Exploring Iqaluit

Stuffed Polar Bear at the visitor's centre.

Midday looking out across Frobisher Bay. Normally the ice is smooth, for the first time since 1962 it's bunched up.

2:30pm, the sun has just set.

My office at the hospital.

Today after I finished my rounds at the hospital I walked around Iqaluit.  I visited the visitor's centre, which has an interesting exhibit on Inuit culture and history.  As well as this polar bear; which is the closest I intend to get to one of these critters!  I also checked out a local grocery store.  Cornflakes were $8.99, Colgate toothpaste was $6.99! Believe it or not the government also subsidizes the cost of some nutritious foods up here!  And they're still that expensive.

One issue that I'm confronted with when treating my patients is that fact that there are a lot of families who don't have enough food to eat. Also because of poverty many families cannot afford a crib for their baby, mainly because the cost of shipping to a remote Northern community would be several times the cost of the crib.  This means that the babies are sharing a bed with their parents.  A practice which is not recommended by the Canadian Pediatric Society because it is associated with an increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.  The baby is at an especially high risk of SIDS if the parent falls asleep after drinking or taking drugs, substances which are very commonly used up here.

Skin Kayak at the museum.

Statue at the Visitor Centre.

Sealskin boots for my stethoscope.