Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Aug 29/01) - It seems like it was just yesterday that we were discussing how to beat the Kivalliq heat. We were taking evening dips in nearby ponds and spending time with friends in air-conditioned vehicles.

But all good things must come to an end.

Children around the region returned to school last week and late summer arrived. Fall and winter, it would seem, are on the horizon.

The absence of the midnight sun makes for chillier nights and putting on an extra sweater or nudging the thermostat up a few notches is common practice.

Other people, we'll call them the lucky ones, head out to the yard and split a few pieces of wood for the wood stove.

Yes, the wood stove.

Even though the closest bark-bearing species is located literally hundreds of kilometres south or west, there are Kivalliq residents who supplement their home-heating with wood.

Jerry Chislett is one such resident. The owner of a wood stove for the last four years, the Rankin Inlet resident reckons he significantly reduces his oil bill in the winter by burning wood.

"We have a large living room and it helps with the cost of fuel, especially with the rising costs," said Chislett.

"We probably save on a tank to two tanks of fuel over a year. We'd probably save even more if we were home all day and could keep the wood stove going," he said.

While it helps that he's part-owner of a construction company, Chislett said other construction sites around Rankin Inlet also proved to be a lucrative source for scrap wood.

The town's landfill site also helps to keep his woodpile stocked.

"There's probably enough wood at the dump to supply 25 wood stoves," said Chislett, adding that the haul was plentiful enough to keep competition at bay.

Furthermore, because most of the wood is scrap lumber, it's free of sap and wood stoves don't need to be cleaned as often.

"The wood is free, it works well and we haven't had any problems," he said.