Grise Fiord

Grise Fiord, Nunavut, incorporated as a hamlet in 1987, population 130 (2011c), 141 (2006c). The Hamlet of Grise Fiord is located on the south coast of ELLESMERE ISLAND. Canada's most northerly INUIT community, it is situated in game-rich country from which the residents derive their living.

The settlement is the result of federal government efforts to alleviate poor economic conditions among the Inuit and to establish Canadian ARCTIC SOVEREIGNTY over the Arctic islands. Inuit families from other areas of the North were settled in the area by 1953. Otto SVERDRUP named the fjord the community lies on Grise Fiord, which means "Pig Fiord" in Norwegian. Many visitors consider the community setting the most beautiful in the North.

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Links to Other Sites
Nunavut Tourism
Plan your next Arctic adventure at this Nunavut Tourism website. Offers information about local communities, history and culture, recreational opportunities, and much more.

Inuit were moved 2,000 km in Cold War manoeuvring
This news feature chronicles the outcomes of the federal government's 1950's relocation of the Inuit to the High Arctic wastelands of Ellesmere and Cornwallis Islands, 2,000 kilometres from their home.

Ottawa apologizes to Inuit for using them as ‘human flagpoles’
A news story about a Government of Canada apology delivered to Inuit families who were relocated from Inukjuak, northern Quebec, to the Arctic communities of Resolute and Grise Fiord during the 1950s. From thestar.com.

Apology for Inuit High Arctic Relocation
A backgrounder about the Canadian government's apology to Inuit families who were forcibly moved from northern Quebec to barren High Arctic territory in the 1950s. From the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.

High Arctic Exiles
Watch a video about the Inuit forced movement to Grise Fiord, Craig Harbour, and Resolute in the early 1950s in support of Canadian Arctic sovereignty. This 2009 video was produced prior to the Government of Canada's "Apology for Inuit High Artic Relocation." From thestar.com.

Former N.W.T. commissioner dies at 95
A CBC News obituary for Gordon Robertson, an influential civil servant who was instrumental in shaping government policy in Canada's North.