Sanikiluaq
Sanikiluaq ( ) is a municipality and Inuit community located on the north coast of Flaherty Island in Hudson Bay, on the Belcher Islands. Despite being geographically much closer to the shores of Ontario and Quebec, the community and the Belcher Islands lie within the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. History. The community was developed in the early 1970s to replace "South Camp", located further south in the island group. To the north of the town is Kinngaaluk Territorial Park, a space designed for camping, cultural expression, and seasonal hunting. The park contains archeological remains deposited by the Dorset and Thule  cultures. The park is expected to be formally designated as such by the Nunavut legislature in 2019. Demographics. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Sanikiluaq had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Economic development. Sanikiluaq had an eider down factory for 20 years. It closed down in 2005 due to government funding running out and the population of eider ducks decreasing at a rapid rate. The factory reopened in June 2015 . Transportation. It is the southernmost community in the territory, and is served by the Sanikiluaq Airport. Air service is provided by Air Inuit and Calm Air. Education. There are two schools in the community, Nuiyak School, with 11 teaching staff, teaches grades K-6, with 125 students enrolled. Paatsaali School has 177 students and teaches grades 7-12. In 2007, former Principal Lisi Kavik was named one of Canada's Outstanding Principals. Broadband communications. The community has been served by the Qiniq network since 2005. Qiniq is a fixed wireless service to homes and businesses, connecting to the outside world via  a satellite backbone. The Qiniq network is designed and operated by SSI Micro. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice. Government. The community is in the Hudson Bay Electoral District and Allan Rumbolt is the member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. He replaced Peter Kattuk in the 2008 general election. In the territorial election held October 27, 2008, the candidates were Rumbolt, Bill Fraser and Johnny Manning. Rumbolt won by 31 votes over Fraser, with 45 per cent of the vote. In the 2013 general election Allan Rumbolt was  reelected. The local municipality has a Hamlet Council of elected councillors. Former acting mayor Elijassie Sala became mayor after the December 12, 2011, election, earning 87 votes, five more than incumbent Joe Arragutainaq. In the December 9, 2013, hamlet elections, Joe Arragutainaq was once again elected mayor. Film. Written and directed by Joel Heath, with support from the community of Sanikiluaq, "People of a Feather" is a documentary film about the relationship between climate change, hydroelectric dams, eider ducks and the people of the Belcher Islands.