U.S. consulate makes stop in Inuvik
Unexpected visit saved family thousands on trip south, says one American citizen
William Gordon, left, mother Sandy Gordon and Jennifer Gordon met with staff from the U.S. consulate on Sept. 13 in Inuvik to renew their American passports - a visit Sandy said saved the family thousands of dollars. - Kirsten Fenn/NNSL photo
|
Kirsten Fenn
Northern News Services
Thursday, September 21, 2017
INUVIK
One might wonder how a number of American citizens end up far from home in an Arctic community such as Inuvik.
Nevertheless, many of them are here and staff from the U.S. consulate in Calgary were looking to meet with them recently.
Staff from the consulate visited Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk between Sept. 13 and 15 to help American citizens in the region with everything from routine passport renewals to reports of birth.
In Inuvik, the consulate had 10 appointments with American citizens, said Cesar Soriano, chief of American citizen services.
"I was in Yellowknife last year and suddenly Americans came out of the woodwork - Americans we never knew were around," he said. "We want people to know that . we're here to help Americans."
Sandy Gordon, an American citizen from Pennsylvania whose husband is from Inuvik, moved to town in 2009.
The unexpected visit from the consulate this month saved her thousands of dollars on a trip south to renew her children's passports, she said.
"I emailed them and told them that I couldn't afford the trip to Calgary to the embassy," said Gordon. "I was extremely shocked that they were coming here, but it's made the difference, because otherwise it would be years before I'd be able to renew their passports."
She estimated it would have cost between $6,000 to $8,000 for her family to travel south.
"And that's not something we'd be able to do anytime soon," she said.
Besides making important services accessible to American citizens living in town, the consulate was also here for crisis management purposes.
"That's the main reason why we came up to Inuvik," said Soriano, who explained that involves making contact with local emergency services and government so they know how the consulate can help American citizens in the event of an emergency.
Soriano met with RCMP, the Gwich'in Tribal Council, the mosque, tourism officials and airport staff, he said.
While the consulate can help American citizens with many situations, including injuries, deaths and claims of citizenship, there are some things it cannot do - such as bail someone out of jail.
"That's probably one of the biggest misconceptions that we get," said Soriano.
