16 parkas gifted to visiting girls' hockey team in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut

Sixteen girls on a hockey team from Ontario were each gifted handmade parkas during an exchange that brought them to Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, for a week. 

"It's incredible, the families got together and made parkas for the girls so that they could be here," said the hockey team's coach and exchange co-ordinator, Lee Barter. 

"The girls, they walk around like they're models on a runway. They're so impressed with the parkas — they're beautiful." 

The visit is part of a northern exchange program called Experiences Canada, a national charity that sponsors youth exchange trips. The Oakville Hornets U15 team hosted the Rankin Rock players for a week in March, during which both teams played various sports together, went to a Toronto Maple Leafs game and shared family dinners. 

The Oakville players then visited Rankin Inlet until May 3, and were presented with parkas so that they could stay warm during their stay in the community. 

Minimum temperatures in Rankin Inlet hovered around –20 C this past week according to Environment Canada — a stark difference from the high of 12 C in Oakville expected on Thursday. 

Aliisa Kusugak, a seamstress in Rankin Inlet, made three of the parkas in three days. She said it was a bit challenging to sew parkas for girls she'd never met before but, she added, "when you enjoy sewing, that helps a lot." 

Barter has helped organize multiple exchanges with Nunavut. He went on a similar exchange to Pond Inlet more than thirty years ago, when he was 14. 

"The generosity of the North always shows up anytime I've been able to bring a hockey group up the North, it's so special to be able to share in the hospitality and the Inuit way of life, it's hard to explain to those in the South unless they come and experience it directly." 

The activities they've participated in include fishing and riding around on snowmobiles and ATVs. 

"I really like it," said Ciara Daughney. "It reminds me of Newfoundland with the colorful houses and stuff … I also like how a lot of people are outside."