Social resources are also needed to support the most vulnerable during this pandemic. Over half (51.7% in 2016) of Inuit in Inuit Nunangat live in overcrowded homes, making social distancing or self-isolation impossible for many. Further, homeless community members are particularly vulnerable, and overburdened shelters are at risk of increasing transmission of COVID-19. The high cost of living in Inuit communities also means that lifesaving soap and disinfectant cleaners could be financially out of reach to some.

On an international level, the Inuit Circumpolar Council has called attention to this by recognizing that a lack of basic infrastructure such as sewer and running water in some communities and aging/deteriorating systems in others that put Inuit at higher risk of exposure to communicable diseases.

Measures put in place to control COVID-19 by other jurisdictions are challenging to implement in the North due to infrastructure limitations. Many organizations are quickly adapting to a work-from-home model to ensure they can continue running while crowded office spaces are considered unsafe. However, the limited and outrageously expensive internet options in the North (in addition to a lack of home computers) means that for some, working from home may be an insurmountable challenge. This applies to all those students trying to finish their college or university semester as well.

Some internet providers are making changes, for example Northwestel has recently waived some internet bandwidth caps, and increased monthly caps for others, including the Inuit communities of Iqaluit, Arviat, Rankin Inlet, Cambridge Bay, Ulukhaktok, Paulatuk and Sachs Harbour. While this is a welcome change for some, the quality and cost of internet and telephone connections in many Inuit communities still remains inaccessible, and is even possible that overuse could incapacitate the internet system for all users in the North.

Telecommunications infrastructure in the North is often criticized by individuals and businesses, and the COVID-19 pandemic brings those criticisms into sharp focus.

Post-Pandemic in Inuit Nunangat

Inuit are no strangers to health crises, and previous devastating pandemics are still within relatively recent memory. The 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic devastated Northern Labrador, where our families are from, killing one-third of the Inuit population. As Kenn Harper writes, Inuit were spared from the first wave of the flu due to its emergence before the shipping season opened. However, the second wave in autumn devastated families and entire communities, most severely Okak.