Staff picks: CBC Nunavut remembers 2015
Community, old friends, and polar bear escapes highlight the year that was for CBC Nunavut's team
As we countdown to the new year, CBC Nunavut reflects back on some of our team's most memorable stories of 2015.
Cape Dorset school fire
There's one hamlet visit in 2015 that stands out for me: Cape Dorset, after their high school burned down.
Talking to the community members and young people about the loss of their high school and the good and bad memories they had there was very moving. It was very special for me to be there as the community pulled together during such a tough time. I spent many late nights with young people from the community, just getting to know them.
- Jordan Konek
Missing Pond Inlet man walks to safety
It was one of those moments when your personal and professional life collide.
I was interviewing my childhood friend Brian Koonoo for Igalaaq. He walked safely into Repulse Bay (now Naujaat), after four days of air and ground searches were unable to locate him.
It was a personal one for me — Brian is like a brother. He was going on a hunt and his snowmobile broke down. He was carrying a GPS, but it ran out of batteries, so he navigated using Google Maps on his phone.
I thought, "how do I not cry on air when this man, who was a boy I loved, is finally home safe, and he's telling me about it?"
- Madeleine Allakariallak
Elderly couple escapes from polar bear
Naatuq Paanniuq, 67 and her husband Mark Paanniuq, 71 from Coral Harbour say it happened when they went out to get some ice.
Out of nowhere they were face to face with a standing, growling bear. He was so close they could see his teeth.
With a bit of quick thinking the couple was able to distract the bear by throwing mitts as a diversion.
While the bear chased after them the couple ran into their truck and used their gun to scare away the animal.
The elders told the story so well. They made you feel like you were right there with them. That's the power of a good yarn, told by a great storyteller.
- Kowisa Arlooktoo
Nunavut couple make dogsled trip across Baffin Island
I'm a huge sucker for athletic accomplishments, and dogsledding 4,000 kilometres around Baffin Island for four months definitely tops my 2015 list, in any sport – sorry, Jays fans.
Though I've never met Sarah McNair-Landry and Erik Boomer, I came into work almost every morning eager to hear their daily update from my colleagues.
This story had everything: a tribute to family, stunning photography, comical adversity (one of the dogs went into heat), a race against time, all the cold and unforgiving nature of the North, and of course, triumph – and not just for the mushers.
"Yesterday we got into this little rocky ravine of ice and there's a lot of overflow water that was coming up on top of the ice. And the dogs did not like that," McNair-Landry said back in February. "They did not want to run into it, so it took us everything we could to encourage them to run across it."
See: awesome triumphant animal story, too!
- Nick Murray
Facebook page claims to be Nunavut Liquor Commission
You can find a lot of bizarre things on social media, but for me, this one took the cake: a Facebook page trying to sell alcohol in Nunavut.
No matter your feelings on selling liquor in the territory, this is the kind of thing that makes you wonder what the people behind the page were thinking.
It may just be one of the more harebrained business schemes out there.
- Jane Sponagle
Courage in the face of mental illness
This year, when I was hosting Qulliq, we aired an interview that completely captured my imagination.
The interview was with a woman who was living with schizophrenia.
I love seeing courage on any level, and I thought it took a whole lot to speak about your mental illness to the world.
It's difficult enough to live with mental illness on a day to day basis.
Her willingness to be candid and open herself up to the world really resonated with me.
- Lucy Burke