Timothy Erkloo’s drumbeat carried through Ottawa’s Vanier neighbourhood as more than 200 people gathered for country food, Inuit games, songs and dancing.

The capital’s Nunavut Day celebration came one day late, on Friday, July 10, but no one seemed to mind.

“It means the whole community getting together, celebrating together, communicating with each other, building connections,” Erkloo said. “You might see some family members that you haven’t seen in a long time. It’s all about eating, having fun, playing games, winning prizes and dancing happily.”

The event was organized by Isaruit Inuit Arts in the neighbourhood affectionately known as “Little Nunavut,” home to a large and closely connected urban Inuit community. Statistics Canada counted 1,270 Inuit living in Ottawa in the 2021 Census, but local agencies estimate the population is closer to 3,700 to 6,000, including people who move between the North and Ottawa for medical care, education and work.

Behind the scenes Friday morning, about 20 volunteers prepared a mix of country and urban food, from Arctic char and fry bread to barbecued hot dogs. Fiddle music blared from the speakers as a long line formed at the buffet, with some people jigging as they waited.

Artists from Isaruit and the wider community entertained the crowd with throat singing and traditional Inuit games. The program also included raffles and prizes.

Inuit singers perform at Nunavut celebration in Ottawa | Photo: Karyn Pugliese

Erkloo, 20, came to Ottawa from Pond Inlet with his grandparents a decade ago. He now works in Isaruit’s downstairs shop, where he makes traditional tools and drums, and performs and teaches Inuit drumming and games in schools across the city.

His journey south was shaped by pressures familiar to many Nunavut families.

“It’s really hard back home,” he said. “There’s almost no food. It’s too expensive for food. We had a lot of us in the house.”

Housing shortages have long plagued Nunavut, while food remains far more expensive than in southern cities despite federal subsidies. In 2025, a frozen pizza averaged $18.15 in Nunavut, compared with $6.49 in Ottawa, while potatoes cost $10.34 in Nunavut, compared with $4.98 in Ottawa.

Erkloo says he has grown to love Ottawa, where he has laid down roots-he now has a daughter named Avaia. Isaruit has helped create a place that remains connected to home.

Founded by four Inuit grandmothers in 2018, the organization began as a sewing circle in the basement of St. Margaret’s Anglican Church. It has since expanded into 12 rooms supporting sewing, carving, drum-making and other Inuit arts.

Beverly Illauq, founding grandmother and Centre Coordinator (left), with Lila Koonoo, Isaruit Admin Assistant . (right) | Photo: Karyn Pugliese

“The four of us grandmothers of Inuit families here in Ottawa were talking about how we need a place to go that smells like, looks like, tastes like, sounds like home. There are parks in Ottawa, in the Vanier area, where a lot of Inuit live, and a lot of the homeless Inuit end up hanging out in,” said Beverly Illauq, who was born to English parents in the Toronto area and married into the Apitak family in Clyde River in 1985. She lived in the community for 19 years before coming to Ottawa.

“ We are a First People, but we do have a vastly different culture that we are promoting here through Iqaluit Inuit Arts. And it’s reconciliation community to community from the North to South, or it’s reconciliation within families, or reconciliation with yourself, given all the givens of your life and perhaps some traumas that have come along and so on. But that is not the least of what we do. And now here we are at Nunavut Day.”

Isaruit centres healing and reconciliation around art, but it also hosts a community lunch every Friday at its home in the former Rideau High School. On this Friday afternoon, the space became what Nunavut Day was meant to be: a place to eat, compete, dance, reconnect and celebrate Inuit culture together.

“Nunavut Day is a proud day for all Inuit. As I can see here today, there’s many happy people. Even though we’re a day later, they’re still living up to what it means to be Inuk on Nunavut Day.”

Originally from Clyde River, Salliaruq Illauq moved south nearly 20 years ago so her children could access more educational opportunities. She is now Isaruit’s programs coordinator, developing cultural programming, working with schools and helping younger Inuit reconnect with their identities, traditions and heritage.

“ I strongly believe in passing on the knowledge to keep it alive, rather than just putting it out there and hoping for the best. We do work with a couple of high schools to help the educational side understand a bit better about the cultural side of what Inuit heritage is,” she said.

Ina Kaunak came to the celebration to sell her handmade jewelry and to catch up with friends she hasn’t seen in a while. | Photo: Karyn Pugliese

Ina Kaunak came to the celebration to sell seed-beaded earrings and necklaces so intricately woven they resemble lace. An elder, she now earns part of her income through her art.

“I started beading two years ago and I got hooked,” she laughs.

Originally from Pond Inlet, Kaunak came to Ottawa decades ago after her mother and husband moved south. For her, Nunavut Day is about both homes: Nunavut and Little Nunavut.

“It’s our day, we celebrate being Inuit, and for our territory that was given back. It’s very special, it’s nice and good to see people I haven’t seen in a while,” she said.

APTN News

Message History

Delivery option(s)