Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

IKPIARJUK/ARCTIC BAY - Weeks of poor weather have kept planes from landing at the Nanisivik airstrip, taking its toll on Arctic Bay's food supply.

"We are out of produce, dairy, frozen meat, frozen veggies, frozen juice, frozen ice cream, cigarettes, pop, and some of the items that people usually buy like detergents, toilet paper, cereal, chocolate bars and gum," said Hannah Aola, who was in charge at the Taqqut Co-op store while the manager was out of town. "We're out of anything and everything.

"People are starving for frozen meat and veggies and produce," Aola added. "It's not fun."

According to Aola, it has been weeks since the store received new supplies. With the weather improving last Monday, she hoped some planes would get in.

The community has endured fog and perpetual rain and strong winds over that time.

"Both stores, the Taqqut Co-op and the Northern store, have been struggling to get most of the supplies that are necessary for the community," said Levi Barnabas, MLA for Quttiktuq. "A lot of people have noticed supplies are low."

Aola said the sealift was supposed to come in sometime last week, but it was pushed to the end of the month, further delaying supplies to the community.

Last Monday, Barnabas said one plane had landed in the community the week prior.

He said fresh foods, such as vegetables, fruits, meat and dairy, all need to be flown into the community.

"Most of the foods are flown in," he said. "I know dry goods are being shipped and some of the things that won't spoil."

Chris Ferris, spokesperson for First Air, said between Aug. 10 and 18 only two flights got into Nanisivik, which connects to Arctic Bay by road.

Low cloud ceilings, fog and rain in Nanisivik prevented planes from getting in and affected runway conditions.

"Extended levels of precipitation caused the runway to go soft," said Ferris.

Between Aug. 10 and 15, First Air had planned 15 flights to get in and relieve the area, but said none of them were able to.

Arctic Bay, through Nanisivik, typically gets five flights from the company a week.

A Boeing 737 departed Iqaluit for Nanisivik last Tuesday with 20,000 pounds of freight, including food.Extra aircraft are being dispatched to restock Arctic Bay and other Baffin communities that have felt the effects of poor weather, including Iglulik and Pond Inlet.

"This summer has been particularly bad in Baffin," said Ferris of flight weather conditions.

"To compound our efforts, our fuel supplies ran dry in Iglulik a couple days ago," said Ferris, on Tuesday.

The current airstrip, said Barnabas, sits at around 1,200 feet above sea level.

"When there are clouds in that area, the visibility is no good," he said.

There is hope on the horizon for Arctic Bay, however, as Barnabas said there is work being conducted on a new strip, which he hoped would be completed by 2011.

"Since this (new airstrip will be) at a lower sea level, I presume we will have a better chance of flying in here. Because when the clouds are touching the higher mountains, we usually have better weather here," he said.

The regional manager of the Northern Store did not return inquiries from Nunavut News/North.