Pictured above: The Northern store in Pond Inlet, NU
Our Community Promise
The North West Company Inc. is proud of the active role we play within the communities we serve, striving to make a positive, progressive difference. Our contributions within the community of Pond Inlet, NU, are a testament to our commitment.
Pond Inlet is a traditional Inuit community located amid mountain ranges, with several dozen glaciers, picturesque fiords and inlets, ice caves, geological hoodoos and drifting icebergs, and is also a great place to see large pods of narwhal. Due to these picturesque features, Pond Inlet is sometimes called “Canada’s jewel of the North”.
Pond Inlet is also known as ‘Mittimatalik’. Because the suffix ‘-talik’ usually denotes a final resting place of a person whose name forms the first part of the word, ‘Mittimatalik’ means ‘the place of Mittima’s grave’ in Inuktitut. Who Mittima is remains a mystery to this day, but it is believed that it is named after someone significant to the community who is buried there.
The community’s population according to a 2016 Statistics Canada census is 1,617. Within this population, 95% of the residents are Inuit and the main languages spoken are Inuktitut and English. Pond Inlet is a remote community that can only be accessed through the Pond Inlet Airport. The nearest community is Arctic Bay, which is 238 km away.
Did you know?
North West is proud of the positive impact we have on the community.
1. Employment: We are one of the most prominent employers in Pond Inlet, with our Northern store employing 29 individuals. Our commitment to local talent is demonstrated through our workforce consisting of 76% Indigenous employees.*
2. Capital Investment: Northern has made a $6,106,385 capital investment in the Pond Inlet store over a 10-year period.*
3. Annual Economic Impact: Northern is making a positive impact in Pond Inlet, with $1,602,361 annual economic impact in the community.*
Pond Inlet Northern Store Manager, David Krell, and his team are significant community supporters.
“Pond Inlet is a community rooted in their culture, and Mittimataligmiut take great pride in keeping the traditions alive. This is a community where the people are fun loving, friendly and outgoing,” said Sheryl Carruthers, Department Manager of Administration for Northern. “It is little wonder why many people from the south come in and stay. Teachers, nurses, and government workers all tend to put down roots here. Our own store manager, Dave Krell, has lived here for over 15 years.”
*For the year ending 2020