Gazette - Sachs Harbour

COVER - REMOTE AND NORTHERN POLICING

When RCMP Cst Todd Midgett went up North for his second posting, he had more than himself to consider: his wife Tammy Olivier joined him in the tiny hamlet of Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories. Tammy writes about the first eight months of her life as a member’s wife up North.

August 2008
Summer in Sachs harbour :
“balmy” days and 24-hour daylight

by Tammy Olivier

I’ve never had a $9,000 grocery order or bought a case of ketchup in one go. But when your groceries get delivered only once a year, this is the reality.I have lived in many small towns, but none as small as Sachs Harbour, population 120. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when we arrived, but I knew that there wouldn’t be a Starbucks within walking distance.

Landing in the spring is a definite bonus: the long stretches of Arctic daylight allow us to get to know this small town. Getting used to the 24-hour daylight was tough, but like anything, you adjust. The spring weather has been co-operative, with temperatures averaging a relatively balmy 5 degrees Celsius.

Living so close to the water is fabulous, and I love looking out over our beautiful sea view from my living room. Being able to walk everywhere (three minutes to the post office/general store) is a bonus, and the dog is thrilled to have me at home.

I already have a friend in Joey, a 60+ local who chairs the local Co-Op board and understands my sense of humour (Arctic Co-operatives Ltd. is a community- owned retail store). Meeting people is very easy here, and Joey has helped me adjust to this new way of life.

I have been corresponding over the Internet with everyone I left behind in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. They are all fascinated by our adventure.

So far, I really like it up here. I can get used to not eating out, hitting the mall or taking in a movie on a Saturday night. With a little imagination, the general store becomes just like the West Edmonton Mall, and the satellite dish and microwave popcorn fill in for the movie theatre.

January 2009
the long and dark of it :
winter months bring new
challenges — and opportunities

Our enormous grocery order arrived by barge in August — three weeks late. We soon learned one of our first lessons of living in the Arctic: when you order a year’s worth of groceries in May, the expiration dates start then! By the time our two pallets arrived, more than 50 per cent of the order had passed its bestbefore date. We’ve been drinking juice like crazy before we have to throw it away.

Taking a quick trip to Mexico in December to restore our vitamin D levels was a real treat. Although December is the longest, darkest month, it wasn’t as bad as we anticipated (we had images of a black abyss). Until mid-January, we got a few hours of dusk-level light around noon, but after that, the sun managed to rise above the horizon, which is heaven in the Arctic. We are told that the next couple of months are the real winter. March is “blizzard month,” with the wind chill taking temperatures to the -50s.

I had no idea that the Sachs Harbour job market would be so prosperous. I moved here prepared not to work for two years, but by summer I was running the postal outlet four hours a week. It’s been a great way to meet everyone in town and become part of the community. In October, one of our teachers broke her leg, and as a result, I’ve been substitute teaching for Grades 1 to 3. I hope I’ll end up teaching them more than they are teaching me, but right now it’s a toss up! Our next big Arctic challenge is planning for the arrival of our first child in July. How many diapers do we need to order for a full year?

It’s hard to believe we’ve been in Sachs for over eight months already. The idea of two years was daunting at first, but as we approach the half-way mark, it’s flying by. If I’m not careful, I might actually miss this place once we’re gone ...