RANKIN INLET - Mother Nature may have done her best to delay his arrival, but Paul Waye was finally at his post in Rankin Inlet this past week.

New senior administrative officer Paul Waye goes over the agenda before his first regular meeting of hamlet council in Rankin Inlet this past week. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

The hamlet's new senior administrative officer (SAO) stayed in Yellowknife for a week when blizzard conditions kept planes out of Rankin for an extended period of time earlier this month.

Born in Newfoundland, Waye, 42, has been in the North off and on since 1967, and has lived in Salliq, Iglulik, Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet), Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Sanirajak (Hall Beach), Iqaluit, Kugluktuk and now Rankin.

Waye says he became interested in the Rankin SAO position because he had been in Kugluktuk for about three years and had dealt with the issues he went there to tackle.

"I had things back in good shape in Kugluktuk and Rankin, being a bigger community and a regional centre, presented me with a different kind of challenge and an interesting job," says Waye.

"I'd also spent time in Rankin on a number of occasions, the longest being eight days, and knew some people here, so that made it appealing, as well."

Waye is settling in to his new position and getting the lay of the land in the community.

He says a personal goal is to become fluent in Inuktitut during his time in Rankin, but there's no major issue facing him from the municipality's perspective.

"There was an obvious issue when I moved to Kugluktuk because the hamlet had a $1.2-million deficit, but there's nothing like that facing me in Rankin.

"I expect the biggest challenge to be managing the growth of the community during the next few years," said Waye

Waye grew up in the North after leaving Newfoundland at the ripe old age of 18 months, and that's what always called him back to North of 60.

The SAO says he loves everything about the North, including its people, the outdoor life of hunting and fishing... even the weather.

He says he's already starting to feel at home in Rankin.

"I like what I've seen so far and the staff at the hamlet office seem to be a great bunch of people," he said

"The people I've met, and previously knew, in the community have all been great.

"I've only been here a short period of time, but so far, so good."