Cambridge Bay
Welcome to Cambridge Bay
Cambridge Bay, located on the southeast coast of Victoria Island at the western end of Queen Maud Gulf, is the central hub for Nunavut’s Kitikmeot region.
We’re a small community of about 2,000 residents, but one with lots of activity, such as meetings and community events, to keep you busy. Whatever brings you to Cambridge Bay, you’ll be welcomed warmly wherever you go.
While you are in Cambridge Bay, check out our landmarks including the Ovayuk Territorial Park, the new Kuugalaaq cultural centre, the May Hakongak Library, Heritage Park and Red Fish Arts Studio, our historic churches and the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. Stop by the Kitikmeot Foods plant for some smoked Arctic char to bring home.
Touring & Visiting
After a busy day, come home to Green Row Executive Suites. Appreciate the restful comforts built into every one of our suites. Sit back on the sofa and take it easy in front of your favorite satellite TV program or catch-up on work. Our living areas are spacious, separate from the bedrooms and bathroom, so you can even hold a meeting in the suite, if needed. Fix yourself a snack or a home-cooked meal in the fully-equipped kitchen. Later, you can take care of your laundry right in your suite. Our cozy beds and warm comforters guarantee a great night’s sleep. 24-hour-sun? No problem, we have excellent window coverings. Stormy weather? No worries. You’ll be safe and snug in your home suite home.
We have a total of 18 suites: two-bedroom and one- bedroom units.
Please do call or email us for current rates.
Cambridge Bay, population, about 2,000
The area around Cambridge Bay, about 220 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, has long served as a meeting place and fishing spot for Inuit families living on the Arctic coast.
Today, Cambridge Bay is a bustling business and government centre and the administrative hub for the Kitikmeot region of western Nunavut.
Ikaluktutiak is Cambridge Bay’s name in Inuinnaqtun, the Inuktut language of this region. Ikaluktutiak means “a good fishing spot,” and this aptly describes the community’s location on the southeast coast of Victoria Island, where the lakes and rivers teem with fish.
Arctic explorers first visited the region in the 1800s when they were seeking a route to the west through Northwest Passage—and some met Inuit along the way.
In 1905, during the first recorded transit of the Northwest Passage, the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen stopped here in his ship, the Gjoa.
By the 1920s, fur traders, the RCMP and missionaries had arrived and set up a more or less permanent outpost near the present-day community. Inuit began to move here permanently in 1955 after the construction of the Distance Early Warning line facility, the CamMain radar station still lies opposite the airport.
A school was added in 1958, and the Ikaluktutiak Co-op, which ran a commercial char fishery for many years, opened in 1968. Now, you’ll find two new schools as well as a health centre in town.
The Northern Store and the Ikalukutiak Co-op offer a wide variety of groceries as well as household supplies. There’s also the Olapkivik Arcade and Convenience Store as well as Kalgen’s Dis & Dat Hardware and Convenience Store.
Inuit art, crafts and carvings are available locally. For more information on these, ask at the Co-op store, Arctic Coast Visitors Centre or the May Hakongak Library. Fast food is available at the Northern Store and there are three restaurants, the Arctic Lodge, Qillaq Lodge and the Kuugak Cafe.
Need other assistance? As a general contractor in Cambridge Bay, Inukshuk Enterprises Ltd., which owns Green Row Suites, provides a wide variety of services, including vehicle repair and maintenance, property management, cartage and expediting.
