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NUNAVUT
Bank machines were down. Flights were cancelled. Long-distance calls were not going through. Nunavut was isolated from the rest of the world on Oct. 6 due to a satellite malfunction.

Telesat Canada stated an error in a software update provided by the manufacturer appeared to have caused a technical glitch for the Anik F2 satellite at about 6:36 a.m. ET on Oct. 6.

The problem meant long-distance service in the territory's 25 communities, as well as 10 communities in the Northwest Territories and one in the Yukon were affected. Iqaluit's cable-based Internet service, some television channels and other data services to communities through the satellite were also affected, but not radio, which is generally not transmitted via satellite.

Service was restored around midnight Oct. 7, according to a NorthwesTel press release.

Such situations, Telesat Canada stated, are "highly unusual."

"This particular anomaly was the result of a software error encountered during a routine manoeuvre, which triggered the satellite to place itself into a safe mode, shutting itself down and pointing itself at the sun to ensure it remained powered," the company stated in a press release.

Iqaluit airport manager John Graham said close to 30 flights were affected by the satellite problem on Oct. 6. No planes were coming in from the south and none were going to and from communities. The satellite is used for radar, weather information and flight planning purposes.

"Everything has been operating perfectly since late last night," Graham said on Oct. 7. "Glad it's over."

For Nunavummiut, one of the biggest inconveniences was the inability to use ATMs and debit cards for transactions.

Pangnirtung has a number of satellite phones, as does Parks Canada and the RCMP, but senior administrative officer Ron Mongeau said the community had no emergencies.

"We were a little concerned about communication. We met and we made sure we had lines of communication open," he said. "It was kind of eerie. This is the first time in my experience we've had this kind of Nunavut-wide shut down. We were totally prepared if anything had come up but no issues, no problems in the community at all."

Farther north, Ralph Alexander in Resolute said on Oct. 7 they were trying to catch up on their e-mails and long-distance calls.

"The power worked. The local phones worked. There was no local difficulty. You just couldn't send somebody an e-mail is what it comes down to," he said. "It was no big deal. A little bit of difficulty for the co-op - people couldn't use debit cards. It was quite peaceful actually. It really was just a nuisance."

No problems and no emergencies were reported in Iglulik, said senior administrative officer Brian Fleming. Services in the community were shut down during the morning of Oct. 6 due to bad weather.

"We did meet with the emergency preparedness committee in the afternoon just a to make sure we're all on the same page and co-ordinated and ready in case there was an emergency," Fleming said.

Moving west to the Kitikmeot, everyone seemed OK in Gjoa Haven, said senior administrative officer Enuk Pauloosie. No emergencies were reported but there was a meeting to determine how emergencies would be handled.

"All and all, everything went very good; except no Facebook," he said.

In Cambridge Bay, travel cancellations and cash-only purchases seemed the only inconvenience, said Steve King, the hamlet's senior administrative officer.

"The satellite issue wasn't really a major deal except for those people that didn't have cash on hand, as the stores were only taking cash and the ATM was out of service because of the issue," he said. "Of course, the cancellation of travel had the same effect on Cambridge Bay as everywhere else. As for work, it gave people an opportunity to catch up on some filing."

RCMP Sgt. Greg Sutherland said all detachments have satellite phones and were instructed to call Iqaluit.

"There (were) a couple of technical difficulties with a couple of the sat phones in the communities," he said. "Otherwise, things went well and we're fine-tuning our response if this was to happen again."

The consequences could have been much more serious, however. If Anik F2 had gone down permanently, every antenna and dish pointed at the satellite would have had to be physically repointed at the only other satellite that covers the North, Telesat's Anik F3 - and it all would have had to be done without communication in or out of the affected communities.

"We would just literally need to charter an aircraft or three aircraft and start sending crews to each community," said Jeff Philipp, president and CEO of communications company SSI Micro.

- with files from Casey Lessard and Laura Busch

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