Jeff Palm: "Biggest challenge is the language barrier."- Christine Kay/NNSL photo

He's been busy since he arrived in the community 10 months ago. Palm and his wife have moved into their new home. They've converted part of it into a temporary wildlife office. Palm expects the new office will be built sometime next year.

He's proud to have reinstated a fur buying program in Sanikiluaq. Palm said this is a good opportunity for the hunters in the community to make extra money.

"I purchase seal, fox and polar bear hides from the community. Once I have them, I wrap them all up and send them to North Bay, Ontario. The big auction house is in North Bay where they sell the furs to people all over the world," said Palm.

He also sells licenses to local hunters.

For Palm, the biggest challenge of living and working in the community is the language barrier. He said trying to communicate with hunters out on the land is very hard. Palm wishes he could have an interpreter by his side all the time, but he knows it can't happen.

Instead, he's learned a few essential Inuktitut phrases.

"Sanikiluaq is a very traditional community, but most people can speak a little bit of English. I can ask people how they are doing and say hello but that's about it," said Palm.

He said he tries to participate in as many community events as possible. He goes to church on Sundays and feasts whenever they are held. He especially loves camping and fishing with community residents.

"Having grown up in Alberta, this is really an interesting place to live," said Palm.

He's getting used to things that come along with living in a Northern community. He said he doesn't have a car, but he's definitely enjoying his snowmobile and all-terrain-vehicle.

He said seeing his first polar bear was pretty exciting. He also knows there aren't too many other places in the world where he can sit along the floe edge and watch a pod of beluga whales swim by.

Palm has shared many of his experiences in Sanikiluaq with friends back in Alberta via e-mail. Last month, Palm went for a visit home with a suitcase full of presents -- mostly carvings. He even brought beluga muktaaq for people to try.

Palm hopes to be in Sanikiluaq for at least five years. His wife is a nurse in charge of home care in the community.