The 2008 Rand McNally Road Atlas shows the Inuit name of Qausuittuq, but the official name remains Resolute.[1]
Resolute is one of Canada's northernmost communities and is second only to Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island (Alert and Eureka are more northerly but are not considered towns - just military outposts and weather stations). It is also one of the coldest inhabited places in the world, with an average yearly temperature of -16.4°C.[2] As of the 2006 census the population was 229, an increase of 6.5% from the 2001 census.[3] Like most northern communities the roads and most of the terrain are all gravel.
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[edit] History
Founded in 1947 as the site of an airfield and weather station, it was named after HMS Resolute. Efforts to assert sovereignty in the Arctic and its abundant wildlife led the federal government to forcibly relocate Inuit from northern Quebec to Resolute. The first group of people were relocated in 1953 from Inukjuak, Quebec, (Port Harrison then) and from Pond Inlet, Nunavut. Having lost most traditional skills and purpose, its Inuit residents are now to a large degree dependent on government support.
On August 8, 2007, CBC News reported that Canadian Forces documents showed plans to build an army training centre in the community along with a $60 million deepwater port at Nanisivik.[4]
On August 10, 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the construction of a pair of multimillion-dollar military facilities within the contested waters of Canada's Arctic territory. The facilities consist of a new army training centre at Resolute, Nunavut and a deep-sea port at Nanisivik. A statement issued by the Prime Minister says, "The Training Centre will be a year-round multi-purpose facility supporting Arctic training and operations, accommodating up to 100 personnel. Training equipment and vehicles stationed at the site will also provide an increased capability and faster response time in support of regional military or civilian emergency operations." [5]
[edit] Facilities
Although not as busy as it once was, Resolute Bay Airport is still the core of the town, serving as an aviation hub for exploration in the region and connected by direct service to Iqaluit and Cambridge Bay. The Tadjaat Co-op runs a grocery and retail store, a hotel, a restaurant, cable TV service, Internet, snowmobile rental, and an airport gift shop.
The town has three hotels - Narwhal Inn, Qausuittuq Inns North and South Camp Inn - which have fewer than 100 rooms each, and several lodges. Other facilities include a Royal Canadian Mounted Police station, a school (which provides education from kindergarten to Grade 12) and a gym.
[edit] Trivia
Resolute is the starting point for both the Polar Race and the Polar Challenge, in which teams race the 350 nautical miles (648 kilometres) to the North Magnetic Pole.
In 2007, the British television team Top Gear embarked from Resolute and became the first team to reach the magnetic north pole on automobiles, with Jeremy Clarkson and James May reaching the Pole in a UK plated 2007 Toyota Hilux 3.0 litre Diesel heavily modified by an Icelandic team on a mixture of diesel and avgas, against Richard Hammond who was being pulled by a team of sled dogs.[6]
[edit] Image gallery
 Resolute Bay, Nunavut, 2002 |
 Resolute at Sundown, 2002 |
 Stone Cairn, 2002 |
 The C.D.Howe that brought the first people to Resolute, 1955 |
 Resolute Area, 2004 |
 Tadjaat Coop Hotel under the midnight sun, July 2004 |
[edit] References
- ^ Government of Nunavut - Communities
- ^ Environment Canada - Canadian Climate Normals
- ^ 2006 census
- ^ Planned army base, port in North heat up Arctic quest
- ^ Prime Minister Announces Expansion of Canadian Forces Facilities amd Operations in the Arctic, Government of Canada news release, 10 Aug 07.
- ^ Top Gear Team in Hot Water Over Pole Race
[edit] Further reading
- Bissett, Don. Resolute, An Area Economic Survey. Ottawa: Industrial Division, Dept. of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, 1968.
- Canadian Ice Service. Present and future sea ice travel: Resolute Maannaujuq ammalu sivuniksattinni sikukkut aullaaqattarniq: Qausuittuq = Déplacements actuels et futurs sur la glace de mer: Resolute. Ottawa: Canadian Ice Service = Service canadien des glaces, 2007. ISBN 9780662498810
- Lahoutifard, Nazafarin, Melissa Sparling, and David Lean. 2005. "Total and Methyl Mercury Patterns in Arctic Snow During Springtime at Resolute, Nunavut, Canada". Atmospheric Environment. 39, no. 39: 7597.
[edit] External links
- Prime Minister announces expansion of Canadian Forces facilities and operations in the Arctic, Government of Canada news release, 10 Aug 07 - Backgrounder: Expanding Canadian Forces Operations in the Arctic, 10 Aug 07.
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