Nunavut may not be tropical, but it’s paradise to Carolanne Inglis

Carolanne Inglis Many students have big plans of visiting a foreign country and landing a job when they finish their degree. They want to taste new traditions, learn a language, and get paid while they’re at it.

“You don’t have to leave the country to experience different cultures and lifestyles,” said Carolanne Inglis, BA’04, the hearing coordinator with the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB).

When Inglis graduated in June from her program in Developmental Studies and Northern Planning and Development, she didn’t know where she was headed. Before going back to her native province of Ontario, she saw a job posting on the U of C’s career Web site for a position with the Nunavut government. “It was so specific to my degree that I couldn’t help but apply for it!”

NIRB is a government agency responsible for environmental assessment of projects in Nunavut. They use both traditional knowledge and recognized methods to assess environmental, cultural, and socio-economic ramifications of land-use proposals such as diamond mines. They look specifically at any adverse effects on air quality, fish, land, traditional land use, water quality, and people. As the hearing coordinator, she meets with anyone who is willing to give input, whether it is the youth or elders within the community.

“There’s a certain apprehension about coming to the North as a non-Aboriginal, but I feel my program helped prepare me for a life in the North and the different aspects of living in a culture other than my own,” said Inglis. “In just a handful of weeks, I became part of the community. The extended families in the community act like a safety net. It’s a nice feeling when you’re so far from your own family.”

The snow has been falling since Inglis arrived in Cambridge, Nunavut in mid-September, but she sees a bright future for herself and others there. “Everyone in Calgary could use a chance to slow life down and make connections with people on their own time and pace.”

By Sally Jade Powis