New research by Jack Hicks, a social research consultant living in Iqaluit, Nunavut, tracks how suicide trends in the Arctic correlate with increased colonialism and modernization in the Arctic. Historically, suicide in the Arctic was uncommon, but the suicide rate dramatically increased when national governments forced Inuit people in Alaska, Nunavut, and Greenland off the land and into larger communities. Read more in a CBC article, "Research tracks Inuit modernization with suicide, offers hope for improvement" or you can listen to a interview with Jack Hicks on the CBC show, As it Happens. You can also download a copy of the journal, Indigenous Affairs (in PDF) with Jack Hicks' paper, "The Social Determinants of Elevated Rates of Suicide Among Inuit Youth," or you can download a copy of his slide presentation (in PDF).

Last week, at the National Aboriginal Women's Summit, the Minister for Heritage and the Status of Women announced five years of funding to build and support women's shelters on reserves. According to the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada news release, $56 million dollars will support 35 existing women's shelters and build up to five new shelters on reserves. Aboriginal women who live in the northern communities and off reserve are concerned because the funding does not include all aboriginal women. Read more in the CBC article, "Northern women 'excluded' from federal shelter announcement."

The Strategic Research and Analysis Directorate at Indian and Northern Affairs Canada has released a report called Levels and Sources of Individual and Household Level Income for Inuit in Canada, 1980-2000. It focuses on income-related indicators for the population with Inuit ancestry. The report finds that although average incomes increased from 1980-2000 for Inuit people, they remained much lower than those of all Canadians.

There were twice as many people using Iqualuit's food bank in the last year than in previous years. Food bank administrators are worried that they won't have enough food, if this many people continue to use the service. A CBC story on the Iqualuit food bank problem states some speculated reasons behind the increase.

The lack of resources to help Nunavut's homeless, in particular its homeless women, has driven a homeless woman to organize a protest. She hopes to inform both government and the public about the difficulties of being homeless in the far north. This woman's actions are profiled in a CBC article regarding homelessness in Nunavut.

A new wireless broadband network is installed in isolated communities in Nunavut. This network will give communities that have little access to services the ability to access online information and businesses. On top of that, the broadband system allows people from neighbouring communities to communicate orally and visually without being face-to-face. The installation of this network is an intiative supported and funded by the federal government. For more information read newswire's article on the project.

Nunavut has begun a pilot project which will expand legal aid from simply being available for criminal cases to civil ones. Due to the status of Nunavut there is not the same degree of access to lawyers and legal information. Thus the project will not only help the territories low income earners, but also increase awareness about legal rights. For more information read the CBC article about Nunavut's legal aid project.

"At the edge of the Arctic Circle, Inuit line up at a soup kitchen for their next meal. It's a striking scene, one that has received scant national attention: hunters who can expertly navigate pack ice and track polar bears now jockey for bunk beds at the over-booked homeless shelter." You can download the article from Gordon Laird's website.