IQALUIT - Shrove Tuesday came a little early to Iqaluit this year, but with millions of dollars still to be raised for the reconstruction of St. Jude's cathedral, last week's pancake supper fundraiser is unlikely to draw too many complaints.

Ritchy Collins flips a pancake as Oshea Jephson prepares to make the catch at a fundraising pancake supper for St. Jude's cathedral at Inuksuk high school Feb. 12. Jephson made the catch. - Chris Windeyer/NNSL photo

The famous iglu-shaped church burned at the hands of an arsonist in 2005, devastating the local Anglican community.

But fundraising for new church began in earnest almost immediately.

Ed Picco, better known as Nunavut's energy and education minister, also serves as the chair of the fundraising committee.

He says efforts to raise money for a new and bigger church have so far beaten expectations.

"It's picking up steam," he said.

The new church will cost about $6 million to build, with $1 million coming from insurance.

Picco said the committee has raised $600,000 of its own so far, boosted by a two anonymous donations of $50,000 each from outside the North.

Churches from Nunavut have stepped up with help, and an Ottawa-area man who once served as a Mountie in the North organized a fundraising concert just before Christmas.

There has also been plenty of local help, Picco said.

"We've had tremendous, tremendous, support for the businesses in town," he said.

Airlines have donated tickets, local restaurants contributed coffee and juice.

Even Skills Canada chipped in, providing manpower from its cooking club to make the pancakes (and doing a particularly good job with the chocolate chip variety).

"It's awesome," said cook Oshea Jephson. "It's a simple idea and it's a lot of pancakes."