Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. introduced its new strategic priorities for the next four years Friday, signifying what president Jeremy Tunraluk calls a “transformative shift” in its approach.

“The strategy is more than a document. It is a vision, a commitment and a call to action,” Tunraluk said during the announcement at NTI’s office in Iqaluit.

This was his first four-year strategy report since being elected in December to lead the corporation that’s responsible for ensuring obligations made to Nunavut Inuit under the Nunavut Agreement are upheld.

As part of the 21-page strategy — entitled Inungnik Makipalliatittiniq, which Tunraluk said can be translated as people’s recovery — NTI aims to create better living conditions in the territory where life is getting worse for Inuit “by all social indicators,” the strategy says.

NTI vows to build pathways to “meaningful collaboration” with federal and territorial governments while continuing to assert Inuit leadership, according to an NTI release that summarized the report.

Over the years, NTI has initiated several lawsuits against the federal and territorial governments, including the ongoing legal battle with the Government of Nunavut over Inuit-language education.

Tunraluk said he is not anticipating any new legal actions in the near future.

“We’re making sure that moving forward, our partnership [with the governments] is much better, so we can meet halfway on different issues around Nunavut,” he said in an interview after the announcement.

Still, Tunraluk said, NTI’s main priority is preserving Inuktut, which is rapidly declining in Nunavut.

“Without intensive action, the erosion of Inuktut — and the associated impact on Inuit culture — will have irreversible social and economic consequences for Nunavut Inuit,” NTI’s strategy says.

The plan includes creating language learning resources and launching a public awareness campaign on the importance of preserving Inuktut.

On the housing front, NTI’s goal is to deliver $280 million in funding that will help to provide affordable rental housing units at fixed prices and not tied to any employer.

The strategy doesn’t specify how many houses will be built as part of the goal.

Other priorities include embracing a “culture of excellence,” finding solutions to food insecurity, and improving education, employment and community well-being.

Staff who left Great Slave Animal hospital as the clinic closed on Friday have created a new Facebook page to help pet owners affected by the sudden shutdown.

Staff at the veterinary clinic told CBC News on Friday morning they had to be out of the building by noon.

RCMP have arrested and charged three individuals related to the bust. Police say the arrests and seizures have disrupted drug trafficking and organized crime in the territory and that it will make a difference in N.W.T. communities.

The RCMP's Federal Arctic Unit said it had made the largest seizure of illicit drugs and money in the history of the NWT, worth some $1.3 million.

Iqaluit RCMP are on a mission to “put the bad guys away” as officers continue crackdowns and seizures of illegal drugs and weapons.

That’s according to Sgt. Vlatko Nikolovski, the detachment’s acting commander, who provided the RCMP’s November and December monthly updates to city councillors this week.

“We’re going to be specifically targeting offenders that we know that are trafficking drugs or in possession of firearms,” Nikolovski said at Tuesday’s council meeting, adding that his officers are doing a “great job” gathering information on suspects.

“We use that information to write search warrants and get into those [residences], and take those guns and take the drugs and of course, put the bad guys away for as much as we can.”

He continued, “It’s not a secret that there is increased volume of drugs that are coming through the community, and we’ll do our best to encourage people to give us more information.”

Recently, Iqaluit RCMP announced two arrests after weapons and drugs were seized in a Jan. 24 search. Then on Feb. 4, two more firearms-related arrests were made after police stopped a vehicle in Iqaluit.

Coun. Kyle Sheppard thanked Nikolovski for the RCMP’s recent seizures and said it’s “concerning” how many illegal firearms are coming into the community.

“I just hope that you guys are safe and doing all you can to get those off our streets,” he said.

Nikolovski spoke of the RCMP’s current staffing and the number of calls officers respond to. That was after Deputy Mayor Kim Smith asked how the RCMP is enforcing traffic and motor vehicle-related laws.

“The detachment is running short, pretty much all the time,” Nikolovski said.

“The watches are short, considering people are leaving, sick, and helping different communities around the territory below the minimums with members. And that stretches with the call volume that they’re getting.”

For both November and December, Iqaluit RCMP had 26 constables, five corporals and one sergeant available, according to a written report provided to council.

The number of calls for service varies throughout the week, Nikolovski said.

Sundays and Mondays may bring in 10 to 15 calls for service over an entire day. Starting Tuesdays, there might be around 30 calls per shift, and on Friday and Saturday nights that number could increase to 40 calls.

“You have, depending on the day shift or night shift, four or five members responding to those calls,” Nikolovski said.

“It makes it a little bit more difficult for members to do proactive work, to focus more on the Traffic Safety Act, when you have criminal offences occurring and those are taking priorities over the traffic safety offences.”

November was Iqaluit RCMP’s busiest month of the year as officers responded to 1,339 calls for service, according to the written report.

December was the least busy busiest month, with 860 calls.

A city spokesperson said the subsurface fire in a cell containing construction and demolition waste had been put out and that the solid waste facility has now returned to regular hours. 

The owners of Dawson City, Yukon's cannabis shop are moving their store next month from Second Avenue to a more high-profile spot on Front Street. Some residents aren't happy with the plan.

Yellowknife's Great Slave Animal Hospital looked to be shutting down operations on Friday according to multiple pet owners, who were racing to secure supplies.

Hosting a military base could put demands on Iqaluit’s water system, says Mayor Solomon Awa. But, the idea also presents an economic opportunity.

“There’s a question of do we have enough water?” Awa said in an interview, a day after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced his party would build CFB Iqaluit if his party wins the next federal election.

But having an adequate water supply is one of the considerations the city would have to face, Iqaluit’s mayor said.

“If not, we’re going to have to ask [for] more funding to create more water for the city.”

Iqaluit’s long-term water supply and distribution upgrades, to which the federal government contributed $214 million in 2022, is one of the city’s major ongoing projects. These upgrades are meant to bolster a system that often struggles to meet the city’s needs.

Plans call for the construction of a new reservoir and water intake system to be completed by 2029, a timeline presented at a community open house last November said.

Awa also spoke about the potential economic impact a military base could have on the city.

“I, myself, with the councillors, we want to grow in the city, economically,” he said.

“This will help, economically.”

Poilievre said Monday during a press conference at the Iqaluit airport that Canada “must take control” of the North amid threats to Arctic security from Russia and China.

In addition to building a base that could host a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron within two years of forming government, Poilievre said he’d double the size of the 1st Patrol Group of the Canadian Rangers from 2,000 to 4,000 members, and buy two new icebreakers for the Royal Canadian Navy.

He didn’t say how much his promises would cost, but said the price of the base will be covered by cuts to Canadian foreign aid.

The idea of putting a military base in Iqaluit is not a new one, Awa said.

“I’m not surprised,” Awa said, adding that it’s a topic city councillors have discussed before.

The next federal election this year is set for Oct. 20, but it could happen sooner if the Liberal government, under a new leader, loses a confidence vote when Parliament resumes or if the new Liberal leader calls a snap election before October.

“We don’t know who is going to be elected, we don’t know if they’re going to be a majority government,” Awa said.

And if Poilievre’s Conservatives form the government, “We also don’t know if they’re going to keep their promise, so there’s a question here,” Awa said.

A new long-range Airbus passenger jet perfectly timed its arrival in Yellowknife for cold-weather testing. The aircraft had -39C to deal with on Friday.

Health-care workers in Nunavut say changes to a federal funding program for Inuit children are forcing some pregnant women to make a tough choice: have a safe birth or ensure the kids they already have are properly cared for.

Yellowknife may be a diamond capital but the gems themselves are usually out of sight. Now, some companies are trying to make NWT diamonds more visible locally.

Nunavut is headed back to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and this year’s team is hoping to make an impact on and off the pebbled ice.

“We want to come away with a few wins and we think that’s totally within our grasp to do that,” said Leigh Gustafson about her hopes for the national women’s curling championship.

Gustafson plays third on the team and serves as vice-president of both the Iqaluit Curling Club and Nunavut Curling Association.

This year’s Scotties marks Nunavut’s return to the tournament after the team withdrew last year.

The decision to withdraw was partly due to lack of time to prepare for the national event. As well, Iqaluit curlers lost access to their rink last winter when the city rented it out for filming the CBC/Netflix/APTN comedy North of North.

Joining Gustafson in Thunder Bay, Ont., for the curling championship are team veterans Sadie Pinksen as vice-skip and Alison Taylor as lead.

Julia Weagle is Nunavut’s new skip. Based in Ottawa, she’s making her Scotties debut as Nunavut’s designated import player.

Weagle and Gustafson’s dads were the “matchmakers” who helped bring this team together, Weagle said.

Over the past year, phone calls and video chats kept the four players connected. Weagle eventually made the trip north to join her Iqaluit teammates to practise, play and take part in some clinics.

“It’s been incredible,” Weagle said, describing getting to know Iqaluit’s curling community.

“I think there’s an appetite to grow the sport as well.”

This year’s Scotties is not just about getting wins, Gustafson said. They want to be an example for Nunavut’s up-and-coming curlers.

Nunavut is also sending teams to Saskatoon for the Canadian under-18 curling championships, which start Feb. 16.

“We have some really promising junior teams that we just want to be good role models [for],” Gustafson said.

“I think we have a really good next generation coming up.”

Nunavut’s first game at the Scotties is Saturday at 7 p.m., versus one of the two Alberta teams in their pool.

The Scotties tournament runs until Feb. 21 with games airing on TSN.

Arctic Co-op Ltd., one of Nunavut’s biggest retailers, plans to equip stores with labels for Canadian-made goods in light of threats of a possible Canada-U.S. trade war.

“We’ve had some reach-outs from member Co-ops about a made-in-Canada push,” said Duane Wilson, vice-president stakeholder relations at Arctic Co-operatives Ltd.

Wilson spoke about the importance of providing information to consumers without forcing them to read the fine print on packaging.

The threat of tariffs has been hanging over Canada since U.S. President Donald Trump was elected in November. Weeks after the win, he announced 25 per cent tariffs on all goods coming into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico on “Day 1” of his administration, which was Jan. 20.

That date has since been pushed back to Feb. 1, Feb. 4 and now sits at March 4, with an added 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum as of March 12.

Trump has used the tariff threats to highlight the U.S. trade deficit with Canada and to apply pressure for increased border security. But his administration has also signalled the tariffs are a tool to annex Canada into the U.S.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rebuffed any suggestion Canada would become the 51st state and has promised retaliatory tariffs on American products coming into Canada.

He has also urged Canadians to “choose Canada,” promoting a “buy Canadian” movement in response to the potential trade war.

Wilson said this idea is a little more complicated for people in remote northern communities who are more reliant on sealifts.

“There’s going to be a little bit less of a capacity to affect domestic procurement if you’ve already got enough shelf-stable products to see you through until next summer sealift,” he said.

“At the end of the day, if we can help give consumers some indication of the country of origin, or at least if it’s of Canadian origin, then ultimately, they will vote with the choices they make right in store.”

A representative for North West Co., which operates both Northern stores and NorthMart, says it’s unclear whether there has been a shift or push in buying habits for Canadian products but will continue to support locally made products.

“Our teams work diligently, ensuring our customers continue to have access to a wide range of product offerings, to meet their family’s needs,” said Darryl Martin, director of marketing and communications at North West company in a statement.

“Supporting local is important for our customers and remains a priority for us.”

Canada’s premiers, including Nunavut premier P.J. Ageeagok were in Washington, D.C., this week to meet with U.S. government officials in an effort to dissuade the Trump administration from going ahead with the tariffs.

B.C. Premier David Eby told reporters Wednesday the premiers have made it clear to the Trump administration that annexation talk is a “non-starter.”

To which James Blair, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, replied on X: “We never agreed that Canada would not be the 51st state.”

Yukon's finance minister says the territory's ombudsman and its child and youth advocate are overreacting and engaging in "rhetorical excess" by claiming government interference in the budgeting process for their offices.

Alaska's Republican U.S. senators have introduced legislation seeking to designate North America's tallest peak as Denali — weeks after President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for the name to revert to Mount McKinley.

An apparent high-speed police chase through part of Hay River that resulted in a resident's truck being hit is "under review," RCMP said this week.

A network of family violence shelters and safe homes are urging the government to reinstate a $100,000 fund that supports in-person collaboration and trauma-informed training. The government says those meetings can happen virtually.

Following a proposal from some MLAs to form an independent caucus, the NWT premier called for politicians to work together without partisanship for northerners.

For those of you who really care about where Yellowknife's next FM licence is going, here's the official word-for-word transcript of this week's hearing.

It was at an encounter with the U.S. president's son that Yukon's premier met the head of a lobby firm that helped organize this week's trip to Washington, and which has now been hired to represent the provinces in the U.S.

Three NWT regular MLAs proposed forming an independent members' caucus that they say will "save consensus government." Not all MLAs are convinced.

Kieron Testart, the MLA for Range Lake, pitched the idea of forming a voting bloc to other regular MLAs during a media conference on Thursday. He said it was a way to get things done more quickly and hailed it as a way to "save consensus government." 

The City of Yellowknife says a landfill fire that burned for months has now been extinguished and dump hours are going back to normal.

Hay River's golf course will receive improvement work over the next two years worth $566,318 through new federal funding.

Nunavut RCMP’s major crimes unit and the Nunavut Fire Marshal’s Office continue to investigate the Wednesday morning fire that destroyed Igloolik’s arena and forced some residents to leave their homes to escape the smoke.

The fire at the Kipsigak arena was reported to police around 2:20 a.m. Wednesday, an RCMP news release Thursday said, and officers established a safety perimeter around the fire.

Ten members of the hamlet’s fire department were involved in the initial response, said Greg Belanger, a spokesperson for the Community and Government Services Department, in an emailed statement Wednesday. They were joined by hamlet workers and Canadian Rangers.

In another email Thursday, Belanger said he couldn’t provide further updates because the RCMP has taken the lead on the investigation.

The RCMP hasn’t said if a cause has been determined.

Kipsigak arena was home to the community’s hockey rink and the BlackBox Studio, which hosted the Artcirq circus program.

In November 2023, Artcirq celebrated its 25^th year in operation providing young people the chance to learn circus skills like juggling and clowning, acrobatics, gymnastics as well as traditional Inuit games.

Speaking to Nunatsiaq News on Wednesday from Montreal, Artcirq co-founder Guillaume Saladin called it “a very sad day for all of us.”

He said organizers will have to “improvise a solution” to rebuild a new BlackBox.

Igloolik RCMP are asking anyone with information on the fire to contact investigators at 867-934-0123 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) to leave anonymous tips.

After Wednesday’s much-discussed White House meeting with senior advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump, Canada’s premiers mostly remained quiet Thursday on what they talked about.

For the past month, the premiers including Nunavut’s P.J. Akeeagok had touted the trip to Washington, D.C. as a chance to bring the argument against the U.S. imposing tariffs on Canadian imports directly to the White House.

On Thursday morning, the Arctic premiers took part in a panel discussion at Washington, D.C.-based think tank the Wilson Centre.

It was the first public opportunity for Akeeagok to discuss the visit. Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson and Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai also took part.

But the trip to the White House was not touched on by the premiers during the panel discussion.

They did talk about commercial growth of Arctic industries, Arctic security and defence, particularly in the face of an increasingly aggressive Russia and China.

“We are at a pivotal moment in time,” Akeeagok said during the discussion, noting the increased geopolitical focus on the Arctic.

“[Nunavut] is at the heart of the Northwest Passage. We share a very important relationship [with the U.S.] in terms of Norad [the North American Aerospace Defence Command] and the work we do to secure our continent, North America.”

On X, Akeeagok tweeted that he, Pillai and Simpson “met with Stig Piras, Deputy Chief at the Embassy of Denmark, and Greenland Representative Kenneth Hough. Strengthening circumpolar ties is key as we collaborate on economic development, climate action, and Arctic security.”

The premiers, as part of the Council of the Federation, had been in Washington since Tuesday. Akeeagok was scheduled to leave Washington on Thursday night.

While there, they met with government officials and industry leaders to make the case against Trump’s continued threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian exports except oil which would get a 10 per cent tariff. Mexico was also a target of a similar threat.

Trump initially said the tariffs would come into force Feb. 4, but pulled back on Feb. 3 when the two countries were granted a temporary reprieve until March.

In the interim, Trump hasn’t hesitated to wield his tariff stick.

He signed an executive order on Tuesday imposing 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, including from Canada, as of March 12.

Then on Thursday afternoon, Trump signed a memorandum calling for reciprocal trade tariffs on the country’s trading tariffs from around the globe.

After several days in Washington and Trump’s continued push for tariffs against Canada, and with little to show so far in the way of results, some critics are questioning the purpose of the premiers’ trip.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford chairs the Council of the Federation, the group composed of Canada’s premiers and whose goal is to promote co-operation among provinces and territories. He has led much of the agenda for the trip while being in the middle of a provincial election back home.

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles called the trip nothing more than “a taxpayer funded Washington photo op for partisan purposes,” in a social media post Thursday.

“We’ll be writing to the integrity commissioner and Elections Ontario to look into this and hold him accountable,” Stiles said.

There is no evidence of human involvement in the recent death of a wild stallion in the Ibex Valley, despite a suggestion by some wild horse enthusiasts that the animal may have been illegally shot.

Inuuki Burke is getting used to his new title.

“I still feel so weird to write constable in my emails,” he said in an interview.

“I’m so used to writing cadet for the past six months. Constable — oh my goodness, that is crazy.”

Burke is the first Inuk cadet out of Nunavut to graduate from the RCMP Academy, Depot Division, in Saskatchewan since 2003 — the same year the 21-year-old was born.

Burke graduated from the academy in Regina on Jan. 6, with his family present along with Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok and Nunavut RCMP’s commanding officer Chief Supt. Andrew Blackadar.

From left, RCMP Const. George Henrie, Justice Minister David Akeeagok, Nunavut RCMP commanding officer Chief Supt. Andrew Blackadar, Const. Inuuki Burke, Premier P.J. Akeeagok and Sgt. Maj. Pauline Melanson pose for a photo at Burke’s graduation ceremony from the RCMP Academy on Jan. 6. (Photo courtesy of Nunavut Premier’s Office)

Burke recalled a comment made to him earlier by Cpl. George Henrie of the Iqaluit RCMP detachment, who is also Inuk.

“He said to me, while we were in the process, ‘You’re gonna be a big deal when you graduate depot.’”

“It gave me an extra incentive to get through depot,” Burke said.

“It’s the best six months of your life that you never want to do again,” he said of his time at the academy.

Cadets are kept busy and almost never leave the depot for six months straight, he said.

They’re out of bed each day at 5:30 a.m. and study and go through training from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. After supper, they do their homework and finish their days at around 10 p.m.

“But the light at the end of the tunnel is very much worth it,” he said.

Burke said his love for the RCMP started when he was a kid playing on the streets of Iqaluit.

“Mounties were always there, and I always looked up to them because they kept us safe,” he said.

“And I also love the way the red serge looks,” he said of the Mounties’ ceremonial dress uniform. “I thought it was so cool. Such an iconic look.”

At 15 years of age, he joined the men’s hockey league and played a few games with and against Iqaluit RCMP officers.

“It was so nice to be around them, and at one point I was like, yeah, I’ll be a Mountie as well,” he said.

A few years later, he applied to the academy so that one day he could wear the red serge himself.

When he told his family he wanted to join the police, his little brother looked at him and said it made sense that Burke would be the one in the family to do it.

“I don’t know, maybe I’m just that kind of person,” he said.

“It takes a special type of crazy to be a cop, and I guess I’m that special type of crazy.”

For the past month, Burke has been posted in Cambridge Bay.

He said he has had a great start, with people waving at him on the streets and recognizing the famous new officer.

He often sees kids who, like him a few years ago, look at the uniform with “gleaming eyes” and come up to chat.

Burke said he also still comes across people who “completely hate the police,” but they are the minority.

“They can be a little bit of a downer, but that’s just the nature of the job, right?”

Infrastructure Minister Caroline Wawzonek said she couldn't disclose information about the territory's agreement to sub-lease its own building because commercial leases are proprietary.

On the same day Nunavik officials were meeting with Quebec cabinet ministers to discuss renewed funding for housing, a new report revealed the region is more than 1,000 homes short of what’s needed to serve the population.

At the Feb. 3 meeting in Kuujjuaq, representatives for the Nunavik Housing Bureau, Kativik Regional Government, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services and Makivvik discussed housing with Ian Lafrenière, Quebec’s Indigenous relations minister, and France-Élaine Duranceau, the housing minister.

They all had one word in mind: collaboration.

Ian Lafrenière, Quebec’s Indigenous relations minister, was in Kuujjuaq on Feb. 3 to hear from Nunavik organizations about housing issues in the region. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)

“Everyone [at the meeting] exchanged the challenges they deal with in their respective organizations,” said Maxime Tardif, a spokesperson for Lafrenière, in a French email.

Tardif said both the Quebec and federal governments are in talks with Makivvik to renew multi-year funding for housing construction and maintenance in Nunavik.

“Whilst the government is participating in the financing of housing, it is authorities in Nunavik that are responsible for the planning and the completion of work,” he said.

Nunavik’s housing situation “remains critical,” according to a study published Feb. 3 by consulting firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, in partnership with the Nunavik Housing Bureau.

Every two years, the firm surveys Nunavik households asking how many people live there and how many bedrooms each unit has. This year, people living in 3,738 housing bureau dwellings responded, which is considered to be a high participation rate.

Nunavik’s population — listed as 14,045 in the 2021 census — is projected to increase by one per cent every year between 2021 and 2041, according to Institut de la statistique du Québec, which tracks that data.

That growth rate is double the provincial average, and puts pressure on Nunavik’s housing market which is already at a crisis point.

“It is a demographic problem that we need to take into consideration when projecting developments,” said Lupin Daignault, the Nunavik Housing Bureau director, in a French interview.

The consultants’ study found more than a quarter of all households in Nunavik have at least five residents, while most of the housing stock contains no more than three bedrooms.

It also found that on average there is a decreasing number of bedrooms per unit since 2021 because more units are being built as one-bedroom dwellings.

Currently, Nunavik Housing Bureau has 4,071 dwellings in its stock. The average number of rooms per unit is 2.5, with Kuujjuarapik having the lowest average at 2.2 rooms per dwelling.

Considering the projected population growth and its current needs, Nunavik has a 1,039-unit shortfall. In 2021, the shortfall was 893 units.

Nunavik Housing Bureau director Lupin Daignault believes regular meetings are helpful for more collaboration between Nunavik organizations. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)

The study also found 19.5 per cent of families surveyed are on the waiting list for housing at Nunavik Housing Bureau, most of them multiple families living under one roof.

“That is why it is important to think as a group so that one day we can say that this year we only need 10 units. That would be the dream,” Daignault said.

He said having all the organizations involved in developing housing co-ordinating their efforts will make the process more efficient.

“It demands co-ordination, because the region has a limited intake capacity,” he said. “Some villages can have four different contractors at a time” working for different organizations on different projects.

Instead, often it would be less costly and more efficient to have one contractor take care of all the work in a specific community.

“It is quite easy, in my opinion, for [the organizations] to sit down and find a way to co-ordinate,” he said.

The Feb. 3 meeting in Kuujjuaq, he added, was “the first time in four years that multiple organizations were talking about housing development very positively.”

Ever wanted to drink a beer with Snowking's face on it? NWT Brewing Co launched a new lager in celebration of 30 years of the Snowkings' Winter Festival.

A man killed in Nunavut last April by a spinning helicopter tail rotor was a frequent flyer who had been warned about the risks during previous flights, transport officials said Wednesday.

The risk of wildfires in the Northwest Territories is one of the main reasons a new commercial FM radio licence could be granted in Yellowknife, according to an official with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Severe weather continued to blow through Nunavut Thursday, prompting road closures and government offices to be shut down in several communities.

In Iqaluit, periods of light and blowing snow were expected until the evening with winds 40 km/h and gusting to 60 km/h, according to Environment Canada’s forecast at 11 a.m. Thursday.

Snow and high winds forced many offices to close Wednesday in Iqaluit, including city hall and recreational facilities. They remained closed Thursday morning but reopened at 1 p.m.

City services, including trucked water, landfill and garbage pickup have also resumed and recreational facilities reopened for their usual hours, the city said Thursday in a public service announcement.

The city asked people to clear their driveways for trucked service deliveries and to move vehicles off the roads so snow removal operations could be carried out.

Temperatures are expected to remain at -20 C on Friday in Iqaluit, with winds gusting from 20 km/h to 40 km/h and periods of light snow, according to Environment Canada’s forecast.

In Naujaat on Thursday, Government of Nunavut offices remained closed as a blizzard warning remains in place from Environment Canada until Thursday evening.

Winds are expected to at about 50 km/h with gusts up to 70 km/h, creating a wind chill factor of -38 C Thursday afternoon. Temperatures this low carry a risk of frostbite within minutes for exposed skin, Environment Canada said.

Visibility is expected to be reduced to near zero during heavy and blowing snow.

A blizzard warning remains in effect Thursday for Clyde River as well, where winds are gusting to 70 km/h and reduced visibility is expected to continue until midday Friday.

Temperatures were reported at around -14 C, but with wind chill are expected to feel like -28 C Thursday afternoon, creating a risk of frostbite.

Despite that, government offices in Clyde River reopened Thursday.