The northernmost community of Canada, Grise Fiord is located in the High Arctic on Ellesmere Island. Picturesque and remote, it is surrounded by high hills and, for most of the year, sea ice. Grise Fiord is a stopover for researchers traveling either to Ellesmere Island or to Axel Heiberg Island. The town is located on a narrow strip of land between the ocean and 2000 ft cliffs. There are approximately 160 residents, most of whom are Inuit.
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| Location | ||||
| Country: | Canada | |||
| State/Province/Region: | Nunavut | |||
| Altitude in feet: | 120 | |||
| Altitude in meters: | 37 | |||
| Latitude (Decimal, Degreesºmm'ss") : | 76.4233º N 76º25'24" N | |||
| Longitude (Decimal, Degreesºmm'ss") : | 82.9047º N 82º54'17" N | |||
| Environment Types Accessible at this Location | ||||
| Marine, Sea ice, Glacier, Coastal | ||||
| Tundra : | ||||
| Local History and Culture | ||||
| Description: | Grise Fiord owes its English name to the Norwegian explorer Otto Sverdrup, who charted the south and east coasts of Ellesmere Island from 1899 to 1903. Among the many names he gave to fiords in the area, he called this particular one Grise Fiord, which means "pig fiord" in Norwegian. | |||
| Primary Logistics Provider | ||||
| Organization: | Hamlet of Grise Fiord | |||
| Name and title of contact person: | Senior Administrative Officer | |||
| Address: | Box 77 Grise Fiord , NU, X0A 0J0 | |||
| Telephone: | 867-980-9959 | |||
| Fax: | 867-980-9052 | |||
| E-mail: | hamletofgrisefiord@nunanet.com | |||
| Permits and Legal Issues | ||||
| Prohibited items: | Researchers who intend to bring a gun into Canada need to be familiar with Canadian firearms laws, as many guns are restricted or prohibited. Information can be found at the web site of the Canadian Firearms Centre. | |||
| Physical Access | ||||
| Air service, Airstrip | ||||
| Accessibility: | Though vistied once a year by sealift barge the surrounding sea ice makes Grise inaccessible from the ocean much of the year. Most of the logistics (cargo and human) is handled by air transport. | |||
| Air service description: | Iqaluit to Grise Fiord (almost 2,000 kilometres north) is via First Air as far as Resolute. Passengers either stay one night in Resolute or change planes immediately to proceed aboard Kenn Borek Air to Grise Fiord. Yellowknife to Grise Fiord (about 1,900 kilometres northeast) is via Canadian North as far as Resolute, where passengers disembark for a three-night stay before heading to Grise Fiord on Kenn Borek Air. | |||
| Commercial air services: | -Kenn Borek Air, Box 210, Resolute Bay, Nunavut, Canada X0A 0V0 (Tel: 867-252-3845, Fax: 867-252-3777), [Head Office: 290 McTavish Road NECalgary, AB, Canada T2E 7G5 (Tel.: 403-291-3300, Fax: 403-250-6908, Email: borekair@cadvision.com , Web: http://www.borekair.com/ )] | |||
| Other Local Resources | ||||
| Resource: | Accomodation and Dining | |||
| Contact information: | -Grise Fiord Lodge, General Delivery, Grise Fiord, NU X0A 0J0 (Tel.: 867-980-9913, Fax: 867-980-9954, Email: info@arcticco-op.com , Web: http://www.grisefiord.com/ ) | |||
| Resource: | Outfitters | |||
| Contact information: | -Hunters and Trappers Organization (Tel.: 867-980-9063, Fax: 867-980-4311) -Qutsittumiut Outfitting, Contact Seeglook Akeeagok (Tel.: 867-980-4164) | |||
| Infrastructure | ||||
| Running water, Electricity, Heat, Post office, Mail service | ||||
| Mail service: | Post Office (Tel.: 867-980-9913) Located in the Co-op store. 11 a.m.-12 p.m., 1-5 p.m., weekdays only. | |||
| Communications and Data Systems | ||||
| Internet access, Telephone system, Fax send/receive, Radio communications | ||||
| Network: | Local Communications: Internet Connection - Nunanet (Tel.: 867-979-0772) Cable (Tel.: 867-980-9913) Radio Society (Tel.: 867-980-9951) | |||
| Supplies Available at or Near the Facility | ||||
| Groceries, Fuel, Hardware | ||||
| Comments: | '-Grise Fiord Inuit Co-op Ltd., General Delivery Grise Fiord, NU X0A 0J0 (Tel.: 867-980-9913, Fax: 867-980-9954, Email: info@arcticco-op.com , Web: http://arcticco-op.com/co-op_location.html?list=0001-2001- ) Cooperative Assn. Retail food; hardware; sporting goods; drygoods; office supplies; equipment; rental trucking; bobcat; service; hotel catering; POL; fuel contract; post office; DPW contract; lumber; Kenn Borek airline agent; cable TV; crafts carvings. | |||
| Medical Facilities/Services Available | ||||
| Health clinic, Dentist | ||||
| Health clinic: | Grise Fiord Health Centre, Box 81, Grise Fiord, Nunavut (Tel.: 867-980-9923, Fax: 867-980-9067) offers primary health care and emergency health services. | |||
| Hospital: | [Located in Iqaluit] Baffin Regional General Hospital, Box 200, Iqaluit, NU, Canada X0A 0H0 (Tel.: 867-979-7300) has 34 beds with 22 beds for adults, 12 for children and 8 units for newborn babies. Specialists fly in once or twice a year. Patients come from all over Baffin and sometimes from northern Quebec. | |||
| Weather Information and Statistics | ||||
| Weather information source for the research area: | Check http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/WCWWG.html to get a good five day forecast for Grise Fiord. | |||
| Current Projects and Research History | ||||
| Research sources: | There is a listing of research project applications, made to the Polar Continental Shelf Project for Grise Fiord, at: http://polar.nrcan.gc.ca/whatwedo/field/inside_e.asp?by=area&SelectedArea=YGZ . | |||