Supplies arrive in Whale Cove, Nunavut after only store burned down

Four days after a fire destroyed Whale Cove's only grocery store, residents of the Nunavut community are coming to terms with what they lost.

"I thought they would be able to control it," said Jennifer Sheetoga.

But last week when firefighters arrived to find the store on fire, they quickly determined they wouldn't be able to save it. They worked to secure the scene instead.

The gas bar was spared, but the rest of the store, with the post office and groceries inside, perished in the flames. Officials declared a state of emergency for the community.

"It's burned right to the ground. Literally everything except the store roof and the side of the building is still there," Sheetoga said.

To replenish the lost stock, the hamlet and Arctic Co-operatives Limited, which owns the Issatik Co-op in the community, worked to bring supplies in over the weekend.

Local rangers and volunteers have been busy assembling the food into free food hampers to deliver to the community.

The packages include donations from many organizations and community members across the territory.

In Rankin Inlet, Taina Ashoona was one of those behind a community food drive.

"We have family who reside in Whale Cove, and so this is how I wanted to help the residents," she said.

Little remains of Whale Cove's only grocery store after a fire destroyed it on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (Submitted by Stanley Adjuk)

Back-up store for the time being

All the supplies are being stored in the local community hall, which is being retrofitted into a back-up store.

It will need some extra shelves and wiring for refrigerators and the till before it's operational.

But plans for a temporary post office have not yet been announced, and there's still no word on the cause of the fire, or how long the state of emergency will go on.

Stanley Adjuk, the local co-op board chair, said most of the store's products that arrived during the sealift season were lost in the flames.

"There was a big loss. We still have some seacans with products in them, I guess we'll have to work with what we have," he said.

But he adds Whale Cove is in "good hands" with other communities pitching in.

Mary Nirlungayuk, the vice-president of governance and member relations at Arctic Co-operatives at the Winnipeg headquarters, said contingency plans are in motion, to ensure the back-up store will continue to be stocked.

For now, Sheetoga is just glad there's still food on the table for her and her 12-year-old son.

"I'm very grateful that the community came together, and for our neighbours in Rankin Inlet and everybody else involved in putting the food together."