It has every convenience of the 20th century. However, those conveniences have been jury-rigged because of nature's obstacles. Take indoor plumbing for example. Kuujjuaq is surrounded by many water sources, including a river the size of the Mississippi, lakes and, of course, the snow and ice. But because the town sits on permafrost, no pipes or utilities can be buried underground.
Water is placed in above-ground storage tanks and delivered daily.
Needless to say, they smelled wonderful. Birch has applied the same kind of ingenuity to the state of the art network he runs. Feedback Tell us your thoughts on this article or the issues raised in it. When you click Submit, you'll be taken back to this article. Tell us your thoughts on this article or the issues it raises.