Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Getting Started
The participants didn't know where we were or what time we were starting. That's just a small detail... lol!
We saw a small town in action and by 9am everyone arrived who would be coming for the day. Someone, somewhere in Rankin was able to direct them to the right spot. We expected 16 and saw 14. We heard that 2 individuals may have faced travel issues because one of First Air's jets needed repair up north and everything got bumped around. No one knew if they might show up late or if they may not come at all. I imagine I will see them tomorrow if they are coming.
Today was our chance to get to know the communities. Most of our morning was filled with discussion about the infrastructure, issues and trends that influenced their roles within the community. We spent the afternoon introducing solid waste concepts and good landfill practices.
My insights from the morning's discussion:
One of the fellows promised me he would teach me to sea kayak... I would love to do it! I said I heard you couldn't go out until you learned to do a roll... he asked, you mean an 'eskimo roll'? He laughed and said, no, you don't want to do that if you don't have to... I knew there was something off about the thought as soon as it came out of my mouth... I can't imagine anyone would want to get wet out here. Another fellow let me know that you would end up rolling if you were too stiff -- but if you kept a flexible body, you wouldn't have trouble. My 'teacher' takes his kayak out hunting. He says he hunts seal, bow whale and even polar bear... I asked him how he would get a polar bear home on his kayak. He said he would work day and night... I assume that means many trips? I think I'll ask him more about that tomorrow...
Arnie said the biggest polar bears live out on the ice. They wander around the edge of the flow where they can find seal and they rarely come in to land.
I was reading the paper up here today. Roald Amundsen, an early northern explorer, credited his time in Gjoa Haven for giving him the skills to make it through the Northwest Passage. The more chances I get to chat, the more I realize that there is a true 'art' required to embrace life in these northern communities. The fellow from Gjoa Haven spoke of their seasons as -- the 'light' and 'dark' season. When he mentioned that we were heading into the time of 'light' his face lit up in a way that expressed true joy.
Jim took some pictures today, I'll post them tomorrow.
We saw a small town in action and by 9am everyone arrived who would be coming for the day. Someone, somewhere in Rankin was able to direct them to the right spot. We expected 16 and saw 14. We heard that 2 individuals may have faced travel issues because one of First Air's jets needed repair up north and everything got bumped around. No one knew if they might show up late or if they may not come at all. I imagine I will see them tomorrow if they are coming.
Today was our chance to get to know the communities. Most of our morning was filled with discussion about the infrastructure, issues and trends that influenced their roles within the community. We spent the afternoon introducing solid waste concepts and good landfill practices.
My insights from the morning's discussion:
- Concern for the issues and community involvement in finding solutions is alive in many small communities. Cambridge Bay was facing public concern over a very large and unsightly dump site. They accomplished change with the help of many volunteer hours from their community members. People came out to build, clean and support any way they could.
- In a northern environment it is very challenging to do all the 'right' things. Landfill cover is a good example. Sometimes good cover (crushed rock, soil) is not available and needs to be made by crushing rock. This solution is too costly for some communities to bear.
- Polar bear control is an issue. The bears are attracted to the landfill sites. It's illegal and dangerous for them to feed at the landfill. Fencing is not effective to stop them. Some communities are burning landfill waste in an effort to deter the bears. Not the best situation, but better than the alternative.
- Historical problems are difficult to solve... some communities have commercial or industrial waste onsite that was received in the past with no way to identify it.
- Many landfills are uncontrolled.
One of the fellows promised me he would teach me to sea kayak... I would love to do it! I said I heard you couldn't go out until you learned to do a roll... he asked, you mean an 'eskimo roll'? He laughed and said, no, you don't want to do that if you don't have to... I knew there was something off about the thought as soon as it came out of my mouth... I can't imagine anyone would want to get wet out here. Another fellow let me know that you would end up rolling if you were too stiff -- but if you kept a flexible body, you wouldn't have trouble. My 'teacher' takes his kayak out hunting. He says he hunts seal, bow whale and even polar bear... I asked him how he would get a polar bear home on his kayak. He said he would work day and night... I assume that means many trips? I think I'll ask him more about that tomorrow...
Arnie said the biggest polar bears live out on the ice. They wander around the edge of the flow where they can find seal and they rarely come in to land.
I was reading the paper up here today. Roald Amundsen, an early northern explorer, credited his time in Gjoa Haven for giving him the skills to make it through the Northwest Passage. The more chances I get to chat, the more I realize that there is a true 'art' required to embrace life in these northern communities. The fellow from Gjoa Haven spoke of their seasons as -- the 'light' and 'dark' season. When he mentioned that we were heading into the time of 'light' his face lit up in a way that expressed true joy.
Jim took some pictures today, I'll post them tomorrow.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Arrival & Getting Climatized
We arrived this afternoon at 1:40pm. The flights worked out well -- for anyone ever heading this way -- First Air serves HOT MEALS, I haven't had a hot meal on a plane for so long I can't remember when! All our boxes arrived without a hiccup. It was a relief for me because I needed to identify some as 'excess' when we checked in, it was hard to say what I was OK to go without and once I had I regretted it. Jim even brought his guitar and it was the first thing unloaded -- not a scratch...
We met the crew from Cambridge Bay at the airport, very friendly! They saw Dwayne's jacket and introduced themselves to us. Mike said we have representation from the two most northern communities in Nunavut in our course... Gjoa Haven and Resolute Bay.
Arnie, the Utility Foreman for Rankin Inlet picked us up at the airport, took us to the hotel, then the fire hall (where the training will take place) and then on a guided tour of the whole town -- including the landfill, of course.
Ambrose is the fire chief and he has offered to make us coffee and bring in cookies each morning. Although he was a bit surprised by our arrival, he didn't hesitate and was ready to accomodate anything we needed. The room will be perfect -- it's spacious and equipped with everything we need.
The town of Rankin has over 2000 people and 847 vehicles. Many people use all terrain vehicles or snowmobiles as their primary means of transportation. It seems weird for snowmobiles to plow along the main street amongst the cars... but why not?
The town has an underground utilidor serving water to a large section of the community. Unlike Iqaluit, Rankin has a little more topsoil, gravel and crushed rock around. The utilidor is contructed from a material that has some flexibility in order to deal with shifts in the permafrost.
Tomorrow we will be talking about the landfill in each of the communities attending (12) and touring Rankin's landfill with the participants. I can't wait to hear more about the conditions everyone faces.
More tomorrow...
We met the crew from Cambridge Bay at the airport, very friendly! They saw Dwayne's jacket and introduced themselves to us. Mike said we have representation from the two most northern communities in Nunavut in our course... Gjoa Haven and Resolute Bay.
Arnie, the Utility Foreman for Rankin Inlet picked us up at the airport, took us to the hotel, then the fire hall (where the training will take place) and then on a guided tour of the whole town -- including the landfill, of course.
Ambrose is the fire chief and he has offered to make us coffee and bring in cookies each morning. Although he was a bit surprised by our arrival, he didn't hesitate and was ready to accomodate anything we needed. The room will be perfect -- it's spacious and equipped with everything we need.
The town of Rankin has over 2000 people and 847 vehicles. Many people use all terrain vehicles or snowmobiles as their primary means of transportation. It seems weird for snowmobiles to plow along the main street amongst the cars... but why not?
The town has an underground utilidor serving water to a large section of the community. Unlike Iqaluit, Rankin has a little more topsoil, gravel and crushed rock around. The utilidor is contructed from a material that has some flexibility in order to deal with shifts in the permafrost.
Tomorrow we will be talking about the landfill in each of the communities attending (12) and touring Rankin's landfill with the participants. I can't wait to hear more about the conditions everyone faces.
More tomorrow...
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Municipal Hazardous Waste - 2 in Rankin Inlet
Here we go again!
The Edmonton Waste Management Centre of Excellence is working with the Municipal Training Organization and the Department of Environment for Nunavut to bring Municipal Hazardous Waste Training to municipalities across the north. This time 16 individuals from 12 northern communities will participate in 11 days of training -- 5 in Rankin Inlet and 6 in Edmonton, where they will explore methods to manage hazardous waste within their community landfills.
Jim Lapp, Dwayne Christenson and myself (Colleen Starchuk) will head to Rankin Inlet tomorrow. Training participants will venture to Edmonton for the 2nd phase of their training experience on March 25.
While we can never be sure until we begin discussions, the training team recognizes that 'waste management' in these remote communities is a different ballgame than it is in the south. As we found out from our last trek, a rocky land mass, limited shipping opportunities and year round ground frost are just some of the factors that make 'typical' methods impossible.
As before, the only thing we can all be sure of is that this northern trek will provide us as much learning as we are hoping to provide. Our last foray exposed us to rich culture, a strong sense of community and greater perspective about the challenges of supporting a remote community.
More to come as the adventure unfolds...
The Edmonton Waste Management Centre of Excellence is working with the Municipal Training Organization and the Department of Environment for Nunavut to bring Municipal Hazardous Waste Training to municipalities across the north. This time 16 individuals from 12 northern communities will participate in 11 days of training -- 5 in Rankin Inlet and 6 in Edmonton, where they will explore methods to manage hazardous waste within their community landfills.
Jim Lapp, Dwayne Christenson and myself (Colleen Starchuk) will head to Rankin Inlet tomorrow. Training participants will venture to Edmonton for the 2nd phase of their training experience on March 25.
While we can never be sure until we begin discussions, the training team recognizes that 'waste management' in these remote communities is a different ballgame than it is in the south. As we found out from our last trek, a rocky land mass, limited shipping opportunities and year round ground frost are just some of the factors that make 'typical' methods impossible.
As before, the only thing we can all be sure of is that this northern trek will provide us as much learning as we are hoping to provide. Our last foray exposed us to rich culture, a strong sense of community and greater perspective about the challenges of supporting a remote community.
More to come as the adventure unfolds...
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