Yellowknife/Iqaluit 2009

I'm in Yellowknife this week for some professional development courses, necessary for my CA designation. Not a bad way to spend a week, and it's a good chance for me to explore the town a bit.

What I've noticed is that while Iqaluit is a government town, Yellowknife is definitely a mining town (with government taking a back seat). Rio Tinto/Diavik and other outfits spot the downtown core of the city, with jewellers, and other mining spin-off companies all in the same general vicinity.

I have also noticed the lack of inuit people here. Iqaluit has over 50% inuit people, so their general absence makes an impression.

While there is some art to be found, it is mostly the work of one artist that pops up. While in Iqaluit, carvers will approach you anywhere to sell their gear, Yellowknife does not seem to have the same community of carvers.. I feel privileged to be staged in Iqaluit, despite the fact that there are no liquor stores like Yellowknife, there is no real variety in terms of shopping (sorry Northmart) and a lack of a business centre.

I won't say one place is better than the other, but I am definitely luckier to be in Iqaluit, despite its problems. Iqaluit is a beautiful area on the very edge of the Canadian tundra, and it is still making its way in terms of defining its path into the future. Yellowknife has a long story, and predates the advent of Iqaluit by centuries, while Iqaluit is still sorting its way through history.