tourism of nunavut

10 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Nunavut

Written by Chloë Ernst and Bryan Dearsley Updated Sep 24, 2021

Officially established in 1999, Canada's Nunavut Territory is an administrative unit that was once part of the former Northwest Territories. And it's a very big place. Nunavut covers the whole of the eastern section of northern Canada and is a wonderful place to learn about the attractions, history, culture, nature, and best places to visit in Canada's Far North.

With an area of 1.9 million square kilometers, Nunavut is almost eight times the size of the United Kingdom and covers roughly one fifth of the total area of Canada. Its southern border is the 60th parallel, while the north extends to within about 800 kilometers of the North Pole. Most of the Territory is situated above the tree line, in a region of predominantly treeless tundra with dwarf shrubs, grasses, mosses, and lichens. Fjords cut deep inland from the coast.

Craft- and handicraft-based businesses have achieved extraordinary success here. Produced mainly in small workshops, the territory's leather goods, jewelry, and ivory work have great appeal for tourists visiting this and other regions of Canada . Hence, in addition to meeting the demand from the as-yet small number of tourists who visit the Far North, there is a lively "export trade" to the major tourist centers of the Canadian South, including Québec, Toronto, and Vancouver.

For inspiration and ideas about fun things to do when it comes to planning your northern Canadian adventure, refer often to our handy list of the top tourist attractions in Nunavut, Canada.

1. Baffin Island

2. auyuittuq national park, 4. ellesmere island, 5. quttinirpaaq national park, 6. sirmilik national park, 7. naujaat (repulse bay), 8. belcher islands, 9. pond inlet, 10. qaummaarviit territorial park, map of tourist attractions in nunavut.

With its breathtaking landscape, the warm hospitality of the Indigenous Inuit people, and the numerous opportunities for a unique holiday experience, Baffin Island is a strong draw for tourists. But it can hardly be said that it suffers from invasions of visitors, which is perfect for those who enjoy extremely remote, nature-inspired adventure travel.

The island is the fifth largest in the world, with a coastline and landscape that vary considerably. One of the best areas to visit is the island's eastern coast. It in fact shares a scenery that's very similar to Norway, with its steep fiords and small offshore islands, boasting a long, narrow alpine-like mountainous zone that reaches heights of 2,591 meters in Auyuittuq National Park on the Cumberland peninsula.

The main administrative town is Iqaluit on Frobisher Bay. The only way to get to the far north island is by air, which can be rather expensive. The cost of living is high, and the climate very "unfriendly," not to mention the hordes of insects that descend on the unfortunate traveler in summer. All in all, however, the region is perhaps somewhere for the travel specialist seeking a unique (and unforgettable) Canadian vacation adventure.

Literally translated as the "land where it never thaws," Auyuittuq National Park sits on the Cumberland Peninsula in the southeast of Baffin Island. The Penny Ice Cap , a remnant of Ice Age glaciations, takes up a large portion of the park.

The landscape is characterized by broad valleys and rugged mountains with vertical walls rising up to 1,200 meters in heigh. Of these, Mount Asgard is particularly impressive. Pangnirtung Pass is the best route through the park ending at the Pangnirtung Fiord.

Among extreme adventurers, the park is also known for its hiking. Of these, perhaps the best can be experienced on Mount Thor, a 1,675-meter-tall mountain peak that's known for its rock climbing. A word of caution: if you're contemplating such an adventure, you're first required to register with Parks Canada (see the website below for details).

Official site: www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nu/auyuittuq

For many years, whalers, scientists, traders, and missionaries frequented Iqaluit, located at the end of Frobisher Bay. It was long known as the gateway to Baffin Island, and the Inuit name of Iqaluit means "many fish."

However, it was only in 1942, when the area was developed as a U.S. military airfield, that the community began to grow in size. Now the service and administrative center of the Baffin Region, Iqaluit is a modern town with a complete infrastructure and is home to the Nunavut Legislative Assembly, as well as hotels, schools, a hospital, and cathedral. There's also a weather and radio station, as well as a camping site.

Iqaluit is also where you'll find the Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre . This modern facility is a good place to gather information and learn more about this remarkable community. Also worth a visit is the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum . Located in a former Hudson's Bay Company building, it's dedicated to the preservation of local Inuit art and culture.

Ellesmere Island lies in the extreme north of Canada, and is the second largest island - after Baffin Island - on the Canadian archipelago. It was from Ellesmere's Cape Columbia that American explorer Robert Peary set out in 1909 to walk to the North Pole.

In the extreme north of the island, you'll find Quttinirpaaq National Park . This spectacular mountainous and glaciated region has a number of hiking trails known to serious backpackers and adventure seekers. There's plenty of wildlife spotting opportunities here, too. Tourists often post pictures of sightings of seals and walrus, musk ox, wolves, arctic hare and, from a safe distance, polar bears.

At the south end of Ellesmere Island is Grise Fiord . This very small community boasts good hunting conditions and a beautiful Arctic landscape that can be viewed during canoe or snowmobile tours.

Located in the extreme north of Ellesmere Island is Quttinirpaaq National Park . This extremely mountainous and glaciated region is popular with hikers with a penchant for adventure, drawn here for its remoteness and a number of hiking trails that are known to serious backpackers.

In this predominantly dry Arctic climate, pockets of (relatively) warm and moist temperatures enable plants to grow and animals to exist, such as in the area around Lake Hazen. Here, you'll see everything from muskoxen, Peary caribou, arctic foxes and wolves, lemmings, and more than 30 species of birds. Most trips to Quttinirpaaq begin in Resolute Bay.

Official site: www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nu/quttinirpaaq

Soaring mountains, rugged glaciers, and a wide variety of wildlife perfectly describe Sirmilik National Park. This beautifully rugged area is one of Canada's most remote and northern national parks, encompassing Bylot Island , Oliver Sound , and the Borden Peninsula .

The land is made up of beautiful mountains, glaciers, ice fields, and coastal lowlands. While some visitors come here for boating and kayaking adventures, it's important to note that the coast is normally not free of ice until mid-July. During ice break up and freeze up, travel to the park is not possible.

Official site: www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nu/sirmilik

Reached only by plane, Naujaat - known as Repulse Bay up until 2015 before reverting to its native name - thrives on tourism. The big draw? Tourists come in search of land and sea adventures under the wisdom of Inuit tour guides.

The European chapter of this part of Canada's history opened in 1741, when Captain Henry Middleton sailed into the deep bay - known to the Inuit as "Naujaat" (gulls' nesting place) - in search of the Northwest Passage. In his disappointment of not finding the Arctic route, Middleton christened the place Repulse Bay.

Off the Hudson Bay coast lie the barren Belcher Islands, another potential tourist destination in Nunavut. Known to the Inuit as Sanikiluaq, the islands support polar bears and an abundance of marine life, including beluga whales and walruses in the surrounding waters.

While some adventure travelers come here to kayak, the Belcher Islands are, however, extremely remote and see very few visitors each year. There is an airstrip in Sanikiluaq , which services the area, but most who visit arrive by boat..

Set on the Baffin Island coast, Pond Inlet - or Mittimatalik in Inuit - is an Inuit village to the west of a rugged mountainous terrain. It attracts visitors for its natural beauty and culture, though the region is extremely remote and therefore costly to access.

One of the top tourist attractions in the community is the Nattinnak Centre . Part museum, part visitor center, the facility features fascinating displays on the history, geography, and wildlife of the region.

Qaummaarviit Territorial Park , once home to the Thule People and known as the "place that shines," is a rugged destination located on an island. Accessible by ski, dogsled, or snowmobile during the winter months, and by boat during the open-water season, here visitors can see the remains of the old Thule sod houses and artifacts dating back more than 750 years ago.

Also of interest are the many features that point to evidence of Inuit settlement and culture dating as far back as the 1600s. (Editor's Note: No camping is allowed, so plan to visit as part of a day trip to the island.)

More on Canada

Get up close to Arctic Wildlife

Nunavut is home to the Arctic Big Five . Namely Polar Bears, Musk Ox, Belugas, Walruses and the exclusive Narwhal. For these reasons, it is an incredible place to come and see the world’s most remarkable arctic animals and marine life in their natural habitat. Experiences and sightings depend greatly on season and location. Early spring offers opportunities to see Polar Bears roaming the Floe Edge. While summer and fall are usually the best times to spot Narwhals and Beluga in high Arctic locations such as Resolute Bay. Narwhals can also be spotted near the shores of Pond Inlet and Arctic Bay. Muskox and Caribou can be found in communities such as Baker Lake, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven to name a few.

For the best chance to encounter wildlife, book yourself a tour with a local outfitter.

Explore the Great Outdoor

The landscape of Nunavut is unlike other parts of Canada. In Nunavut, there are no trees. Instead, the territory is made up of rolling plateaus, glacial troughs, fiords, and mountains that could rival the Rockies. It’s also the largest province or territory in Canada. For reference, if Nunavut were a country it would be the third largest. Open spaces for adventure are abundant in the Arctic. Make the most out of your trip and visit Auyuittuq National Park . There, you’ll be surrounded by rejuvenating mountains and glorious scenery. Feeling adventurous? Hike Mount Thor. Or enjoy the scenery by skidoo, dogsled, or even hot air balloon.

Discover Inuit Culture

Visit museums and cultural centres, enjoy country food, and guided tours led by Indigenous-owned businesses and leaders. Enjoy Art? Browse soapstone sculptures at the Iqaluit gallery or Uqqurmiut Centre for Arts and Crafts in Pangnirtung. Or celebrate Inuit traditions at the Alianait Festival held in June or the Toonik Tyme Festival held every spring in Iqaluit, the capital.

Catch an Arctic Char

Commonly found in the freshwaters of Nunavut, Arctic Char are emblematic of the territory. So much so, that the name of towns reflect the importance of the salmonid. Abundant and readily accessible, if you’re eager to catch a Char , Nunavut is your place. The best time to catch Arctic Char is during summer from June to October. In the capital, Char can be found in Sylvia Grinnell River. Further north, the community of Pond Inlet provides the opportunity to reel in the Arctic Char. However, Char can be caught in nearly every community in Nunavut.

See the Northern Lights

Is viewing the Northern Lights on your bucket list? The Northern Lights, also known as Aqsarniit, in Inuktitut, are the result of solar particles entering the earth’s atmosphere. Regardless of the science, Nunavut is a prime destination to see nature's light show. For optimal viewing, visit from fall to winter, when skies are free of clouds.

Picture a treeless, ice-encrusted wilderness lashed by unrelenting weather with a population density that makes Greenland seem claustrophobic. Add polar bears, narwhals, beluga whales and a scattered Inuit population who have successfully mastered a landscape so harsh that foreigners could not colonize it.

Leave the planning to a local expert

Experience the real Nunavut. Let a local expert handle the planning for you.

Attractions

Must-see attractions.

Quttinirpaaq National Park

The northernmost and most mountainous of Nunavut's national parks, 37,775-sq-km Quttinirpaaq is Canada's second-largest, way up on Ellesmere Island. Now…

Kenojuak Cultural Centre & Print Shop

Though many Inuit communities now generate world-class artworks, Cape Dorset's remain the most revered. The new Kenojuak Cultural Centre, named after…

Uqqurmiut Centre for Arts & Crafts

Pang is famous for its lithographs, prints and tapestries, and this extraordinary place brings it all together. There are few tapestry studios in the…

Auyuittuq National Park

Among the globe's most flabbergasting places, Auyuittuq (ah-you-ee-tuk) means 'the land that never melts.' Appropriately, there are plenty of glaciers in…

Katannilik Territorial Park

Near Iqaluit and one of Nunavut's finest parks, Katannilik means 'Place of Waterfalls' and comprises two main features. A Canadian Heritage waterway,…

Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum

This friendly little museum in an old Hudson's Bay Company building showcases an engaging permanent collection of traditional Inuit clothing, tools,…

Ovayok Territorial Park

Ovayok Territorial Park, accessible via a rough road or 15km hike, is a prime place to see musk ox and offers good views from Mt Pelly (200m). It has some…

Matchbox Gallery

This small space is famed for having pioneered Inuit ceramic art. Watch artists at work, and browse and buy a wide range of beautiful handicrafts,…

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Feb 11, 2020 • 5 min read

After the winter darkness, Nunavut's capital, Iqaluit, celebrates the return of the sun with a raft of Inuit traditions.

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Arctic Travel , Nunavut

The ultimate nunavut travel guide.

Are you interested in experiencing the land of the midnight sun? A vast tundra of wildflowers, towering cliffs and meandering icebergs bobbing along freely in the arctic ocean? If this intrigues you, it sounds like you would be interested in travelling to Nunavut.

I spent four months living in Nunavut in 2015, made another visit in 2019 and I anticipate many more visits to come. In this post you’ll find everything you need to know to visit Nunavut yourself, as well as all the resources I’ve written about my favourite territory. Plus, throughout this post you’ll find external resources to provide even more information. If after all this, you have any additional questions, please leave a comment below!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support is much appreciated! You can learn more by reading my full disclosure .

Welcome to Nunavut

Nunavut is a destination as off-the-beaten-path as they come. Nunavut receives just 14,000 visitors each year; it is often forgotten by foreigners and Canadians alike. So if you aren’t familiar with Nunavut, you are not alone. Here are some quick facts and reasons why Nunavut is a great place to visit.

Quick Facts about Nunavut

Country : Canada

Demographic : Approximately 85% of the population is Indigenous, ~12% is Caucasian and the remaining ~3 % are visible minorities.

Language : Four official languages (English, Inuktitut, French and Inuinnaqtun)

Size : 2 million square kilometers (20% of Canada’s landmass)

Regions : Nunavut is divided into three regions:

Qikiqtaluuk (Baffin) Region includes Baffin Island, Ellesmere Island and surrounding islands on the eastern and northern parts of Nunavut
Kivalliq Region extends north from Manitoba and includes most of the land along the coast of Hudson Bay
Kitikmeot Region is the land around the center and western border of Nunavut

Communities : Iqaluit is the capital city of Nunavut; it is the largest community with approximately 7,500 people. There are 25 other communities, with populations ranging from 100 to 2,500. None of the communities have road access between them, nor are they connected to southern Canada.

Read more : Interesting Facts About Nunavut

Reasons to Visit Nunavut

You visit Nunavut to experience life at the top of the world. Witness magnificent wildlife – polar bears, narwhals, beluga, caribou – in their natural environment. Watch lonely icebergs floating in the frigid arctic ocean. Catch the northern lights as they dance across the sky. Learn about Inuit traditions and modern ways of life. There is so much to do and experience in this territory.

Read more: The Honest Reason Why No On Visits Nunavut

Logistics of Traveling to Nunavut

Planning a trip to somewhere so off-the-beaten-path can be daunting. Here are the answers to the most common questions you may have about planning a trip to Nunavut.

What is the best time of year to visit Nunavut?

The best time of year to visit Nunavut depends a bit on the activities you are interested in doing. If you want to go snowmobiling on the tundra or dogsledding on the frozen arctic ocean, mid-February to April is the best time to visit Nunavut. If you want to go hiking or kayaking, I’d recommend visiting in August or September .

However, if you are interested in doing an arctic safari or staying at a fly-in lodge, hiking the Pang Pass or seeing particular wildlife, the best time to visit is a little different. I have a comprehensive post coming out soon on this topic.

Read more : The Best Time of Year to Visit Nunavut

How long should you spend in Nunavut?

Forever! Kidding, kidding (though after visiting you might want to). How long you spend in Nunavut will depend on whether you are doing a guided tour or visiting on your own.

Many guided tours are seven to ten days in length, though they can be much longer too. Regardless of the duration, you’ll want to arrive at your tour’s meeting place one or two days early, and depart one or two days after your tour ends.

Weather can be unpredictable in the arctic, and sometimes flights don’t get out exactly when planned.

If you’re visiting one of the communities on your own, you generally need less time. For example, I recommend people spend three to four nights in Iqaluit (you can read more about visiting Iqaluit below).

How do you get to Nunavut?

Getting to Nunavut is actually quite straightforward. You can fly to Iqaluit from Ottawa or Montreal, or to some of the larger communities from Yellowknife.

There are several small airlines operating in the north, with the two major airlines being First Air and Canadian North , both of which offer flights from the south. I recommend using Google Flights to see what airlines fly to the exact destination you are looking to travel to.

Read more : How to get to Nunavut, Canada’s Seemingly Inaccessible Territory

Bird flying before sunset over tundra in Iqaluit, Nunavut

Things to do in Nunavut

There are plenty of activities to do in Nunavut, though they differ depending on whether or not you are going on your own or with a tour operator.

With a tour operator, you could visit a fly-in lodge or join a floe edge arctic safari for great wildlife viewing. There are tour operators in Nunavut who offer heli-skiing, cruises, dive trips and more. Going with a tour operator will be pricey, but can be an incredible experience. If you have the means, I highly recommend joining an arctic safari.

If you visit one of the communities in Nunavut on your own, here are some activities you could do (though it will vary by community). You could go snowmobiling or dogsledding in the winter, kayaking and hiking in the summer, visit cultural centres and attend a festival . You cansee the northern lights or check out Inuit art . There are lots of things to do in Nunavut!

Alternatively, Nunavut has four national parks you could plan a trip to. This would be on the pricier end and usually you need to have some experience camping in a remote area (or, of course join a tour operator).

Read more : Snowmobiling, Kayaking & More: 10 Incredible Things to Do in Nunavut

What are the best tour companies in Nunavut?

Note: I am not sponsored by any tour companies.

Arctic Kingdom

AK is the best tour company for arctic safaris. On their trips, you stay at a base camp where the land or sea ice (depending on time of year) meets the open ocean. These areas are hotspots for all different kinds of wildlife (polar bear, narwhal and beluga, to name a few). AK is the company I worked for when I was living in Nunavut and I assisted with Glaciers & Polar Bear trip.

Quark Expeditions

Quark are the experts in Antarctic travel, however they’ve been gaining ground in the Arctic as well. Their trips tend to be on large cruise-like ships, which I’ve heard are very comfortable but the boat itself can be quite noisy. A Quark representative told me that if you want to see arctic wildlife, go with Arctic Kingdom not Quark (the loud boats will scare away the wildlife).

Inukpak Outfitting

Inukpak is your guide for short trips in and around Iqaluit. They offer half and full day snowmobiling, dogsledding, hiking and kayaking trips. Inukpak also has some short multi-day trips leaving from Iqaluit.

Weber Arctic

Weber Arctic offers two fly-in lodges in Nunavut. If you’re interested in seeing the caribou migration, I recommend choosing Weber Arctic. They also offer fat-biking and heli-skiing trips if you’re looking for something more active.

Black Feather

Black Feathers offers backpacking tours in Nunavut, specifically in Auyuittuq, Quttinirpaaq and Sirmilik national parks. In addition, they also do multi-day canoe trips on Nunavut rivers like the Hood and Coppermine.

There are numerous tour companies in addition to the ones I’ve listed above. The Destination Nunavut website lists tour companies for specific communities, plus additional resources to make travelling to Nunavut as smooth as possible.

Planning a Visit to Iqaluit, Nunavut

What if I don’t have a ton of money? Can I still visit Nunavut?

Because of how remote Nunavut is, going on a multi-day tour (like an arctic safari or fly-in lodge) is extremely expensive. Does this mean a lack of funds will prevent you from ever travelling to Nunavut? Heck no! Luckily, travellers can visit Iqaluit (the capital city of Nunavut) for a taste of the arctic without breaking their budget.

How do you get to Iqaluit?

As mentioned above, you can fly to Iqaluit from Ottawa or Montreal with Canadian North airlines. Flights will generally cost about $700 each way, In my post How to Visit Nunavut on the Cheap , I have some tips for getting cheap airfare to Iqaluit.

How long should you spend in Iqaluit?

I recommend travellers spend four nights in Iqaluit . Three nights would allow you to do all the major activities, however weather can be unpredictable in Iqaluit so I think it helps to have a one day buffer.

Read more : 21 Unique Things to do in Iqaluit, Nunavut + The Ultimate Iqaluit Travel Guide

Where to Stay in Iqaluit

Iqaluit has four hotels, of which I recommend Accommodations by the Sea or The Discovery. However, as restaurants are extremely expensive in Iqaluit, I suggest looking at Airbnbs where you’ll have access to a kitchen. This is also a great way to meet residents in Iqaluit and learn more about life there.

What are the food options in Iqaluit?

There are two main grocery stores in Iqaluit – Arctic Ventures and North Mart . I think Arctic Ventures is better for produce, whereas North Mart has a greater selection of non-grocery items (it’s sort of like a Walmart in the north).

There are also some good restaurants. The Frobisher Inn has the Frob Kitchen & Eatery , and The Discovery Lodge Hotel has The Granite Room . These two options would be a little more high-end. Yummy Shawarma is also really good.

My favourites include The Storehouse (for the pool tables, though the food is decent) and Black Heart Cafe which has great lattes and amazing breakfast sandwiches (they put a hashbrown IN the sandwich – it’s heavenly). There is also a new (to me) brewery called NuBrew Co . in Iqaluit that my friends speak highly of, though I’ve never been there myself.

What activities are there to do in Iqaluit?

Many of the activities listed in 10 Incredible Things to do in Nunavut can be done in Iqaluit. This includes snowmobiling, dogsledding, kayaking, hiking, ATV-ing and cultural activities. I’ve written posts dedicated to my favourite activities and linked them below. I recommend contacting Inukpak Outfitting , as they lead most of the tours in and around Iqaluit.

Over Arctic Ocean & Endless Tundra: Snowmobiling in Iqaluit : If you’re visiting between February and April, one activity I recommend is snowmobiling on the arctic ocean. Whether you’ve snowmobiled before or you’re brand new, you’ll have an unreal experience snowmobiling here.

Ruff Riding: Dogsledding in Iqaluit : Thinking of going dogsledding in Iqaluit? Read about my experience dogsledding and all the information you need to book this experience yourself.

Stories from Living in Nunavut

As I said, I lived in Nunavut for four months when I was working as a tour guide. I led groups to hike onto the tundra, kayak around icebergs and more. It was a crazy summer and I picked up a few stories from my time living there.

How a flaming wooden dog gave me a social life in the Arctic : The story of a lonely girl trying to make a home in the arctic, and how one unexpected night changed everything.

North of the Arctic Circle: A Look Inside a Remote Arctic Base Camp : Go behind the scenes and into the inner workings of a remote arctic basecamp. I had the pleasure of working at one for ten days and I wish I could have stayed there longer. You can stay at one as a guest on an arctic safari.

The reality of arctic tourism, as explained by the youngest explorer to the North Pole : In this post I interviewed Tessum Weber about the harsh realities of tourism in the arctic. Astonishingly expensive trips, contributions to climate change and keeping the territory a seldom-traveled destination are all topics Tessum answers with refreshing honesty.

Travelling to Nunavut: Additional Resources

There are two destination marketing websites in Nunavut: Destination Nunavut and Nunavut Tourism . Both websites provide information to help you plan and book your trip.

I hope this has been helpful. Should you have any other questions, please comment below.

Mikaela | Voyageur Tripper

Mikaela has been canoeing, hiking and camping for over ten years. She previously worked as a canoeing guide in Canada, and spent a season guiding hiking and kayaking tours in the high Arctic. Mikaela is a Wilderness First Responder and Whitewater Rescue Technician.

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What a magical place this is!! Nunavut seems like a wonderful place to visit. Off the beaten path but with all the essentials. I love the sled dogs, too!

Yes, it’s a beautiful place for sure, Alexandra! The dogs sure are cute. Thanks for the comment!

This looks like such a peaceful destination! I would love to visit someday and try dog sledding. Kayaking looks beautiful as well! Thanks for the tips!

You’re welcome Jordan! Glad you liked it. Dog sledding was great because, well, dogs. But honestly I preferred snowmobiling! Either way, tons to do up north. Hope you can make the trip up!

Oh my God,what an incredible place ,I wish to visit Nunavut sometime .loved all your pics.thanks for inspiring

Thanks Madhu! I’m glad you liked it. Nunavut really is an incredible place.

How interesting to discover this destination with you Mikaela! I am in awe with the landscapes and all the activities you can do here! It looks so amazing! Impressive that you lived there for 4 months too 🙂

It was a crazy four months for sure, Ophelie. I’d love to do it again (though maybe not in the winter).

I was just talking to my boyfriend about how we should go travel through Nunavut today! Love this post and am definitely saving it for our trip!

Oh yay I’m so excited about that Bettina! I really hope you’re able to make the trip next year!

Nunavut looks like such a snowy and beautiful place! I would love to visit.

Thanks for commenting Francesca, it really is! I hope you’re able to visit!

How about visiting in December? The websites mentioned have lots of info but limited on dates. Some tour company sites do not work or respond.

Hi Elizabeth – check out this post for complete information: https://www.voyageurtripper.com/what-is-the-best-time-of-year-to-visit-nunavut/

But in general, I don’t think December would be the ideal month. There’s a lot of darkness and you can’t do many of the activities outlined in the guide.

We are two retired Australians travelling to Nunavut in March-April 2024. l have tried everywhere to see if we might require a permit in Nunavut. We are visiting Ilaquit, Rankin Inlet, Arctic Bay and Resolute. Also, it is confusing as to which settlements are “dry” and not allowing alcohol. Can you please give us any advice? Thank you very much! Wendy. February 2024.

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Things to Do in Nunavut, Canada - Nunavut Attractions

Things to do in nunavut.

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Good for Big Groups
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Honeymoon spot
Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Baffin Island

2. Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre

3. Arctic Coast Visitor Centre

4. Legislative Assembly of Nunavut

5. Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park

6. Auyuittuq National Park

7. Apex Beach

8. Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum

9. St. Jude's Cathedral

10. Ellesmere Island

11. Sirmilik National Park

12. The Matchbox Gallery

13. katannilik territorial park.

14. Margaret Aniksak Visitor's Centre

15. Northern Collectables

16. Qaummaarviit Territorial Park

17. angmarlik visitor centre.

18. Nunavut Brewing Company

20. Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Park

21. Carvings Nunavut

22. Ovayok Territorial Park

23. Kugluktuk Visitor Heritage Centre

24. Tasiluliariaq Rotary Park

25. soper river (kuujjuaq).

26. Canadian High Arctic Research Station

27. Inukpak Outfitting

28. Quttinirpaaq National Park

29. Apex Trail

30. Kivalliq Regional Visitor Centre

What travelers are saying.

Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre
Baffin Island
Quttinirpaaq National Park
Ellesmere Island
Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum
Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park
Auyuittuq National Park
Sirmilik National Park

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Article by Peter Kikkert

Published Online August 9, 2007

Last Edited January 31, 2023

Nunavut, or “Our Land” in Inuktitut, encompasses over 2 million km 2 and has a population of 36,858 residents (2021 census), 30,865 of whom are Inuit. Covering roughly the part of the Canadian mainland and Arctic Archipelago that lies to the north and northeast of the treeline, Nunavut is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada and the fifth largest administrative division in the world. Nunavummiut live in 25 communities spread across this vast territory, with the largest number, 7,429 (2021 census), in the capital, Iqaluit. The creation of Nunavut in 1999 (the region was previously part of the Northwest Territories) represented the first major change to the political map of Canada since the incorporation of Newfoundland into Confederation in 1949. Beyond changing the internal political boundaries of Canada, Nunavut’s formation represented a moment of great political significance; through political activism and long-term negotiations, a small, marginalized Indigenous group overcame many obstacles to peacefully establish a government that they controlled within the Canadian state, thereby gaining control of their land, their resources and their future. As such, the creation of Nunavut represents a landmark moment in the evolution of Canada and a significant development in the history of the world’s Indigenous peoples.

Nunavut covers 1,936,113 km 2 of land and 157,077 km 2 of water in Northern Canada, representing 21 percent of the country’s total area. The territory includes part of the mainland, most of the Arctic Archipelago , and all of the islands in Hudson Bay , James Bay and Ungava Bay . Nunavut is divided by three of Canada’s seven physiographic regions . These regions are the Hudson Bay Lowlands , the Canadian Shield and the Arctic Lands .

The Hudson Bay Lowlands are a sedimentary basin in the middle of the Canadian Shield . The Canadian Shield comprises much of the mainland, certain islands around Hudson Bay and parts of the Arctic Archipelago . The lowlands of the Canadian Shield rest on a bed of rock that is at least 1 billion years old. They are covered by a thin layer of soil, and are often poorly drained and flat. A defining characteristic of this physiographic region are the thousands of lakes and rivers that dot the surface.

The Arctic Lands physiographic region extends throughout the northern half of Nunavut . It includes most of Canada’s Arctic Archipelago . The eastern edge of the Archipelago is a mountainous zone, with elevations approaching 2,000 m in the north, and a heavily fjorded coast. In sharp contrast, the central and western islands are relatively flat, with low relief. On the northern islands, night lasts for 24 hours during the winter months, while day lasts for 24 hours during the summer.

Much of the land in Nunavut is characterized as tundra , which is bare, rocky and treeless. The soil of the tundra is locked in permafrost . The Arctic is experiencing climate warming faster and more intensely than most other parts of the world. Changes in Nunavut include higher temperatures, melting permafrost, reduced sea ice, thinning and retreating glaciers and diminished ice shelves. These changes threaten polar bears , seals , walruses , caribou and many other species on which traditional Inuit harvesting practices depend. ( See also Geography of Nunavut .)

Pre-Dorset and Dorset Culture

During the last Ice Age , much of Nunavut was covered by a thick sheet of glacial ice. Between 15,000 and 10,000 years ago the glaciers covering Nunavut melted, and shortly afterward the landscape filled with caribou and muskoxen , while walrus , seals and whales moved into the channels between the islands. While Indigenous peoples followed migrating caribou to the edge of the treeline on the mainland, they never ventured to the Arctic coastline or the islands beyond.

Around 5,000 years ago, however, the first people began to explore the lands and sea that now make up Nunavut. In a wave of migration that likely started in Siberia, the Palaeo-Inuit of the Pre-Dorset culture moved in small groups across the Arctic coastline and Archipelago, pushing through to Greenland and Labrador . As they encountered the different ecosystems and geography of the Arctic, they adapted their hunting techniques and tool technology. In Nunavut, they hunted muskoxen and caribou with bow and arrow, and seals, fish, walruses and even small whales by throwing harpoons from the shore or sea ice. For shelter, they crafted tents out of animal skin. The small cutting edges of their stone tools have led archaeologists to call the Pre-Dorset culture the Arctic Small Tool Tradition.

The Pre-Dorset way of life transitioned to the Dorset culture 2,500 years ago, characterized by markedly different tool technology, including triangular blades and soapstone lamps. The Dorset hunted sea mammals, including narwhal and walrus. Unlike their predecessors, the Dorset lived in more permanent houses made of snow, stone and turf.

About 1,000 years ago, another wave of migration started to move from the southern Bering Sea to the eastern Arctic. These people, known as the Thule , adapted a maritime hunting culture with the tools, boats and skills required to harvest the larger whales found in the waters of the Arctic Archipelago . Advanced tool technology that included the sealskin kayak, the open skin boat known as the umiaq, harpoons, fishing spears, lances, bows and arrows, a type of knife called the ulu, soapstone lamps and pots, and snow goggles, helped the Thule to successfully travel on the land and effectively harvest the animals that sustained them. In addition to whales, the Thule also harvested seal, fish, caribou and smaller mammals. The large volumes of food provided by the seal hunts allowed the Thule to live in larger, more permanent communities, often a dozen or more houses made of stone slabs, sod and whalebone. In these villages, people had ample leisure time to craft their sophisticated tools, often out of metal, and develop their vibrant culture, expressed in elaborate carvings, amongst other crafts.

As the Thule pushed into the Arctic Archipelago, they moved into land inhabited by the Dorset. Inuit oral tradition remembers the Dorset as the Tuniit or the Sivullirmiut (the first inhabitants) and describes these people as peaceful giants, taller and stronger than the Thule. While there may have been some intermarriage or conflict between the two groups, on the whole a pattern of encounter and retreat seems to have been followed, with the Dorset choosing to keep their distance from the Thule and their culture. As the Dorset retreated into more marginal and inhospitable zones, the struggle to survive became ever more difficult. Although the idea is disputed between archaeologists, there is a chance that a small group of Dorset people known as the Sadlermiut survived in a small, isolated community on Coats , Walrus and Southampton islands in Hudson Bay (near the present-day Nunavut community of Coral Harbour ) until they died of an epidemic in the early 20th century.

Around 500 years ago, Thule culture changed dramatically. In response to a cooling climate, the Thule abandoned most of the northern Archipelago. In addition, their permanent villages started to break apart as the people embraced a more migratory life based on seasonal subsistence patterns shaped by local environments. The people now lived in small shifting family groups with a non-hierarchical social organization.

The shift in Thule culture ended in the emergence of the diverse Inuit societies that exist in Nunavut today. Throughout the Kitikmeot, groups of Inuit — the Inuinnait and the Netsilingmiut — thrived in a pattern of life perfectly adapted to the environmental conditions of the central Arctic. In a seasonal cycle that repeated year after year, they lived in large iglu villages on the sea ice and hunted seals during the winter months before returning to the land in smaller groups to fish and hunt caribou in the spring and summer. These groups were amongst the most nomadic people in the North American Arctic, and they travelled extensively in their seasonal cycle as they sought the best hunting and fishing grounds in the region.

In the coastal areas of the Kivalliq, the Kivallirmiut (also called Caribou Inuit) adapted to life in the interior, where they hunted caribou and geese and fished for trout . Their dependence on inland rather than coastal resources made them unique among Inuit societies. During the fall hunt, populations gathered at a few good hunting spots to replenish their food supplies for winter. Caribou skins were used to make clothes and containers, as well as tents during the summer months and snowhouses during the winter.

In the Qikiqtaaluk, the different groups of Baffin Island Inuit and the Iglulingmuit adapted to their local environments. The people of the Qikiqtaaluk harvested walruses , seals , caribou and arctic char.

Throughout Nunavut, Inuit developed rich and vibrant cultures and traditional knowledge systems strongly connected to their local environments. At the same time, they also participated in extensive trade networks, exchanging skins, driftwood, soapstone, flint, copper, clothing and tools. ( See also Indigenous People: Arctic .)

European Exploration

The first Europeans to explore parts of Arctic North America were the Norse. After settling along the southwestern coast of Greenland after the year 980, groups of Norse intermittently ventured to the eastern fringe of the Arctic Archipelago until about 1450 CE in search of resources and trading partners. Most scholars agree that the Norse called Baffin Island “Helluland.” Archaeological remains indicate that as the Norse ventured into the region, they met and traded with first the Dorset and then the Thule inhabitants.

In the first European forays into the Arctic Archipelago in the 16th and early 17th centuries, explorers searched for a commercial route to Asia, a water passageway known as the Northwest Passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans above northern North America. During three expeditions in the late 1570s, Martin Frobisher explored Greenland (the Norse abandoned the area in the early 15 th century), sailed into the bay on southeastern Baffin Island that now bears his name and claimed the region for Queen Elizabeth I. By 1620, John Davis , Robert Bylot and William Baffin had followed Frobisher’s route and pushed further north into Davis Strait , Smith, Jones and Lancaster Sounds and charted the eastern coastline of Baffin Island. Soon after, English efforts relocated to the southerly reaches of the North American archipelago, where in 1610 Henry Hudson explored the enormous bay named after him. By the end of the century, the newly formed Hudson’s Bay Company dominated exploration in the North, but its focus on the subarctic fur trade left little incentive to support forays into the Arctic Archipelago. With a great deal of assistance from Indigenous peoples and their technologies, Samuel Hearne made it to the Arctic coast by way of the Coppermine River in 1771, stopping at what is now Kugluktuk .

After French leader Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo in 1815, the British Royal Navy “ruled the waves.” Without a war to fight and Britain’s sea-lanes of trade and communication secure, the navy struggled to find an outlet for its energies. Government-sponsored polar exploration provided a purpose for the Royal Navy and a testing ground for its ships and men, while adding to British power and prestige. Between 1818 and 1845, the navy uncovered large parts of Arctic North America as it sent its ships and crews into the ice and labyrinth of islands in the Archipelago ( see Arctic Exploration ).

By the 1840s, seaborne expeditions led by John Ross and William Parry had explored parts of the eastern and central Archipelago, while overland expeditions by Hudson’s Bay Company explorers had illuminated more of the western end of the Northwest Passage. As a result, the British government felt confident that a new expedition led by 59-year-old John Franklin would finally conquer the Passage. His two ships, Erebus and Terror , were the first to sail through Peel Sound but became trapped in the ice near King William Island (with the assistance of Inuit oral history, the Erebus was found in 2014, the Terror in 2016). Franklin died in June 1847, and the remaining crews abandoned the ships the following spring of 1848 in a fatal attempt to walk to the closest settlement, hundreds of kilometres to the south. Everyone succumbed to starvation and exhaustion. Subsequent British searches to determine what happened to the expedition, which seemed to vanish without a trace, crisscrossed the centre of the Arctic Archipelago by ship and sledge, filling in a large part of the map and uncovering three Northwest Passages. ( See also Exhibit: Arctic Exploration ).

The Franklin search internationalized exploration in the Arctic Archipelago. Englishman E.A. Inglefield and Americans E.K. Kane, I. Hayes and C.F. Hall navigated the channel between Greenland and Ellesmere Island , and the survey of Ellesmere’s east shore was completed by the 1875–76 British polar expedition under G.S. Nares. In 1876, P. Aldrich rounded the top of Ellesmere Island and named the northernmost point of what is now Canadian territory Cape Columbia. Norwegian Otto Sverdrup explored the western shore of Ellesmere Island (1898–1902). Sverdrup and his men also surveyed the entire coast of Axel Heiberg Island , and to the west discovered and mapped Amund Ringnes and Ellef Ringnes islands and King Christian Island. From 1903 to 1906, another Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen , made use of the internal combustion engine to propel his 47-ton Gjøa through the Northwest Passage for the first time.

Between 1913 and 1918, the northern party of the Canadian Arctic Expedition (CAE), led by Vilhjalmur Stefansson , outlined the edge of Canada’s continental shelf and discovered some of the world’s last major land masses — Lougheed, Borden , Mackenzie King , Meighen and Brock islands — while drifting dangerously but deliberately on ice floes. Meanwhile, the southern party explored much of the Kitikmeot region, contacting groups of Inuinnait and extensively studying their culture and language.

Over this time, many groups of Inuit encountered European explorers and started to trade furs and other traditional items for European food and metal tools. Inuit played important roles in many of these expeditions, as hunters, guides and interpreters, even assisting the Europeans with their mapmaking. Many explorers owed their success — and lives — to Inuit who taught them how to travel effectively, dress properly for the weather and live off the land.

Whalers, Fur Traders and Missionaries

While the explorers initiated contact with many Inuit groups, the arrival of whalers, fur traders and missionaries had a far greater impact. In the late 18th century, European whaling operations began in the Eastern Arctic, and by 1840, American, English and Scottish whalers had established year-round shore stations in Cumberland Sound, where they occasionally hired Inuit families to work for them. This long-term European presence brought greater trade to the Inuit groups in the region, but also more diseases. Extensive whaling operations also led to overharvesting, which led whaling crews to expand their focus to caribou and muskox , depleting many of animals essential to Inuit subsistence patterns. By the end of the century, the whaling industry in the Eastern Arctic had come to an end.

By the late 19th century, fur traders started to move into the territory that now makes up Nunavut. In the early 20th century, fur-trading posts were established at the sites of many of the communities that now exist in Nunavut. The involvement of Inuit in the fur-trade economy changed their lives in subtle ways. With a steady source of cash income now available, Inuit could purchase a steady stream of hunting supplies, canned food and luxury goods from the fur traders. These trade goods, which included new technologies such as rifles, stoves and steel traps, changed how they hunted and lived on the land. To attend to their trap lines between April and November, many Inuit in the central Arctic settled into coastal trapping locations rather than in winter sealing camps on the sea ice, ending the seasonal cycle that their ancestors had embraced for centuries. Focus on the fur trade shifted Inuit from focus on hunting solely for food, clothing and shelter to supplying outsiders with goods. This altered traditional trade and migration patterns, and some Inuit chose to settle closer to the fur-trading posts.

In the footsteps of the whalers and fur traders came the missionaries, both Catholic and Protestant, who established churches, provided health care and established mission schools — often in competition with one another. Many missionaries promoted practices and ideals that challenged the Inuit belief system and attempted to end certain traditional practices. In the eastern and western Arctic, missionaries translated the New Testament into Inuit dialects using a system of syllabic writing.

While these developments changed the way that Inuit lived and sometimes brought additional hardships, none were as serious as the epidemics that the Europeans brought with them. Measles, tuberculosis and influenza killed many Inuit.

Although life started to change with the influx of whalers, fur traders and missionaries, as well as with the introduction of a new economy, new religions and new technologies, many Inuit in Nunavut were able to maintain their traditional subsistence patterns well into the 20th century. Inuit continued to travel extensively, moving between their new trap lines and the best hunting and fishing areas. “We work hard then. We travelled much,” Elder Ekalun told Weekend Magazine in 1970. “If one was lucky, one had lots to eat. If one had no luck, one was hungry. Often one was hungry. But then came again good times. And the people were happy and danced.”

Canadian Government Administration

During much of the 19th century, the British government and its Colonial Office spent little time thinking about their claim to the islands. While explorers planted flags and made claims, Britain never formally annexed the Arctic Islands into its empire. In the 1870s, however, concerns arose about potential American claims to the islands of the Archipelago . In 1880, Britain transferred its rights to the islands to Canada. For its part, after 1880, Canada did little to consolidate its administrative or practical control over the Archipelago. By the turn of the century, the activities of foreign explorers in the High Arctic islands and ongoing concerns about the strength of its legal claims prompted the Canadian government to extend its efforts in Arctic North America. Joseph-Elzéar Bernier patrolled the waters of Hudson Bay and the Arctic islands, asserting control and indicating Canada’s supervision over the region. Bernier intercepted and imposed licenses on foreign whalers, collected customs duties, conducted geographical research and planted the flag on many northern islands.

In 1919 and 1920, concerns over the Danish government’s alleged denial of Canadian sovereignty over Ellesmere Island led to greater government activity on the eastern fringe of the archipelago. In 1922, the Liberal government of William Lyon Mackenzie King instituted an annual ship patrol in the Eastern Arctic and established new RCMP posts at Pond Inlet on Baffin Island and Craig Harbour on Ellesmere. When in 1925 an American expedition announced its plans to explore the area above Ellesmere Island and refused to ask the Canadian government’s permission, it led to more police posts and patrols around the islands of the Archipelago and Ottawa’s insistence that any explorer or scientist who wished to travel in the Archipelago must apply to Ottawa for a license. In 1930, negotiations with the Norwegian government led to its recognition of Canada’s sovereignty over the Sverdrup Islands .

As the Canadian government extended its administration throughout Nunavut, it also tried to determine its relationship with Inuit. Although the collapse of the fur trade in the 1930s led the federal government to initiate relief programs for certain groups of Inuit, in order to save administrative costs, official policy continued to promote a traditional, self-sufficient way of life for Inuit into the 1950s. In 1939, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in the Re Eskimo case that, constitutionally, Inuit should be classified as Indians in Canada, which made them the legal responsibility of the federal government. Still, no comprehensive Inuit policy emerged. In 1951, the government amended the Indian Act to exclude Inuit. As these events went on in Ottawa, most Inuit continued their traditional life, although contact with people from the South slowly increased.

Second World War

During the Second World War , the American military developed several ambitious defence projects for what is now Nunavut, including the Crimson Route, an alternate path for ferrying planes and material to Britain. Air bases were built, complete with support facilities and the required infrastructure. The Crimson Route involved installations at Churchill , Manitoba; Southampton Island in Hudson Bay ; Fort Chimo (Kuujjuaq); Iqaluit (then called Frobisher Bay by non-Inuit); Padloping Island in Davis Strait’s Merchants Bay; and other northern sites. The presence of large numbers of American military personnel at these installations had a large impact on Inuit living near them. During the war the Canadian government also started to issue identification disks to Inuit in order to keep track of them — reducing them to a number for administrative ease (this practice was only discontinued in 1971, when all Inuit selected surnames).

Did You Know? On 27 January 2020, Inuit elder Qapik Attagutsiak was recognized by Parks Canada as a “Hometown Hero” for her “significant” contributions to Canada’s Second World War effort. Qapik was part of a nationwide effort to recycle bones, fats, metals and rubber for wartime production. Living on an island near Igloolik , west of Baffin Island ( Nunavut ), Qapik collected walrus and seal bones which were used to make aircraft glue, fertilizer, and cordite (a type of explosive used in bullets). Qapik, 99, was honoured by Nunavut Commissioner Nellie Kusugak and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau , Quebec.

As relations between the Soviet Union and the United States deteriorated after the Second World War , it became obvious to defence planners that the Arctic would form the front line if another world war broke out. In the years that followed, air bases and military stations were built across Nunavut, culminating in the construction of the Distant Early Warning Line — a radar line that could provide advanced warning of incoming Soviet bombers — in 1955. The construction of the DEW Line stations brought hundreds of ships, planes and workers to the Canadian Arctic. They brought with them buildings, steel towers, oil drums, electronic equipment, paint, wood, wire and all types of construction gear. This, and the other defence activities that the Cold War inspired, forever changed the face of Nunavut and the lives of Inuit.

Military construction became a key impetus for Inuit to settle in permanent communities. The military recruited Inuit to work on construction projects, which caused many to come off the land and settle around military installations. While many performed janitorial duties and manual labour, others received training as mechanics, carpenters, drivers and heavy equipment operators. Inuit workers continued to hunt and fish whenever they had a chance, but more families started to supplement country food with whatever rations they could secure from personnel working at the DEW Line stations. The wage economy began to undermine the traditional social organization of the Inuit, changed family life and parenting norms (as men left for weeks at a time) and altered gender roles. For many Inuit, the DEW Line brought a dramatic shift from a self-sustaining nomadic life to sedentary community life and a wage-based economy. New clothes, new housing and new technology all led to rapid lifestyle changes in a very short period of time.

The construction phase of the DEW Line lasted only a couple of years. While some Inuit workers found full-time work at the stations, more were laid off. The fur trade still offered some cash income, and many Inuit continued to work their trap lines. For most, however, the fur trade could not provide full-time employment. Some Inuit found work with the various government agencies that moved into the North, while others had to live off casual employment and social assistance. With few jobs available, unemployment persisted as a major problem in every community in the decades ahead.

Paternalism and the Welfare State

In the 1950s and 1960s, the Canadian government became even more involved in the everyday lives of Inuit as it sought to expand its administrative activities in the North. In so doing, Ottawa jettisoned the old policy of “keeping the Native Native” and became far more paternalistic in its approach, often causing great damage to Inuit. In the 1950s, Ottawa forcibly relocated Inuit from Inukjuak in Northern Québec to Grise Fjord and Resolute , ostensibly to provide them with better hunting grounds and greater prosperity, although many Inuit and historians argue that the government wanted to create a permanent human presence in the High Arctic to bolster Canada’s sovereignty over the region. During the construction of the DEW Line, the federal government started to post Northern Service Officers (NSO) to administer the new communities forming in Nunavut. In addition, the government initiated social welfare programs for housing, education, health care and economic development. In order to receive an education, however, many Inuit youth had to attend residential schools and federal hostels far from their communities, where they experienced emotional, physical and sexual abuse, as well as assimilatory practices that assaulted their language, culture and spiritual beliefs.

Housing remained the first and most pressing problem for the expanding communities. Adequate housing could neither keep up with the number of new people migrating into the communities, nor could casually employed and unemployed Inuit afford houses. Overcrowding became a major problem. After reports of the deplorable living conditions arrived in Ottawa, a government-administered housing program was started to send prefabricated houses to the communities in the early 1960s. As communities developed, traditional methods of subsistence proved increasingly difficult, given the lengthy travel times to available resources and the need to engage in the wage economy.

The Canadian government initiated its northern policies without consulting Inuit. Ottawa’s paternalistic approach was highlighted during the 1952 meeting of the Canadian Eskimo Affairs Committee, when a senior government official said, “The only reason why Eskimos were not invited to the meeting was…that it was felt that few, if any, of them have yet reached the stage where they could take a responsible part in such discussion.” A territorial council in Ottawa administered the whole of the Northwest Territories , which then stretched over one third of Canada’s land mass. Slowly, however, Inuit became more politically active. Inuit became involved in local government and administrative organizations such as town and hamlet councils and housing authorities. In 1950, Inuit became eligible to vote in federal elections, and in 1966 the first Inuk, Simonie Michael, was elected to the NWT Council. Additional changes came in 1967 when the territorial government moved from Ottawa to Yellowknife , but even this was incredibly distant for Inuit living in the Eastern Arctic.

The Creation of Nunavut

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Inuit across the Canadian Arctic started to organize to discuss land claims and better governance options. In 1971, the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada was formed and was heavily involved in the preparation of the first Inuit land claims proposal in 1976. This proposal called for a land claim and the creation of a new territory, administered by a new government. In this territory, Inuit would have political control through their sheer numbers and voting power. The proposal was soon withdrawn, however, because of its complexity, lack of community input and concern that it had been overly influenced by southern consultants. First the NWT Inuit Land Claims Commission (1977), then the Nunavut Land Claims Project (1979) and finally the Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut (1982) were formed to deal with the land claims negotiations. In these negotiations, Inuit consistently clashed with the federal government over whether the land claims should include the political division of the Northwest Territories , leading to the creation of a new territory. Only after years of debate was the idea of Nunavut accepted by the federal government, but it was still decided to negotiate the creation of the new territory separate from the land claim.

The concept of a separate Nunavut steadily grew. In 1979, the Northwest Territories was divided into two federal electoral districts, with the new eastern district of Nunatsiaq corresponding to what would become Nunavut. The first member elected in that district, Peter Ittinuar , was also the first Inuk to sit in the House of Commons . In 1982, the NWT Division Plebiscite ended with 56 percent of the voters in favour of division. In the eastern Arctic, where the Inuit population was highest, the percentage in favour of division reached 80 percent. Afterwards, the Nunavut Constitutional Forum was created to plan for the division. While there was much debate over the boundary line between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, in 1992 the proposed boundary passed in another plebiscite.

An agreement-in-principle on the land-claims settlement was finally reached in 1990. Members of both the Tunngavik Federation and federal negotiating teams signed this document, the “Nunavut Land Claims Agreement” (NLCA), in September of 1992. It was then put to a plebiscite in October of 1992 and saw a record turnout of voters, who passed the agreement with an overwhelming majority of 84.7 percent. The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act — the largest Indigenous land-claims settlement in Canadian history — which ratified the agreement, and the Nunavut Act , which created the new territory, were both passed on 10 June 1993 (the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act came into force on 9 July 1993). The NLCA granted Inuit the right to hunt, fish and trap throughout the territory. That Agreement subdivided Nunavut into three designations of land: 1) Crown lands over which Inuit have the right to hunt, trap, fish and participate in management; 2) 318,084 km 2 of Inuit-owned land, including rights to the ground’s surface but not what lies beneath; and 3) 37,883 km 2 of Inuit-owned land including both surface and subsurface rights. Inuit were invited to select the parcels of land for each designation. In compensation for the Crown lands that were not to be Inuit property, the federal government agreed to pay recognized Inuit organizations $1.17 billion over 14 years.

After ratification of the two acts in 1993, attention turned toward implementation. This process was led by Chief Commissioner John Amagoalik, while the land-claims settlement process was spearheaded by Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI). Over the next few years, these groups created new government departments and trained employees. On 15 February 1999, the first election was held in Nunavut to vote in the first members of the legislative assembly. After the election, the assembly chose Paul Okalik as the territory’s first premier, while the federal government appointed Helen Maksagak as the first Commissioner of Nunavut. On 1 April 1999, Nunavut officially separated from the Northwest Territories to become the newest Canadian territory.

Did You Know? Nunavut Day is celebrated annually on July 9 , even though Nunavut officially became a territory of Canada on April 1 , 1999. The date of July 9 was chosen because it commemorates the passing of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act (1993), a milestone agreement between the people of Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and the federal government of Canada, paving the way for the establishment of Nunavut in 1999.

Demographics

Until 2016, Nunavut was the least inhabited province or territory in Canada, a title it has since lost to Yukon. As of 2016, the territory has the strongest population growth in the country, reporting a 12.7 percent increase between the 2011 and 2016 censuses (the population rose from 31,906 to 35,944). Most of this population increase is the result of Nunavut possessing the highest fertility rate in Canada — an average of 2.9 children per women, well past the national average of 1.5. This rapid growth has earned Nunavut another important distinction: it has the youngest population in Canada, with about 30 percent of Nunavummiut being under the age of 14 in 2016.

Language and Ethnicity

There are four official languages spoken in Nunavut — Inuktitut , Inuinnaqtun (a dialect of Inuktitut spoken in Kitikmeot), English and French. Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun is the mother tongue of 65.1 percent of Nunavummiut. While English is spoken throughout the territory, Iqaluit is also home to a large francophone community. Nunavut has the only act (the Inuit Language Protection Act ) in Canada that aims to protect and revitalize an Indigenous peoples’ language and insists that the Government of Nunavut take positive action to advance the Inuit language in government, education and other public services.

According to the 2021 census, 30,865 residents of Nunavut are Inuit. Following Inuit, the two most commonly cited ethnicities were Scottish and Irish, accounting for 9.2 and 4.9 percent of the population respectively.

In 2001, the last year statistics are available, over 93 percent of Nunavummiut identified as Christian.

Communities

List of Nunavut’s 10 Largest Communities

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census

Nunavut’s population of 36,858 residents is spread out across 25 communities, ranging in size from a couple of hundred people to 7,429 in Iqaluit , the territory’s capital. Most of these communities are geographically isolated and accessible only by air and sea.

These communities are split into three administrative regions: Qikiqtaaluk, Kivalliq and Kitikmeot. Qikiqtaaluk is the most populated and spans the northernmost, easternmost and southernmost areas of Nunavut. There are 13 communities in Qikiqtaaluk: Iqaluit, Cape Dorset , Hall Beach , Igloolik , Arctic Bay , Resolute , Pond Inlet, Grise Fiord , Clyde River , Pangnirtung , Sanikiluaq , Qikiqtarjuaq and Kimmirut . The Kivalliq region consists of all the territory on the mainland west of Hudson Bay , along with Southampton and Coats Islands . It is made up of seven communities: Rankin Inlet , Chesterfield Inlet , Baker Lake , Coral Harbour , Whale Cove , Naujaat (Repulse Bay) and Arviat . The Kitikmeot region consists of the southern and eastern parts of Victoria Island , King William Island and the southern part of Prince of Wales Island , and the adjacent part of the mainland as far as the Boothia Peninsula . Kitikmeot includes seven communities: Cambridge Bay , Kugluktuk , Taloyoak , Gjoa Haven , Kugaaruk , Umingmaktuuq and Bathurst Inlet (Umingmaktuuq and Bathurst Inlet are only occupied on an occasional basis).

Although many of these communities have experienced gains in health, education and employment, their residents continue to experience challenges that severely reduce their standard of living. These challenges include the high price of food and other commodities, overcrowded housing and housing shortages, high construction costs, problems delivering essential services, a shortage of health-care providers in the smaller communities, inadequate Internet access and slow economic growth.

Resource extraction has always formed the foundation of Nunavut’s wage economy. After the decline of the whaling industry at the end of the 19th century and the end of the fur trade in the 1930s, little economic development occurred in Nunavut. In the decades that followed the Second World War , however, Nunavut experienced a wave of mineral and oil exploration. The Canadian government and private companies explored the natural resources of the region with little consultation with the Inuit who lived on the land. As communities expanded in the 1960s, the Canadian government assisted with the development of cooperative businesses (an example is the cooperative fishery established in Cambridge Bay ) to help provide employment opportunities to Inuit. Since the 1960s, Nunavut’s economy has expanded to include commercial inshore and offshore fisheries, renewable resource harvesting, arts and crafts, tourism and an expanding service sector. In general, Inuit welcome development, so long as it respects the land and provides Nunavummiut with economic opportunities.

Nunavut is serviced by several developmental agencies that pursue economic opportunities on behalf of Nunavummiut. At the territorial level, the Nunavut Development Corporation is a public agency with the mandate of creating employment opportunities and promoting economic diversity and stability for all Nunavummiut. The Atuqtuarvik Corporation, the NCC Investment Group and Nunasi Corporation are Inuit-owned investment corporations created to represent the economic interests of all beneficiaries of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. Three regional development corporations, the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation, the Sakku Investments Corporation and the Kitikmeot Corporation, also promote development in their respective regions.

Oil and Gas

The postwar expansion of the global economy fuelled by an abundance of cheap oil had a dramatic impact on Nunavut. Oil exploration began throughout parts of the Arctic Archipelago in the 1950s and 1960s, and test wells were drilled on several islands, including Cornwallis , Bathurst , King Christian and Melville Islands . Exploration increased with the oil crisis of the 1970s.

Cameron Island represents the only site that has been developed for commercial oil production in Nunavut. From 1985 to 1996, Suncor used the tanker MV Arctic to ship light crude from Bent Horn in the southwest of the island to Montréal . The field produced 2.8 million barrels of oil before it was abandoned by Suncor.

Oil and gas exploration has continued in Nunavut. In 2016, a case was brought to the Supreme Court by the community members of Clyde River over the National Energy Board’s decision to allow companies to conduct seismic tests across Baffin Bay and Davis Strait in search of offshore oil and gas, which many believe will harm marine life. In December 2016, the federal government issued a ban on all oil and gas drilling in Arctic waters, although this ban will be reviewed every five years.

Nunavut is the only province or territory in Canada that relies exclusively on imported fossil fuels for its energy needs. All electricity in Nunavut is supplied by Qulliq Energy Corporation (QEC), a territorial corporation owned by the Government of Nunavut, through diesel combustion in 26 stand-alone diesel plants in 25 communities ( Iqaluit has two). Nunavut is completely dependent on millions of litres of imported petroleum products to support everyday living.

Mineral development in Nunavut has always proven difficult because of the extreme operating conditions and lack of infrastructure. Still, several lucrative mines have been opened in the territory over the last few decades. Past mining operations in Nunavut include: the Lupin Mine, near Contwoyto Lake ( gold, lead and zinc ); Nanisivik Mine on Baffin Island (lead and zinc); Rankin Nickel Mine ( nickel , copper and platinum ); and the Jericho Diamond Mine, 420 km northeast of Yellowknife . There are currently three major mines in full operation in Nunavut. Agnico-Eagle’s Meadowbank mine and TMAC Resources’ Hope Bay mine are both gold mines, located in the Kivalliq and the Kitikmeotregions respectively. In addition, Mary River Iron Ore mine, operated by Baffinland Iron Mines, produces such high-quality ore that no processing is required before it is shipped to market.

Meanwhile, exploration continues across Nunavut, particularly in Kitikmeot’s greenstone belt, a large geological area that has a high number of deposits. Mines often raise environmental concerns, such as loss of habitat for caribou and other animals. They also have the potential to provide hundreds of jobs to Inuit, as well as resource royalties to the territorial government.

Traditional Harvesting

Traditional harvesting continues to play an important role in Nunavut’s economy. Harvesting animals provides country food to supplement diets, but also fur, skin and bones for clothing, games and art.

Nunavut has established commercial char, shrimp and turbot fisheries. In particular, the turbot fishery is a major employer in the Baffin region. As more studies are completed on its commercial fishing stock, Nunavut anticipates the fisheries sector to be an important area of growth in its economy.

Tourism in Nunavut tends to focus on outdoor activities and the territory’s natural beauty, as well as Inuit culture. The range of tourism activities includes ecotourism (especially wildlife watching), exploration of Nunavut’s territorial and national parks, sport hunting, fishing, cultural, adventure and educational activities. The number of cruise ships visiting Nunavut’s waters has increased in recent years, largely due to reduced ice cover and a longer shipping season.

Inuit Arts and Crafts

The production of Inuit art plays an important role in Nunavut’s economy. Across Nunavut’s communities, the arts sector creates almost 1,100 full-time jobs and additional opportunities for some 2,000 Nunavummiut who sell their crafts door-to-door. While Nunavut is known for its carvings of stone, bone and ivory, and the print-making that occurs in many communities, the territory’s artists also produce weavings, clothing, jewellery, metal works and large-scale drawings. Moreover, further diversification happens every year in the industry. For example, in Kugluktuk, residents produce high-end qiviut wool from the hides of muskox for export.

Labour Force

In 2016, the annual unemployment rate for Nunavut was 14.9 percent, the highest in the country. The largest employer in the territory is the Government of Nunavut. An objective of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was to increase Inuit employment within the government to a “representative level,” meaning the proportion of Inuit government employees would mirror the proportion of Inuit residents within the territory. As of 2018, however, Inuit accounted for nearly 85 percent of the population, but only 50 percent of government workers. In addition to government employment, new jobs are emerging in construction, mining, mineral exploration, the fisheries sector and tourism.

Territorial Government

Nunavut’s unicameral Legislative Assembly currently has 22 seats. There are no political parties at the territorial level, and candidates run as individuals. Following a general election, Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) gather together as the “Nunavut Leadership Forum” to select the speaker, premier and Cabinet — the territory’s executive branch — in a secret ballot election. Paul Okalik served as the territory’s first premier from 1999 to 2008, Eva Ariak its second from 2008 to 2013, and Peter Taptuna its third from 2013 to 2017. Paul Quassa held the office for less than a year from 2017 to 2018 before losing a vote of non-confidence. He was replaced by Joe Savikataaq in June 2018. In the general election held October 2021, voters elected P.J. Akeeagok, and the MLAs chose him to serve as premier. ( See also Table: Premiers of Nunavut .)

Nunavut has a consensus government system, which blends the principles of parliamentary democracy with Inuit values of cooperation, egalitarianism and communal decision-making — different from the system of party politics that exists everywhere else in Canada, with the exception of the Northwest Territories . Within this system, however, unanimous agreement is not necessary for decisions to be made in the Assembly, although unanimity is often achieved. While ministers are expected to vote with Cabinet, regular MLAs may vote based on their individual opinions.

Nunavut also has a commissioner, who is appointed by the Canadian government. The role is a symbolic one, much like that of a lieutenant governor in a province. The commissioner swears in members of the legislative assembly and executive council, opens sessions of the assembly, gives assent to bills and generally serves as a symbolic head of state for the territory. Helen Mamayaok Maksagak served as the territory’s first commissioner, followed by Peter Taqtu Irniq , Ann Meekitjuk Hanson , Edna Ekhivalak Elias , Nellie Taptaqut Kusugak and, since 2021, Eva Qamaniq Aariak.

Currently, Nunavut is in the midst of devolution talks between Ottawa, the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, which will conclude in the transfer of Nunavut’s Crown public lands and resources to the Government of Nunavut. Devolution will allow Nunavummiut a greater say in the issues that affect them and allow them to make decisions on how these lands and resources are used. Devolution is viewed by Nunavummiut as the key to unlocking economic self-sufficiency and maintaining avatittinnik kamatsiarniq , or environmental stewardship. ( See also Territorial Government in Canada ).

Local Government

One of Nunavut’s central goals has always been the decentralization of governance beyond the territorial capital, Iqaluit . While the Kitikmeot, Kivalliq and Qikiqtaaluk regions do not have autonomous governments, they do have Regional Inuit Associations, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, Kivalliq Inuit Association and Kitikmeot Inuit Association that provide a basis for local administration. These associations manage Inuit-owned lands for the Inuit beneficiaries of the regions, work for the protection, administration and advancement of Inuit rights and benefits, and promote the economic, social, political and cultural well-being of their regions.

Nunavut is unique in Canada in that it has a unified, or “single level” court, the Nunavut Court of Justice. In sharp contrast to other provinces and territories that have separate lower provincial courts and superior courts, Nunavut’s federally appointed judges hear all matters assigned to both the lower provincial courts and the superior courts. Besides holding court proceedings in Iqaluit, the judges all travel as a circuit court throughout Nunavut’s communities. The court travels to the communities based on need, visiting some every six weeks and others less than once every two years. Members of the circuit court include a judge, clerk of the court, court reporter, prosecutor and at least one defence attorney. While on circuit, court is held in community halls, school gyms and other available space, and elders often sit with the judges in the courtroom.

Health Care

Currently, Nunavut has one hospital, the Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit, and two larger health centres in the regional centres of Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay , which are also staffed by physicians. Health services in the remaining communities are provided by community health nurses, while physicians visit them throughout the year. These centres are administered by the Department of Health of the Government of Nunavut. To receive specialized or advanced care, Nunavummiut often must travel to tertiary care facilities in places like Yellowknife , Edmonton , Winnipeg or Ottawa . The Government of Nunavut also provides many public health services and health promotion initiatives, including maternal-child health supports, immunization clinics, chronic disease management, sexual health, anti-tobacco-use programs, oral health, nutrition and food security initiatives. Throughout Nunavut, traditional medicines and healing continue to play a vital role in the health of Nunavummiut.

Nunavummiut face many health challenges, often caused by overcrowded, poorly ventilated homes and poor access to medical care. Over 60 percent of Nunavummiut smoke, leading to high rates of lung cancer and respiratory diseases. Nunavut has high rates of diabetes, obesity, sexually transmitted infections, suicide, tuberculosis and the highest rate of infant mortality in the country. Due to the high cost of food in Nunavut’s communities, food security remains a pressing health issue, with two-thirds of Inuit preschoolers living in food-insecure homes.

Starting in the 1970s, Inuit have taken ever greater control of education in Nunavut. In the 1980s, the Eastern Arctic operated under the mandate of three Inuit school boards, responsible for staffing, policies and programs. With the creation of Nunavut, the territory’s Department of Education dissolved the boards, replacing them with regional offices, although it still used legislation inherited from the Northwest Territories . In 2008, Nunavut passed its own education act, which called for bilingual education for all students by 2020 (an Inuit language and either English or French), incorporation of Inuit culture into all aspects of the education system (including consultation with communities and elders) and additional support for students to stay engaged in the educational process.

Progress toward the goals set in the Nunavut Education Act has been slow, and the Department of Education has been subject to a great deal of criticism over the effectiveness of the education system, leading to calls for greater Inuit influence, better accommodation of the special needs of students and more local control. In 2015, Nunavut had the lowest percentage of high-school graduates within its working-age population in Canada, despite spending, proportionately, the most amount of money on education. Just over half, or 54 percent, of the territory’s population between 25 and 64 have finished high school.

Building on the adult education initiatives started in many northern communities in the 1960s and 1970s, Arctic College was established in 1984, with campuses in Fort Smith and Iqaluit . In 1986, the Arctic Colleges Act gave the college the mandate to deliver adult and postsecondary education across the Northwest Territories. In 1995, Nunavut Arctic College was created in anticipation of the division of the Northwest Territories. Today, it is the only postsecondary institution in the territory, with a range of degree, diploma and certificate programs in language and culture, business, fine arts, environmental technology, human services, apprenticeship trades and adult basic education programs. The college’s two degree programs, teacher education and nursing, are delivered in partnership with the University of Regina and Dalhousie University respectively. The college has five campuses: Nunatta Campus in Clyde River , the Nunavut Research Institute Science Campus in Iqaluit, Kivalliq Campus and the Nunavut Trades Training Centre in Rankin Inlet and the Kitikmeot Campus, located in Cambridge Bay . Community Learning Centres staffed by adult educators are located in all 25 communities.

Transportation

Much of the transportation infrastructure in Nunavut was constructed in the 1970s, although parts of the system were built in the 1940s and 1950s. There are no roads connecting Nunavut to the rest of Canada, nor are the territory’s communities connected by roads. Roads exist in and around communities, although these are not extensive. In Nunavut, the Community Transportation Initiatives Program is slowly expanding road access to important harvesting, recreational and cultural sites.

Many of the necessities of life in Nunavut arrive by air or ship. In Nunavut, the airport system is centred on regional hubs, Iqaluit , Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay , which can accommodate jet aircraft and provide access to other communities. Smaller aircraft then move people and goods, including mail, fresh food and other supplies, from the hubs to the other communities. During the short summer months, large ships and barges bring building materials, vehicles, fuel and non-perishable goods to Nunavut’s communities. In recent years, an increase in Arctic cruise ship tourism has led to heightened levels of maritime traffic.

Since Nunavut’s creation, discussions on how to improve the territory’s transportation system have focused on the construction of community small-craft harbours, deep-water ports and surface or road links to Canada, especially between Kivalliq and Manitoba , and from Yellowknife to the potential mine sites around Bathurst Inlet .

Arts and Culture

Although Inuit life changed significantly over the course of the 20th century, traditional values and cultural practices remain strong amongst Nunavummiut. Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, or traditional knowledge, which includes storytelling, mythology, music and dancing, remains an essential part of cultural life in Nunavut. Inuit continue to embrace the land and sea as integral to their cultural identity and community health. As such, going out on the land, harvesting its resources and sharing this bounty with family and community also remain important elements of Nunavummiut cultural life.

Inuit cultural institutes and heritage societies have been established in most of Nunavut’s communities, and they are very active in recording the knowledge of elders, preserving Inuit languages, teaching traditional skills and culture, and promoting Inuit societal values. Many communities also have museums or cultural displays that explain their histories and the culture of their people.

Art is thriving in many of Nunavut’s communities, and has a long history in the region. Prominent graphic artists from Nunavut include Luke Anguhadluq (1895-1982), Jessie Oonark (1906-85), Pudlo Pudlat (1916-92), Andrew Qappik (1964-) and Annie Pootoogook (1969-2016), while prominent printmakers include Pitseolak Ashoona (1916-92), Kenojuak Ashevak (1927-2013) and Kananginak Pootoogook (1935-2010). Carvers Simeonie Amagoalik (1933-2011) and Looty Pijamini (1953-) are known for their sculptures commemorating Inuit who were forced to relocate to the High Arctic by the federal government.

Beyond more traditional arts and crafts such as carving and print-making, Nunavut artists are also making a dramatic impact in music, film and broadcasting. The international success of films such as The Necessities of Life (directed by Benoît Pilon and starring Inuk actor Natar Ungalaaq) and Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (directed by Zacharias Kunuk and starring Inuit actors Ungalaaq, Sylvia Ivalu and Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq) has brought attention to the budding film industry in Nunavut. Meanwhile, Inuit throat-singing, drumming and other Indigenous music continue to enthrall international audiences. Susan Aglukark grew up in Arviat , Nunavut and is a three-time Juno award winner for her blend of country and pop music. In 2014, genre-bending throat-singer Tanya Tagaq won the Polaris Music Prize for her album Animism .

While Nunavummiut play many Western recreational games such as soccer , hockey , baseball and basketball , they also embrace traditional Inuit games such as the one and two-foot high kick, kneel jump and arm pull. The Arctic Winter Games , held biannually since 1970, include a variety of traditional and nontraditional games and involve athletes from across the Circumpolar World.

Nunavut Stats

Official languages.

Inuinnaqtun

Joined Confederation

Territorial commissioner.

Eva Qamaniq Aariak

P.J. Akeeagok

Population (Rank)

Population (total).

36,858 (2021)

Area (Rank)

Area (total).

2,093,190 km2

1,936,113 km2

157,077 km2

GDP (Total)

$1.96 billion (2015)

Indigenous Peoples in Canada

Confederation
Northwest Territories

External Links

Statistics Canada “The Aboriginal languages of First Nations people, Métis and Inuit” (Census in Brief, 2016)

Pan Inuit Trails Explore the vast network of traditional Inuit trails, as mapped in this atlas.

The [Toronto] Star , Bruce Campion-Smith reports, “An Inuit elder is honoured for collecting bones to help with the war effort”

Aboriginal Arts and Stories The website for the Aboriginal Arts and Stories contest, which features Canada's largest essay writing competition for Indigenous youth (ages 14-29) and a companion program for those who prefer to work through painting, drawing and photography. From Historica Canada.

Government of Nunavut Your source for information about Government of Nunavut programs, regional tourism and local business opportunities. Also check out the links to Inuktitut language resources.

Associated Collections

Indigenous peoples, recommended.

Nunavimiut (Ungava Inuit)

Inuinnait (copper inuit), territorial government in canada, baffin island inuit, indigenous peoples and the world wars, indigenous perspectives education guide.

Nunavut Travel Guide

Popular destinations, san francisco, new york city.

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Nunavut government wants to open a protected area in the High Arctic to tourism

Tuvaijuittuq marine protected area off coast of ellesmere island considered the last ice area.

Sea ice with mountains in the background

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The Government of Nunavut is pushing the federal government to allow tourism, recreational and outfitting activities in the Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protected Area in the High Arctic.

With certain exceptions, no human activity has been authorized there for the last five years.

In a letter, Nunavut's Department of Environment asked Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to adopt a ministerial order saying "certain activities can occur within a Marine Protected Area," or that recognizes "specific tourism, recreation, and outfitting activities as 'on-going' under section 35.1 (1) (c) of the Oceans Act."

"Our support is not merely conditional but contingent upon immediate and substantive action by DFO," Nunavut's deputy environment minister Yvonne Niego wrote in the letter addressed to DFO deputy minister Annette Gibbons on March 25.

Niego also wrote that "new considerations" emerged since the signing of Nunavut's devolution agreement in January.

Niego did not share specific details about the type of tourist, recreational or outfitting activities envisioned for the area.

A phot of sea ice with a separation down the middle

The last ice area

The 319,000-square-kilometre Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protected Area is off the northwest of Ellesmere Island in Nunavut's High Arctic.

In Inuktitut, Tuvaijuittuq means "place where the ice never melts."

According to DFO, the marine protected area is considered one of the last places in the world with year-round sea ice. It also has the oldest and thickest sea ice in the Arctic Ocean.

When it was created in July 2019, the marine protected area became the first in the country to receive interim protection.

This temporary protection was meant to give the government of Canada, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, and the government of Nunavut more time to explore the feasibility of long-term protection measures in the area.

The parameters of this temporary protection are laid out in a ministerial order in the federal Oceans Act. It does have certain exceptions, including "the exercise of Inuit rights respecting wildlife harvesting as provided for under the Nunavut Agreement, marine scientific research consistent with the conservation objectives of the [marine protected area], safety, security and emergency activities and certain activities carried out by a foreign national, entity, ship or state."

That protection is set to expire in July. DFO wants to renew it for a period of five years, but the Nunavut government thinks that's too restrictive.

"The proposed interim measures, as they stand, appear to unjustifiably restrict activities, which is a significant concern for us," Niego wrote in the letter.

Niego's department declined an interview with Radio-Canada and sent an emailed statement.

"A balanced approach allows for sustainable use while protecting the environment," Leanne Babstock, a spokesperson for Nunavut's environment department, wrote.

"The government of Nunavut recognizes the importance of sustainable recreational, tourism, and outfitting activities within the Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protected Area. The government of Nunavut seeks to expand the proposed list of 'ongoing' activities, as defined under part (III) of the Oceans Act, and seeks to formally include these activities," Babstock wrote.

For its part, DFO acknowledged that it received Niego's letter, but declined an interview request for this story.

"While the department considers a response, it would be inappropriate to comment further on this matter," Robert Rombouts, communications advisor for DFO, wrote in an email.

Between July and September 2023, DFO also received support to renew the order from municipalities as well as hunters and trappers associations from the five nearest communities, namely Grise Fiord, Resolute Bay, Pond Inlet, Arctic Bay and Clyde River.

'Employment opportunities'

Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) president Olayuk Akesuk said he support the territorial government's request and that tourism in the High Arctic would have positive economic benefits.

"We want to make sure that we respect the tourism industry in that area," he said. "It is very important for us, as we all know that the employment opportunities in our area is very limited."

"It's an opportunity for people outside of Canada to go see what we have in our territory."

He also said the issue will be the subject of discussions at QIA's upcoming board meeting in June.

"We still have to go through our board, our executive, to make sure we're all on the same page," he said.

A researcher has questions

Derek Mueller is professor at Carleton University's department of geography and environmental studies. The glaciologist has been studying the effects of climate change on the region's ecosystem for more than 20 years, including the Milne ice shelf.

From a conservation point of view, he said, the protected area in Tuvaijuittuq is a refuge for ice-dependent ecosystems around the Arctic.

"The climate models that are forecasting climate change into the future suggest that, of all the places in the Arctic, this will be one the last of places where there will be reasonably thick sea ice that may hang around the longest," Mueller said.

Mueller said the territory's request raises several questions about the scale of future tourism activities.

"Whatever activity goes on in that area should be evaluated for its impact," he said.

"It would depend on the scale of those operations. If it's small groups that are going on ski tours, or snowmobiling, it might not be very problematic for the environment. Obviously, a bigger operation like cruise ships going around 24/7 would be a different matter, I think."

Reporting by Matisse Harvey/Radio-Canada, translated by Emma Tranter

THE 15 BEST Things to Do in Nunavut

Things to do in nunavut.

5.0 of 5 bubbles
4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
Good for a Rainy Day
Budget-friendly
Good for Big Groups
Adventurous
Good for Kids
Hidden Gems
Good for Couples
Good for Adrenaline Seekers
Honeymoon spot
Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Baffin Island

2. Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre

3. Arctic Coast Visitor Centre

4. Legislative Assembly of Nunavut

5. Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park

6. Auyuittuq National Park

7. Apex Beach

8. Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum

9. St. Jude's Cathedral

10. Ellesmere Island

11. Sirmilik National Park

12. The Matchbox Gallery

13. katannilik territorial park.

14. Margaret Aniksak Visitor's Centre

15. Northern Collectables

16. Qaummaarviit Territorial Park

17. angmarlik visitor centre.

18. Nunavut Brewing Company

20. Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Park

21. Carvings Nunavut

22. Ovayok Territorial Park

23. Kugluktuk Visitor Heritage Centre

24. Tasiluliariaq Rotary Park

25. soper river (kuujjuaq).

26. Canadian High Arctic Research Station

27. Inukpak Outfitting

28. Quttinirpaaq National Park

29. Apex Trail

30. Kivalliq Regional Visitor Centre

What travellers are saying.

Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre
Baffin Island
Quttinirpaaq National Park
Ellesmere Island
Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum
Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park
Auyuittuq National Park
Sirmilik National Park

IMAGES

Nunavut, Canada
Here are the 10 Best Things to Do in Nunavut!
Best Things to Do in Nunavut, Canada's Largest Arctic Province
What is the Best Time of Year to Visit Nunavut?
10 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Nunavut
Top Things to Do in Nunavut

VIDEO

nunavut culture
Polar Outfitting
Nunavik
Nunavut Cultural Experiences
Fishing at Sylvia Grinnell River, Iqaluit Nunavut
NUNAVUT: Exotic Wildlife (Canada's North)

COMMENTS

Travel Nunavut
Travel Nunavut is a not-for-profit membership association that encourages tourism development by providing specialized knowledge and expertise in four key areas: marketing, research and communication, market readiness, and advocacy. We exist to support and promote our members' products and services to the world. Our Activities Nunavut is a ...
Home
Nunavut is a place with modern people living modern lives in an ancient environment - the Arctic - that offers the same challenges it has for centuries. It is a place that combines 21st century ideas, technology and society with the mindset and pace that Inuit have always adapted to suit the challenges that the environment around them has posed
Welcome to Nunavut
The first impression many visitors have of Nunavut is that of its vast expanses of pristine wilderness. It is the largest yet least populated of all the provinces and territories in Canada, with a total area of 2,093,190 square kilometres (808,190 square miles) and a population of approximately 33,330 people — 84 percent Inuit.
10 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Nunavut
9. Pond Inlet. 10. Qaummaarviit Territorial Park. Map of Tourist Attractions in Nunavut. 1. Baffin Island. Baffin Island. With its breathtaking landscape, the warm hospitality of the Indigenous Inuit people, and the numerous opportunities for a unique holiday experience, Baffin Island is a strong draw for tourists.
The Best Attractions and Things to do in Nunavut
The landscape of Nunavut is unlike other parts of Canada. In Nunavut, there are no trees. Instead, the territory is made up of rolling plateaus, glacial troughs, fiords, and mountains that could rival the Rockies. It's also the largest province or territory in Canada. For reference, if Nunavut were a country it would be the third largest.
Nunavut travel
Nunavut. Canada, North America. Picture a treeless, ice-encrusted wilderness lashed by unrelenting weather with a population density that makes Greenland seem claustrophobic. Add polar bears, narwhals, beluga whales and a scattered Inuit population who have successfully mastered a landscape so harsh that foreigners could not colonize it.
The Ultimate Nunavut Travel Guide
Quick Facts about Nunavut. Country: Canada. Demographic: Approximately 85% of the population is Indigenous, ~12% is Caucasian and the remaining ~3 % are visible minorities. Language: Four official languages (English, Inuktitut, French and Inuinnaqtun) Size: 2 million square kilometers (20% of Canada's landmass)
Tourism in Nunavut
Tourism in Nunavut. Tourism in Nunavut focuses on outdoor activities and culture of the local Inuit, the indigenous people of Nunavut. Wildlife watching is a popular tourist attraction, as the territory is home to a number of wildlife and bird sanctuaries. It is possible to spot walrus, polar bears, a large variety of birds and belugas ...
The top 10 attractions in Nunavut
Auyuittuq National Park. Glaciers, rugged mountains, and rivers dominate the countryside of Auyuittuq National Park. The prospect of some challenging terrain attracts leagues of hikers and skiers, most of whom follow the 95-kilometre Akshayuk Pass (known locally as Pang Pass), a traditional Inuit travel corridor that crosses the park.
Travel to Nunavut
The northernmost inhabited place in the world, Nunavut is the True North. This is a place like no other, where a pristine tundra that stretches as far as the eye can see is punctuated by dramatic fjords, giant glaciers and iconic wildlife. Although vast in size, Nunavut is Canada's least populated province. The Inuit have lived in this remote ...
The top 10 attractions in Nunavut
Sirmilik National Park - Credit: Nunavut Tourism/Hans Pfaff. Sirmilik National Park. Sirmilik National Park, on the northwest side of Baffin Island, has one of the most diverse sets of wildlife in the Arctic. Narwhals, caribou, polar bears, ringed seals, killer whales all travel the shore and the water beyond it. The park also houses an ...
10 Things To Do While In Nunavut
Learn the art of traditional Inuit throat singing. 5. Smell the bitter sweet scent of a purple saxifrage, the Nunavut flower. 6. Feel the history resonate from the abandoned Inuit camps, rocky graves and tent rings. 7. Taste muktuk, whale blubber. 8. Dance under the magic of the Midnight Sun. Experience the 24 hour daylight.
THE 15 BEST Things to Do in Nunavut
Things to Do in Nunavut, Canada - Nunavut Attractions. 1. Baffin Island. We visited Baffin Island as part of an expedition/cruise of the Canadian High Arctic and Greenland. 2. Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre. Lawrence was a delight to meet and you can tell that he loves what he does.
Nunavut
Tourism . Tourism in Nunavut tends to focus on outdoor activities and the territory's natural beauty, as well as Inuit culture. The range of tourism activities includes ecotourism (especially wildlife watching), exploration of Nunavut's territorial and national parks, sport hunting, fishing, cultural, adventure and educational activities. ...
Nunavut Travel Guide
National Geographic's latest travel stories about Nunavut. Arctic Search-and-Rescue Missions Double as Climate Warms
Iqaluit
Arctic Kingdom is the global leader in land-based travel, custom... Bed and Breakfast (TBG) - 8 bedrooms, 2 bath - Self-contained 1 storey unit - Open concept... Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum. Located in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, Nunatta Sunakkutaangit is... Rannva B&B. Beautiful rooms in Apex - the original Inuit settlement of Iqaluit ...
Nunavut
Nunavut (/ ˈ n ʊ n ə v ʊ t /, / ˈ n uː n ə v uː t /; French:, , ; Inuktitut: ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, , lit. ' our land ') is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada.It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, which provided this territory to the Inuit for independent government.
Nunavut
Nunavut comprises two distinct physiographic regions: the Canadian Shield, including the mainland and the islands around Hudson Bay, and the Arctic Archipelago in the north. The flat, often poorly drained lowlands of the Canadian Shield are underlain with ancient rock more than 1 billion years old. Thousands of lakes dot the heavily glaciated surface. The Arctic Archipelago consists of ...
Nunavut government wants to open a protected area in the High Arctic to
The Government of Nunavut is pushing the federal government to allow tourism, recreational and outfitting activities in the Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protected Area in the High Arctic. With certain ...
THE 15 BEST Things to Do in Nunavut (Updated 2024)
THE 15 BEST Things to Do in Nunavut. 1. Baffin Island. We visited Baffin Island as part of an expedition/cruise of the Canadian High Arctic and Greenland. 2. Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre. Lawrence was a delight to meet and you can tell that he loves what he does. 3. Arctic Coast Visitor Centre.
Iqaluit
Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association Ph: (867) 979-7808 Fax: (867) 979-6880 www.nacaarts.org Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre This facility features several cultural exhibits and wildlife displays. It provides maps, tourism and historical information.
See and Do
Members Menu Toggle. About the Organization Menu Toggle. AGM and Annual Reports; Organization Info and Bylaws; Board and Staff; Training Courses Menu Toggle. Marketing Training; e-Merit Tourism Training
Tourism Research
Nunavut Visitor Exit Survey. In 2015, Travel Nunavut partnered with the Department of Economic Development and Transportation (EDT) to gather information about visitors to Nunavut through a Visitor Exit Survey. The survey provided insight on the number of visitors to Nunavut, spending patterns, demographic information, regional data and much more.

10 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Nunavut

1. Baffin Island

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Things to Do in Nunavut, Canada - Nunavut Attractions

1. Baffin Island

2. Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre

3. Arctic Coast Visitor Centre

4. Legislative Assembly of Nunavut

5. Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park

6. Auyuittuq National Park

7. Apex Beach

8. Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum

9. St. Jude's Cathedral

10. Ellesmere Island

11. Sirmilik National Park

12. The Matchbox Gallery

14. Margaret Aniksak Visitor's Centre

15. Northern Collectables

16. Qaummaarviit Territorial Park

18. Nunavut Brewing Company

20. Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Park

21. Carvings Nunavut

22. Ovayok Territorial Park

23. Kugluktuk Visitor Heritage Centre

24. Tasiluliariaq Rotary Park

26. Canadian High Arctic Research Station

27. Inukpak Outfitting

28. Quttinirpaaq National Park

29. Apex Trail

30. Kivalliq Regional Visitor Centre