Grise Fiord, Nunavut, known in Inuktitut as Aujuittuq, meaning 'place that never thaws,' is an Inuit hamlet nestled on the southern tip of Ellesmere Island, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. Despite its small population of 144 residents (as of the 2021 Canadian census), it is the largest community on Ellesmere Island and the northernmost public community in Canada.
The hamlet of Grise Fiord was created by the Canadian Government in 1953 through a relocation of Inuit families from Inukjuak, Quebec. This move was partly to assert sovereignty in the High Arctic during the Cold War. The relocated families were promised homes and game to hunt, but upon arrival, they found no buildings and very little familiar wildlife. Despite initial promises of a return home after a year, the offer was later withdrawn, forcing the Inuit to stay. Over time, the Inuit learned the local beluga whale migration routes and were able to survive in the area, hunting over a range of 18,000 km2 (6,900 sq mi) each year.
In 1993, the Canadian government held hearings to investigate the relocation program. The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples issued a report entitled The High Arctic Relocation: A Report on the 1953–55 Relocation, recommending a settlement. The government paid CAD10 million to the survivors and their families, and gave a formal apology in 2010.
In 2009, artist and Grise Fiord resident Looty Pijamini was commissioned by Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated to build a monument to commemorate the Inuit who sacrificed so much as a result of the Government's forced relocation programme of 1953 and 1955. The monument, located in Grise Fiord, depicts a woman with a young boy and a husky, with the woman sombrely looking out towards Resolute Bay.
Grise Fiord is located at the southern tip of Ellesmere Island, one of three permanent inhabited places on the island. The hamlet lies 1,160 km (720 mi) north of the Arctic Circle, and is the northernmost civilian community in Canada. Grise Fiord is cradled by the Arctic Cordillera mountain range.
In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Grise Fiord had a population of 144 living in 58 of its 64 total private dwellings, a change of 11.6% from its 2016 population of 129. With a land area of 332.9 km2 (128.5 sq mi), it had a population density of 0.4/km2 (1.1/sq mi) in 2021.
Just to the north of the community is the actual fiord, Grise Fiord. It means "pig inlet" in Norwegian. Otto Sverdrup from Norway named it so during an expedition around 1900 because he thought the walrus in the area sounded like pigs. The Inuktitut name is ᐊᐅᔪᐃᑦᑐᖅ (Aujuittuq), which means "place that never thaws".
The houses in Grise Fiord are wooden and built on platforms to cope with the freezing and thawing of the permafrost. Hunting is still an important part of the lifestyle of the mostly Inuit population. Quota systems allow the villagers to supply many of their needs from populations of seals, walruses, narwhal and beluga whales, polar bears and muskox. Ecotourism is developing as people come to see the northern wildlife found on Ellesmere and surrounding islands.
Grise Fiord is connected to the rest of the world by a small airstrip (Grise Fiord Airport), 1,675 ft (511 m) in length. For local travel needs, the villagers use all-terrain vehicles in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter. Small boats are used in summer to reach hunting grounds, or hunting sea mammals on the ocean. Once a year large ships (sealift) arrive with supplies and fuel.
The local co-operative is the main place to purchase supplies. There are local guide and outfitting operations, which are an important source of income for many families. Carving, traditional clothing and other Inuit crafts are also important sources of income. Due to the extreme location, the economy is subsistence-based. Because of the potential for avalanches and falling rocks from mountains, there is no room for expansion.
A Simon Fraser University study of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) activity in the Baffin Region states that Grise Fiord had the lowest rate of criminal offences of all communities examined in 1992, and cites a 1994 Statistics Canada survey that gives the highest perception of personal safety.
Grise Fiord has a tundra climate (ET) with very short, cool summers and long, cold winters lasting almost the entire year. It is also one of the coldest inhabited places in the world, with an average yearly temperature of −16.5 °C (2.3 °F).
