People in Baker Lake take great pride in giving it their all during the annual community cleanup in the hamlet.
This year's community cleanup in the community started on June 9, and continued until June 13.
The annual cleanup was sponsored by the Hamlet of Baker Lake, Arctic Fuel Services, Baker Lake Contracting Supplies, Nunamiut Lodge, Calm Air, Ookpik Aviation, Sanavik Co-op, Baker Lake RCMP, Peter’s Expediting, the Government of Nunavut and Agnico Eagle Mines.
Community wellness co-ordinator Karen Yip said there was a fantastic turnout for this year's community cleanup and those involved were in very high spirits.
She said Mark Oklaga has been the community co-ordinator for the cleanup for the past few years.
“We had 19 volunteers to start-off with on our first day and some of the people who took part in past community clean-ups were happy and eager to come back because they enjoyed the camaraderie and the time spent outdoors,” said Yip.
“A lot of people really look at it as an opportunity to do something positive that really helps out the community.
“We had teenagers, we had kids and we had elderly people take part in the cleanup.
“The people here in Baker Lake take pride in our community and we strive to be the cleanest community in Nunavut.”
Yip said the difference in the community's appearance really is quite striking following the cleanup.
She said if you look around and see garbage here and there, it stays there and doesn't disappear.
“Sometimes it might blow-away to another place, but that's about it. But we actually have dedicated community members who take their time and really put in a good effort to help us get rid of that.
“It really makes a big difference because, if you don't collect your garbage, it just accumulates and it's quite hard to get rid of when there's lots of it.
“We try to get rid of it every year and the only person who's not a complete volunteer is our co-ordinator (Oklaga) and he works very hard and does a lot of cleanup on his own.
“He's well-known around the community for working very hard to help keep our community clean.”
Yip said when it comes to why people get involved, maybe it’s the delicious lunches provided by the Nunamiut Lodge, the fun end-of-day prize draws, the opportunity to spend time outdoors with great people, or contributing to your community and to mankind.
Whatever it is, she said, it’s working and being successful.
“Our community is getting better with the efforts of our community members, especially these volunteers.
“Why do we do it? I think it’s the satisfaction of seeing the land in its natural splendour and the feeling of having made a positive impact.”
