Cindy MacDougall
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 08/99) - Like anyone in a new job, Mary Simon says she is just trying to settle in.

But when that new position is the Canadian ambassadorship to Denmark, settling in can be a bit overwhelming.

"Personally, just the uprooting of your whole life and moving to a new country is a great challenge," Simon, an Inuk woman originally from northern Quebec, said from her new home in Copenhagen, Denmark. "The idea of moving away and not having day-to- day contact with my kids and my grandchildren is hard."

Simon says she's glad for the change, though.

"On the work side, I find it so interesting to be doing work that's just not Arctic-specific," she said.

The Arctic has been Simon's specialty for over 30 years. She worked as an announcer and producer for CBC North, and served on the board of the Northern Quebec Inuit Association and the Makivik Corporation.

In 1994, Simon was appointed ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs, and is the first Inuk to hold ambassadorial rank.

Her new appointment makes her a double ambassador, as she will continue to be Canada's voice in polar issues.

She said the two posts fit together nicely.

"There's a lot of different areas I'll be looking at now, such as trade relations and import and export issues," she said. "But Denmark is also very involved in polar issues, because of Greenland (which is a territory of Denmark)."

She said she is enjoying the Danish countryside and culture.

"Denmark is a very beautiful country. It reminds me a bit of Prince Edward Island, in that, it is flat and surrounded by water," she said.

"It's a very expensive place to live compared to most of Canada," Simon said. "The cost of living is about 50 per cent higher.

"But for a Northerner like myself, I'm used to it. The cost of living is expensive in the North compared to a place like Ottawa."

Simon's settling in will become official sometime in December or January, when she will present her credentials to Denmark's queen, Margrethe II.

"It's a very formal occasion," she said.

Will she wear traditional Inuit clothing to the occasion?

"I haven't decided yet," she said. "I would love to, but I'l have to have something made."

Simon said she and her husband, Whit Fraser, will be moving to the ambassador's official residence soon, and extended a warm welcome to all Northerners.

"I hope lots of Inuit and other Northerners come to visit us," she said.