The Magic of the North

My neighbour has decorated

With Christmas almost 6 weeks away, and Remembrance Day just observed...we are starting to see the decorations in stores, as is normal, but also on some houses due to the nice weather here in Niagara the past two weeks. That's about to change with the recent strong gusting winds and temperatures skirting the freezing mark at night now.

The "ToysRus" brochure arrived last week and will be looked over carefully in the next few weeks by the younger set in many households everywhere. I remember as a kid when the Sears and Eaton's gift books would arrive in late October and hours would be spent looking over page after page trying to decide. 

Times have changed with most of us now scanning those HTML pages as they refresh on our tablets, phones or laptops. Since some of us still like reading that original paper copy, my Tower Hobbies catalogue (flying toys for the older crowd...LOL) has also arrived...and, more importantly, is being carefully scrutinized...(older boys, bigger toys etc.)...and the descriptions for each is being read very carefully as a potential wish list grows.

Our reading material has changed from paper

As we approach those end of year celebrations, we tend reflect on the good things that have occurred to us...through the year...It's often called the Magic of Christmas. This "spirit" is not something tangible you can grasp in your hand but something invisible that you can hold in your heart.

The world embraced the tragedies "en Paris"

A similar, but different, "espirit des corps" was demonstrated friday night by Parisians defying those trying to wreak havoc in their country. Spontaneous singing of their national anthem as they exited the soccer match, hours later, and yesterday at gatherings around the countryside with the "tricoleur" flying proudly everywhere...and painted upon famous landmarks showed more cameraderie as well as world support...an example of that old village feeling that we are in "this" together.

Previous experiences in the arctic have taught me many things...among them the resiliency and determination of the people. While survival is the ultimate goal, there are many ways of achieving it. Like all of us, my education continues but I've learned, both by observations and by conversations, the importance of family focus in the Inuit culture...and on this topic, there is much more to learn.

As a temporary staff member of the health care team, both times I have felt genuinely welcomed by the staff at the health centre in Rankin Inlet. I remember someone once telling me. "The first time people will welcome you, the second and third times they'll say welcome back..and after that they say "welcome home". 

When one arrives at any new 

My 2008 transient apartment building now closed,
and awaiting demolition in March 2015

job...there is always a learning curve. Adaptation to the climate, once north, is just one more addition to the requirements of any new job. These include finding the work areas, tasks and layouts, and more importantly, the introduction to staff. It's not just the medical staff but those health centre staff members that keep the day to day operations functioning smoothly or adjusting as required. Most are local but some are imports. 

Without the importation of additional staff, the local health centres would not be able to provide the necessary day to day care that these communities need. The combination of general care, medical advice and information, of course, dealing with the emergencies that arise from falls, burns, lacerations and other medical events that present in all age groups. 

A significant sign of change, noticed last winter in Rankin Inlet, was the observation that more Inuit were now working in the middle management positions or as supervisory personnel in many different organizations. It was noticeable and hopefully a direction that will continue as the education and opportunities for those in the north increase in scope and need and NUNAVUT matures.

When working with people in a new environment it is vital to build trust in short term relationships, so that all parties succeed. It is far more difficult when those involved have been the target of abuse or have been cheated and their status diminished over the centuries.   

Most recently, the rise of the native status since the creation of NUNAVUT has lead to a more positive energy and direction. As the first major land claims settlement in Canada in 1999, based upon Intuit culture and the migration of the caribou, the growth in the north has been steady. Improving education, along with the steady and continuing improvement in the medical facilities are just two things that are changing the lifestyle of the north.

54 Aboriginal candidates nominated
in the recent Federal Election

Nunavut has the lowest median age in population in Canada, something that has not gone unnoticed. The recent federal election had 54 Aborignals nominated to run in the recent Federal election for the four main parties. Following the Liberal landslide, our new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, announced his cabinet of 31 which included two Indigenous people and a third person with aboriginal advocacy experience. These include Jody Wilson-Raybould as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Hunter Tootoo as Minister of Fisheries, Ocean and the Canadian Coast Guard. Long time Indigenous advocate and former Liberal party critic Dr. Carolyn Bennett was appointed Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Affairs. This will present a slightly different focus for future cabinet discussions and, quite possibly, the future of Canada's Arctic.

If you would try to describe the "Magic of the North"...I think the best word to use today would be "change". AND it's not just the climate, it is much more. While change is occurring in our fast moving lifestyle here in southern Canada and across our world, it's becoming much more rapid in the far north.  

Je suis Paris...remembering those victims involved...Niagara Falls painted "francaise" courtesy Niagara Parks