Cambridge Bay

Cambridge Bay is a hamlet of about 1800 people (2016) on Victoria Island, in western Nunavut. It is the largest settlement on Victoria Island. Cambridge Bay is the largest stop for passenger and research vessels traversing the Arctic Ocean's Northwest Passage, a disputed area which the Government of Canada claims are Canadian Internal Waters, while other nations state they are either territorial waters or international waters.

Understand
Cambridge Bay is named for Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge. The traditional Inuinnaqtun name for the area is Ikaluktutiak (old orthography) or Iqaluktuttiaq (new orthography) meaning "good fishing place".

To the north of the community is Ferguson Lake which flows into Wellington Bay via the Ekalluk River. The Ekalluk River is an important commercial fishing and archaeological area. The area was a traditional hunting and fishing location and archaeological sites are often found.

Barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus), muskox (Ovibos moschatus), ringed seal (Pusa hispida), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) were the primary prey, and remain important food sources. East of Cambridge Bay is Ovayok Territorial Park, which includes the large esker known as Ovayok (Mount Pelly).

History
The first known people to occupy the area were Pre-Dorset seal and caribou hunters, somewhere around 1800 BC, about 4,000 years ago. The next groups to enter the area were Paleo-Eskimo and Thule peoples; around 1500 AD, the modern Inuit made an appearance.

The first Europeans to reach Cambridge Bay were overland explorers led by Thomas Simpson in 1839; they were searching for a Northwest Passage and had crossed the sea ice on foot. Another overland expedition led by John Rae reached Cambridge Bay in 1851, and the first ship to reach the bay was under Richard Collinson who wintered there in 1852/53. Both Rae and Collinson were searching for Franklin's lost expedition. Collinson's ship came from the west, having entered the Canadian Arctic via the Bering Strait. This was the furthest east any large ship travelled from the Bering Strait until Henry Larsen in 1941. Cambridge Bay was the site of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) outposts established during the 1920s. Although at this point most Inuit would have continued the traditional lifestyle and only visited the area rather than live there permanently. The HBC opened a post here in 1921, later than in most places, and built at the site now called the "old town".

A Distant Early Warning Line site was established in 1955, and about 200 Inuit were hired to help in the construction.

Climate
Cambridge Bay has a polar climate, no month having an average temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) or higher, and has never recorded a temperature above freezing between 31 October and 19 April.

By boat
Although Cambridge Bay lies on the Northwest Passage, there are no passenger ships other than tourist cruises.

Get around
Cambridge Bay has no cars; only snowmobiles, ATVs, SUVs and trucks. You can walk across town in 15 mins in summer but be prepared to walk on mud and gravel road. In winter you'll be walking in snow and extreme cold. There are two taxi services, run by Go Cargo Taxi, who also have vehicle rentals, (983-2001) and Ziggy's Taxi (983-5775).

See
There isn't much to see in terms of sites. You're really coming to Cambridge Bay to experience life in a remote Arctic community.

Do

 * Learn about sewing and traditional tool making at
 * Learn about sewing and traditional tool making at

Buy
There are several businesses in the community including a branch of the Royal Bank of Canada and a Canada Post postal service.

Eat
Be prepared for a next-to-impossible destinations situation. In communities in Canada's Far North, including Cambridge Bay, supplies like groceries are brought in by boat once a year, and flown in at other times. The cost of food is outrageously high. Bringing in some supplies of your own could help keep your costs down.

Muskoxen are harvested locally, and steaks and roasts may be available in season.

Connect
Phone service is provided by Northwestel, a division of BCE Inc. and, with their companion Bell Mobility, also handle cell phone coverage. Telus will work here. The community is also served by the Qiniq network. Qiniq is a fixed wireless service to homes and businesses, connecting to the outside world via a satellite backbone. The Qiniq network is designed and operated by SSI Micro. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice.

In 2012, the roads of Cambridge Bay were imaged for Google Street View by a tricycle fitted with a camera system.

Stay safe

 * Police (RCMP) emergency number: 867-983-1111
 * Fire/ambulance: 867-983-2222

Go next

 * Snowmobile southwest for 200 km to Umingmaktok, a now abandoned settlement