Nunavut: "It will chill your bones and warm you heart".

• Author: Tulloch, Bonnie
• Position: Feature Report on Nunavut

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When the Northern Region human resource manager came up with our new recruitment and retention slogan, I smiled and applauded his creativity. More importantly though, I realized that although it is true that living in Nunavut does chill your bones (at least at first), the warmth created in your heart makes life a unique and satisfying experience indeed!

I have such a love for Nunavut that I find it extremely difficult to articulate how I feel. How can I adequately express the benefits I have gained, the lessons I have learned, and the people I have met, and thankfully, continue to meet in Canada's vast North?

Living in Nunavut for over ten years has allowed me to grow into a better person and has created opportunities for me that would simply not have existed in southern Canada.

During our time in Canada's newest territory, my husband and I both developed a deep love for the land north of 60 and the people who grew up there. Now that we have left the territory to return to our native Ontario, it pursues us like an ache in our souls.

We began our northern adventure in Rankin Inlet before Canada's newest territory was created. What a thrill it was to be part of the community festivities on April 1, 1999 when Nunavut was born. That day will live on forever as our new friends and neighbours included us in the party to celebrate their incredible accomplishments. The pride at the Community Centre in Rankin Inlet that day was something to behold, as everyone joined together to pay tribute to the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication. This experience was the stuff dreams are made of.

Because Rankin Inlet was the first community we lived in and because we met such incredible people there, it will always hold a very special place in our hearts. It was there that we rediscovered our love for fishing and hunting. It was there that we travelled by snowmobile to Chesterfield Inlet and Whale Cove. It was there that we began our never-ending journey to better understand the culture which is unique to Nunavut's people.

I was first hired by the Legal Services Board of the Northwest Territories in 1997 as the staff criminal defence counsel responsible for providing legal services to the seven communities (Rankin being one) that now make up the central region of Nunavut, known as the Kivalliq. It was a real pleasure and quite a surprise to deal with individuals who sincerely appreciated any work that I did on their...