The village of Puvirnituq is developing rapidly, but not all its inhabitants are well-off. Goods in the stores are more and more expensive, and some people owe money. The area around Puvirnituq is very flat. There is not much tide and no marine currents, which means there is no delicious seafood to collect, such as mussels or clams. As there are no hills, the sea is not very deep near the coast, and people who are not from the Puvirnituq region are often afraid to travel by sea.
Some boats do set out, however.
There are light signals, which enable the boats to find their way back to the village without the help of Inuit navigators. Very few of them speak English, but there are some who are studying French. The Inuit population of Puvirnituq is about one thousand. The village has two churches, one Anglican and the other Catholic, but there is no priest at the moment. In addition, there is a large hospital with three or four doctors and about one hundred other employees, both Inuit and non-Inuit.