COAST-TO-COAST PRIDE

OFFICIALLY NOT TO BE MISSED DID YOU KNOW? CANADIAN SINCE... THE NORTHERN LIGHTS UNESCO World Heritage Site has soaring • The Northwest Territories has 11 officially reco- The Aurora Borealis are visible in the Nor- mountain cliffs, cathedral-like canyons, gnized languages: English, French, Inuktitut, thwest Territories up to 250 days a year. rushing rivers, ancient caves, spectacular Inuvialuktun, Inuinnaqtun, North Slavey, South Being located directly under the auroral oval waterfalls (Virginia falls), and luxurious hot- Slavey, Cree, Tlinchon/Dogrib, Gwich’in and allows for prime viewing, and low humidity springs. Rafting, canoeing, camping and hi- Chipewyan. Citizens have the right to use any and limited light pollution are also advan- king are just some of the ways this pristine of these languages in legislative proceedings 1870 tages. The Northern Lights are most likely to park can be explored. and territorial courts. purchased the expansive area owned by be spotted in August and September and the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) — Rupert’s again from November to April, with peaks in GREAT NORTH ARTS FESTIVAL • The N.W.T. is home to both the largest and Land and North-Western Territory — after six the conditions that create the lights occur- Every summer in the town of Inuvik, vi- deepest lake in Canada. Great Bear Lake has a surface area of 31,153 km2, and Great Slave months of gruelling negotiations that took place ring every eleven years. sual artists, performers, locals and visi- Lake has a maximum depth of 614 metres. in London. As a freshly formed nation, Canada tors alike gather over a period of 10 days was eager to expand its borders both north and DOGSLEDDING TOURS to appreciate the diverse artistic traditions • This territory is the world’s second biggest pro- west, and simultaneously wanted to prevent the At one time in the Northwest Territories, the of the North. Inuit, First Nations and Metis ducer of diamonds. The diamonds are of supe- U.S. from further expanding (they’d already pur- only way to travel over land in winter was peoples display their creative talents, and rior quality than those found in Africa. chased Alaska from Russia a few years earlier). by dogsled. Nowadays, snowmobiling, dri- workshops in traditional mediums such as Britain supported these efforts and helped faci- ving and flying have replaced this ancient beading, weaving, soapstone and more are • The N.W.T. has no political parties. Instead, the litate the transfer. method of getting around Canada’s northern- a great way to have a more hands on expe- territory’s government is made up of individuals most places. However, dogsledding hasn’t rience. Live performances, primarily music and who are voted in by their individual names The lands acquired more than tripled Canada’s completely disappeared. It’s become a popular dancing, are also on offer. rather than party affiliation. At a federal level, size. They encompassed all of modern-day Alberta, winter sport, and competitive races are held N.W.T. elected officials are assigned to whiche- , Manitoba, Yukon, Northwest Terri- every year. Visitors to the N.W.T. can expe- THE SALT PLAINS ver party is currently in power. tories and Nunavut, as well as most of Northern rience dogsledding as multi-day tours or short Near Fort Smith in Wood Buffalo National Park and Quebec. The land was purchased in jaunts into the winter wilderness. (Canada’s largest national park), salt bubbles • The Northwest Territories holds the largest amount 1869 for £300,000, and HBC kept the titles to va- up from springs over a 200-kilometre ex- of pingos — naturally occurring mounds of rious trading posts and 5 per cent of the territory NAHANNI NATIONAL PARK panse of desert-like plains. Salt-tolerant earth-covered ice — in the world. (mostly farmland in the prairies). For unspoiled wilderness, few places on earth plants thrive in the area and wildlife linge- can compare to Nahanni National Park. This ring nearby is frequently spotted. However, the actual takeover was postponed due to the Red River Rebellion led by Louis Riel. As a result, appropriation only commenced on July 15, 1870. Upon Canada’s acquisition of the new region, the entire area — minus a small square- sized lot around Winnipeg that was pronounced the province of Manitoba — became known as the North-West Territories.

LICENCE PLATE SLOGAN PHOTO: ADAM JONES, PH.D./GLOBAL PHOTO ARCHIVE/FLICKR

• is the coldest city in Canada with an annual mean temperature of -5.4 °C. In the north, it’s not uncommon for winter tempera- tures to dip down to -50 °C.

DEMONYM TERRITORIAL NICKNAMES • Ragged Ass Road in Yellowknife was so named People from the Northwest Territories • Canada’s Last Frontier by prospector Lou Rocher. While the name Spectacular are called Northwest Territorians, • North of Sixty sounds rather vulgar, the original street name, (plate is shaped like a polar bear) or N.W.T.ers for short. • Land of the Polar Bear Privy Road, wasn’t much better. • Nunatsiaq (beautiful land in Inuktitut)

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