Ice-diving in Arctic Ocean part of this year's Operation Nanook-Nunalivut

Sailor 1st Class Julia Garlock, 21, made her first ice dive in the Arctic Ocean near Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., this week during Joint Task Force North's annual Operation Nanook-Nunalivut. 

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Joint Task Force North (JTFN) brought up more than 200 CAF personnel, along with military personnel from the United States and France, for the 14-day operation based in Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik. They're working alongside more than 16 local Canadian Rangers to gain skills in operating in extreme weather conditions and environments.

"I love it. It's been really fun so far," said Garlock, a port inspection diver from Dartmouth, N.S., who is with the Halifax Royal Canadian Navy Fleet Diving Unit-Atlantic. 

The ice near Tuktoyaktuk is 1.5 meters thick. Garlock and her colleagues dove to the frigid depths of 21 meters.

For 10 days, military personnel have been rotating divers in for the ice training beneath a tent-covered hole cut in the Arctic sea ice.

"It's such a great experience for me," Garlock said. "There's not many people who can say they've been up here, let alone dive."

She's looking forward to learning different search techniques from the French military divers. 

"I'm really thankful I'm getting to learn so much from the French divers and from the combat divers, we get to all work together on our skills," she said.

Unaffected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine

In the past, Russian media have described the operation as "sabre rattling." 

According to JTFN Commander Brig.-Gen. Pascal Godbout, the operation strengthens the CAF's presence in the Arctic over the longer-term, while strengthening their knowledge of the region and reinforcing partnerships between the federal and territorial governments and agencies and Indigenous and northern communities.

The operation has not been affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to a statement from CAF public affairs officer Miguel Moldez Thursday morning.

"We are still proceeding with our activities until the already scheduled end of the operation on Sunday," he wrote.

Snowshoes part of light infantry gear

Before the sun rose Tuesday morning a member of the Fond Du Lac Denesuline First Nation in northern Saskatchewan led troops in a snowshoeing exercise. Joel Pedersen, chief warrant officer of the Winnipeg-based 38 Canadian Brigade, said this is the first cold weather ground training operation for his brigade to reach north of the Arctic Circle 

According to Pedersen, the soldiers will be part of a light infantry unit who will be expected to work in the kind of overnight conditions they experienced in training — where temperatures hit below -40 with the windchill. 

"Where they're going to be operating … they may have to get up, put on their snowshoes and be prepared to do their job, which is being out on the land," he said. "We want to be able to show them that… you can also put them together, sling them, put them on your back and be on the move."

With 34 years of military service, Pedersen said this is his first time participating in a cold weather operation in Canada since he joined the Forces at the age of 17. 

Local benefits

This year, with COVID-19 precautions, activities are more separated from the local communities and interactions with the public are more limited. 

Despite this, Tuktoyaktuk mayor Erwin Elias said the operation benefits the community, providing local people with employment opportunities, including cooking and cleaning. 

He said the operation relies on local Canadian Rangers to understand the terrain and situation. Right now, that includes taking precautions around rabies after the N.W.T. Health and Social Services Authority warned of two dogs in the community earlier this month that shows signs of the disease. 

"The military needs our Rangers here in the community just as much as we need them," Elias said. "A crew of about 60 or 70 of them are heading north, and they have the Rangers guiding them on that trip."

Elias said an artisan event is being organized for the weekend so that all the visitors get a chance to buy locally made products, before they go home.