Brian Pehora of Nunavut Tourism, with Laurielle Penny, Director, Worldwide Quest, and Daphnne Tao, Manager Alumni Travel, University of Toronto
Artwork by Inuit artists, courtesy of Arctic Co-operatives Limited
Sarika Sehgal, Toronto Star; Garry Enns, Parks Canada; and Thomas Lennartz, Arctic Kingdom Polar Expeditions
Nunavut Tourism hosted a small gathering at Yorkville’s Sassafraz restaurant last week. Five representatives travelled from the territory’s capital, Iqaluit, for Toronto’s Outdoor Adventure Show. Among the 5 was Nunavut Tourism’s CEO, Colleen Dupuis, Garry Enns from Parks Canada and Cameron DeLong from Nunavut Territorial Parks and Special Places. Tour operators like Arctic Kingdom were also present, as well as associates from the trendy outerwear company, Canada Goose.
Guests sipped on Nunavut’s signature cocktail, the Polar Ice Cap, which happened to be served at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Cameron explained that some Nunavut locals and tourists enjoy iceberg tea. That is, those who are lucky enough to sail up to an iceberg, chip a piece off, and then melt and heat it into a warm, deliciously unique concoction. Did you know that ice from an iceberg melts slower than ice made from tap water?
Another special item on the menu was wild caught, Nunavut Arctic char, delivered especially for the event.
Nunavut became Canada’s third territory on April 1, 1999 and has a population of 31,000 today. “Nunavut is an area of the country that people are not aware of,” said Colleen. “It’s considered an exotic land, rich in Inuit culture.”
Travelling to this northern, exotic destination is not cheap. With direct flights out of Yellowknife, Edmonton, Ottawa and Montreal, and with only two air carriers to choose from, a ticket to Iqaluit from Toronto can be as much as a ticket to Asia. Nunavut Tourism and partners, like Arctic Kingdom and The Great Canadian Travel Company, are working together to make the territory more accessible and appealing to Canadians.
According to Thomas Lennartz, Expedition Director of Arctic Kingdom, no two trips are the same. Weather has a major impact on what can be done during a tour and travellers are at the mercy of the natural elements.
With three resonating words, Colleen described Nunavut as “untamed, unspoiled, and undiscovered.”
