| Tuktoyaktuk Tuktuyaaqtuuq formerly Port Brabant |
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|---|---|
| — Hamlet — | |
| Welcome to Tuktoyaktuk | |
| Nickname(s): Tuk | |
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Tuktoyaktuk
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Canada |
| Territory | Northwest Territories |
| Region | Inuvik Region |
| Electoral district | Nunakput |
| Census division | Inuvik Region, Northwest Territories |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1970 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mervin Gruben |
| • Senior Administrative Officer | Debbie Raddi |
| • MLA | Jackie Jacobson |
| • Member of Parliament | Dennis Bevington |
| • Senator | Nick Sibbeston |
| Area | |
| • Land | 11.07 km2 (4.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 5 m (15 ft) |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| • Total | 870 |
| • Density | 78.6/km2 (203.6/sq mi) |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| Canadian Postal code | X0E 1C0 |
| Area code(s) | 867 |
| Telephone exchange | 977 |
| Prices | |
| - Living cost | 162.5A |
| - Food price index | 206.4B |
| Website | www.tuk.ca/ |
| Sources: Community Governance Data List,[2] Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,[3] Canada Flight Supplement[4] Northwestel[5] Natural Resources Canada[6] ^A 2005 figure based on Edmonton = 100[7] ^B 2004 figure based on Yellowknife = 100[7] |
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| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | %± | |
| 1996 | 971 |
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| 1997 | 964 | -0.7% | |
| 1998 | 981 | 1.8% | |
| 1999 | 982 | 0.1% | |
| 2000 | 977 | -0.5% | |
| 2001 | 999 | 2.3% | |
| 2002 | 984 | -1.5% | |
| 2003 | 963 | -2.1% | |
| 2004 | 960 | -0.3% | |
| 2005 | 940 | -2.1% | |
| 2006 | 907 | -3.5% | |
| 2007 | 911 | 0.4% | |
| 2008 | 917 | 0.7% | |
| 2009 | 929 | 1.3% | |
| Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics[7] | |||
Tuktoyaktuk, or Tuktuyaaqtuuq (Inuvialuktun: it looks like a caribou),[3] is an Inuvialuit hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Commonly referred to simply by its first syllable, Tuk, the settlement lies north of the Arctic Circle on the shore of the Arctic Ocean. Formerly known as Port Brabant, the community was renamed in 1950 and was the first place in Canada to revert to the traditional Native name.[6]
Contents |
Tuktoyaktuk is the anglicized form of the native Inuvialuit place-name, meaning "resembling a caribou." According to legend, a woman looked on as some caribou, common at the site, waded into the water and turned into stone, or became petrified. Today, reefs resembling these petrified caribou are said to be visible at low tide along the shore of the town.[8]
No formal archaeological sites exist today, but the settlement has been used by the native Inuvialuit for centuries as a place to harvest caribou and beluga whales. In addition, Tuktoyaktuk's natural harbour was historically used as a means to transport supplies to other Inuvialuit settlements.
Between 1890 and 1910, a sizeable number of Tuktoyaktuk's native families were wiped out in flu epidemics brought in by American whalers. In subsequent years, the Alaskan Dene people, as well as residents of Herschel Island, settled here. By 1937, a Hudson's Bay Company trading post was established.
Radar domes were installed beginning in the 1950s as part of the Distant Early Warning Line, to monitor air traffic and detect possible Soviet intrusions during the Cold War. The settlement's location (and harbour) made "Tuk" important in resupplying the civilian contractors and Air Force personnel along the "DEW Line." In 1947, Tuktoyaktuk became the site of one of the first government "day schools" designed to integrate Inuit youth into mainstream Canadian culture.[9]
The community of Tuktoyaktuk eventually became a base for the oil and natural gas exploration of the Beaufort Sea. Large industrial buildings remain from the busy period following the 1973 OPEC oil embargo and 1979 summertime fuel shortage. This brought many more outsiders into the region.
On 3 September 1995, the Molson Brewing Company arranged for several popular rock bands to give a concert in Tuktoyaktuk as a publicity stunt promoting their new ice-brewed beer. During the months leading up to concert, radio stations across North America ran contests in which they gave away free tickets. Dubbed The Molson Ice Polar Beach Party, it featured Hole, Metallica, Moist, Cake and Veruca Salt. Canadian film-maker Albert Nerenberg made a documentary about this concert entitled Invasion of the Beer People.[10]
In 2008, Tuktoyaktuk was featured in the second season of the reality television series Ice Road Truckers where they travelled down the Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road. It also referenced in Due South as a place Fraser was stationed.
In 2009, an episode of Jesse James is a Dead Man titled "Arctic Bike Journey" featured James riding a custom motorcycle across 125 miles of ice road to deliver medicine to the locals of Tuktoyaktuk.
In late 2010, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency announced that an environmental study would be undertaken on a proposed all-weather road between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk.[11]
Tuktoyaktuk is set on Kugmallit Bay, near the Mackenzie River Delta, and is located on the Arctic tree line.
Many locals still hunt, fish, and trap. Locals rely on caribou in the autumn, ducks and geese in both spring and autumn, and fishing year-round. Other activities include collecting driftwood, caribou herding, and berrypicking. Most wages today, however, come from tourism and transportation. Northern Transportation Company Limited (NTCL) is a major employer in this region. In addition, the oil and gas industry continues to employ explorers and other workers.
Tuktoyaktuk is the gateway for exploring Pingo National Landmark, an area protecting eight nearby pingos in a region which contains approximately 1,350 of these Arctic ice-dome hills. The landmark comprises an area roughly 16 km2 (6.2 sq mi), just a few miles west of the community, and includes Canada's highest (the world's second-highest) pingo, at 49 m (161 ft). It is managed by Parks Canada within the national park system, and, although a nationwide Landmarks program was envisioned, Pingo remains the country's only National Landmark.[12]
As of the 2006 census, the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk has a population of 870, down 6.5% from the 2001 Census total of 930. There are 274 private dwellings, and a population density of 78.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (204 /sq mi). The average annual salary of a full-time worker is $45,598 Canadian. Tuktoyaktuk has a large Protestant following, with a sizeable Catholic population as well. Local languages are Inuvialuktun and English.[1][13] Tuktoyaktuk is predominately Inuit/Inuvialuit (79.7%) with 16.4% non-Aboriginal, 2.8% North American Indian and 1.1% Métis.[14] In 2009 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 929 with an average yearly growth rate of -0.3 from 1996.[7]
| Climate data for Tuktoyaktuk | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 0.6 (33.1) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
4.8 (40.6) |
20.9 (69.6) |
28.2 (82.8) |
29.4 (84.9) |
27.6 (81.7) |
20.4 (68.7) |
11.7 (53.1) |
2.2 (36.0) |
0.8 (33.4) |
29.4 (84.9) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −23.4 (−10.1) |
−22.6 (−8.7) |
−21.8 (−7.2) |
−12.2 (10.0) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
15.2 (59.4) |
12.3 (54.1) |
5.3 (41.5) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−17.5 (0.5) |
−21.8 (−7.2) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −27 (−17) |
−26.6 (−15.9) |
−25.7 (−14.3) |
−16.8 (1.8) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
6.0 (42.8) |
11.0 (51.8) |
8.9 (48.0) |
2.8 (37.0) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−21 (−6) |
−25.4 (−13.7) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −30.8 (−23.4) |
−30.8 (−23.4) |
−29.7 (−21.5) |
−21.2 (−6.2) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
1.5 (34.7) |
6.8 (44.2) |
5.5 (41.9) |
0.3 (32.5) |
−10.9 (12.4) |
−24.5 (−12.1) |
−29.1 (−20.4) |
−14.3 (6.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −48.9 (−56.0) |
−46.6 (−51.9) |
−45.5 (−49.9) |
−42.8 (−45.0) |
−28.9 (−20.0) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
−12.8 (9.0) |
−28.5 (−19.3) |
−40.1 (−40.2) |
−46.7 (−52.1) |
−48.9 (−56.0) |
| Wind chill | −70.8 | −61.2 | −58.1 | −55.5 | −40.1 | −16.5 | −6.5 | −8.9 | −20.9 | −46.9 | −50.9 | −58.8 | −70.8 |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 9.8 (0.386) |
10.2 (0.402) |
6.2 (0.244) |
8.6 (0.339) |
6.8 (0.268) |
9.7 (0.382) |
21.5 (0.846) |
29.1 (1.146) |
24.2 (0.953) |
19.9 (0.783) |
12.2 (0.48) |
6.9 (0.272) |
165.1 (6.5) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 0.2 (0.008) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
1.3 (0.051) |
8.1 (0.319) |
21.4 (0.843) |
27.2 (1.071) |
15.6 (0.614) |
1.2 (0.047) |
0.1 (0.004) |
0.3 (0.012) |
75.4 (2.969) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 10.1 (3.98) |
10.6 (4.17) |
6.3 (2.48) |
8.9 (3.5) |
5.6 (2.2) |
1.6 (0.63) |
0.1 (0.04) |
1.9 (0.75) |
8.9 (3.5) |
19.2 (7.56) |
12.3 (4.84) |
9.8 (3.86) |
95.3 (37.52) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 8.1 | 7.8 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 8.3 | 12.4 | 13.1 | 13.3 | 9.4 | 8.3 | 101.8 |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 4.4 | 8.3 | 12.0 | 9.0 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 36 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 8.1 | 7.8 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 5.2 | 12.8 | 9.4 | 8.3 | 69 |
| Source: Environment Canada[15] | |||||||||||||
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