There are a lot of perks that come with living up here. The kids come home for lunch every day. JJ's work schedule is more reasonable and family-friendly than it has ever been. Captain Jack's school is fantastic--his teacher and principal both magically combine discipline with empathy. He loves it. Coraline has flourished--in September she was voted to be class representative for student council. She has become a member of the drama club and found a niche for herself doing behind-the-scenes work: props, backdrops, and lighting.
Sometimes though, the odd thing will come up and make me second-guess coming here at all. One of these happened recently as JJ and I surfed the web on a quiet evening. We came across a post on Facebook written that day by a man whose dog had just been killed by a lethal fox trap here in town. His second Facebook post stated that he still had the trap (which had been attached to his dog). He left his phone number so the owner could pick it up. Rather than receiving an outpouring of support and grief from the community, he was immediately called out for "interfering" with a hunter's trap (taking it home with him), something that is illegal here.
No matter that it was clamped-on to his now deceased dog.
The trap was not out "on the land", but inside city limits, which is perfectly legal in Iqaluit. (These are not humane cage traps, but lethal snares and steel-jaw traps.) Community reaction was mixed. Yes, some felt it was tragic that his dog died. But others felt that it was the owner's fault for allowing his dog to walk outside unleashed. From reading the comments we learned there are many lethal fox traps set around town, some quite close to where we live. They have also been set in a park in Apex, along the beach, and at the Territorial Park. These are all places where children play and people walk their dogs. There are no signs posted saying that these traps are on site. Anywhere on the land, including within city limits, is fair game (turns out there is a bylaw in place saying traps are not to be within 100m of a building, but this is not enforced). The traps are baited with food, can be covered by brush or snow, and they don't discriminate.
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| source |
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| Arctic fox. source |
JJ had been taking Buffy outside off-leash once every week or two to let her run off steam. At our house in Thunder Bay, our backyard is fully fenced in. Buffy had lots of room to romp around and play. There is no fence here. Her ability to recall (come back when you call her name) is only so-so, so he's been working on that with her as well. This latest news has ended this--which makes me sad. As there are no off-leash parks here (ha!) the only exercise she will get for next 6 months is when she is walked on her leash.
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| Buffy on a walk on the land this past fall. |
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| Walking on the tundra in the summer, before fox traps were an issue. |
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| To be fair, playing tug is also exercise. Sort of. |
The issue of dangerous fox traps within city limits has been raised by city counsellors several times in the past. People are extremely passionate about their point of view, whether for or against. Discussions in council chambers have become heated, and the FB posts flying around afterward reflect this. One argument put forward is that the greater danger is a bite from a fox with rabies--that these traps are helping, not harming. (And yes, there have been reports of rabid foxes in the territory of Nunavut this year. The territory is 2 million square kilometers, taking up 20 percent of the land mass of Canada. So far this year there are two confirmed cases of foxes with rabies.) Another argument is that hunters have a right to hunt and trap wherever they want, and the government has no right to interfere. A comment I have seen regularly on Facebook is "Hunters' rights trump all others."
Personally, I'm not convinced the rights of the Inuit hunter should take precedence over the safety of children and pets walking around IN TOWN. Outside city limits, certainly. This is an Inuit territory, where food is still hunted from the land. If hunters are convinced they must trap in town, I'm not sure why those particular traps couldn't be humane cage traps. Couldn't the animal be killed humanely upon release?
This issue seems to come up regularly in Iqaluit. A couple of weeks after I started writing this post, it was raised again at a city council meeting. Another dog, a husky this time, was injured by a fox trap roughly 8 meters off the side of a road in town. Recently a puppy was also killed, even closer to the road. The result of the council meeting is that the mayor is going to meet with the local trappers association. Also, council is going to "explore the issue". I'm not sure what is left to "explore". What is clear is that this is viewed by many as an "Inuit vs. White People" issue. I wonder if it has ever occurred to hunters that any child could be hurt by a trap, regardless of the color of their skin. (There was yet another article on this in the Nunatsiaq News.)
Getting away from fox traps for a moment, there are these two controversial stories that also appeared recently on Facebook. I say controversial not just because of my own feelings, but because reaction from the community was, again, mixed. First, the story of a boy who killed a seal with a hockey stick.
Followed by the story of another boy, this time who killed a rabbit (again, with a hockey stick).
I'm not sure where to begin. I think in most places in Canada, if a 10 or 11 year-old bludgeoned an animal to death, their parents would be concerned. The child might be taken to a mental health specialist for assessment, possibly prescribed counselling, or even medication. (JJ has assessed children who have done this sort of thing and referred them to a psychiatrist.) Its one thing to fire a rifle at an animal and kill it, or strike a lethal blow with a hakapik (used to club seals). But to kill an animal by repeatedly striking it with a blunt object......
Up here though, things are looked on differently. These two kids were minor celebrities following their actions. Parents and extended family, and some of the community, were proud. To them, these boys were viewed as providers. Others were repulsed, disgusted, and didn't hesitate to voice their opinion. Discussion became heated, with the implication that "southerners" were judging "northerners". Racism was again implied.
At times this feels not like a different place, but a different world. I know better than to feel that just because I was raised differently my way of thinking is the "correct" way. Of course not. But the thought of my son bludgeoning an animal to death with a hockey stick gives me something to think about. At first it seems horrifying. But, if we were starving, would I be proud and thankful?
I honestly don't think I have much to worry about on that subject. Recently Captain Jack Sparrow asked me if his flimsy plastic sword would be able to kill a caribou, if he was able to hit it "just right".
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| Most likely immune to damage from plastic swords wielded by 8 year boys. source |
Up next: We're having company this weekend! I'm so excited! I'm not sure what we're going to be doing exactly.... The local outfitters have shut down for the month (with temperatures hovering around -35 to -40 or colder, and the fact that it is dark most of the day, they don't drum up much business in January). We were hoping to do some snowmobiling around town, but today its -41 again. One person in town told us January is "too cold to be outside for southerners". Ha! We're wimps!
Tune in next week to find out how the visit went, and what's up next.
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