| Official Name: | Baker Lake |
| Settlement Type: | Hamlet |
| Pushpin Map: | Canada Nunavut#Canada |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Territory |
| Subdivision Name1: | Nunavut |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Kivalliq |
| Subdivision Type4: | Electoral district |
| Subdivision Name4: | Baker Lake |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] [2] |
| Government Type: | Hamlet Council |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Kevin Iksiktaaryuk |
| Leader Title1: | MLAs |
| Leader Name1: | Craig Simailak |
| Area Footnotes: | (2021)[3] |
| Area Blank1 Title: | Population Centre |
| Area Total Km2: | 179.54 |
| Area Blank1 Km2: | 1.56 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Total: | 2,069 |
| Population Density Km2: | 11.5 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Population centre |
| Population Blank1: | 1,653 |
| Population Density Blank1 Km2: | 1,060 |
| Timezone: | CST |
| Utc Offset: | −06:00 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −05:00 |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [4] |
| Elevation M: | 18 |
| Postal Code Type: | Canadian Postal code |
| Postal Code: | X0C 0A0 |
| Area Code: | 867 |
| Image Blank Emblem: | Official Logo of the Halmet of Baker Lake.png |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Logo |
Baker Lake (Inuktitut syllabics: ᖃᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᖅ 'big lake joined by a river at both ends', Inuktitut: Qamani'tuaq 'where the river widens') is a hamlet in the Kivalliq Region, in Nunavut on mainland Canada. Located inland from Hudson Bay, it is near the nation's geographical centre, and is notable for being Nunavut's sole inland community. The hamlet is located at the mouth of the Thelon River on the shore of Baker Lake. The community was given its English name in 1761 from Captain William Christopher who named it after Sir William Baker, the 11th Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company.[5] [6] [7]
In 1916, the Hudson's Bay Company established a trading post at Baker Lake, followed by Anglican missionaries in 1927. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police had been in the area for fifteen years before establishing a post at Baker Lake in 1930. In 1946 the population was 32, of which 25 were Inuit.[5] A small hospital was built in 1957, followed by a regional school the next year.
In 1979 the Baker Lake Hunters and Trappers Association and the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (ITK) took the Canadian federal government to court for giving exploration licences to mining companies in areas where the Inuit hunt caribou. Judge Mahoney of the Federal Court of Canada, in Hamlet of Baker Lake v. Minister of Indian Affairs, recognized the existence of Aboriginal Title in Nunavut.[8] The plaintiffs were concerned that "government-licensed exploration companies were interfering with their aboriginal rights, specifically, their right to hunt caribou."[8]
Videos of elders sharing oral histories have been collected by Inuit students as part of the Nunavut Teacher Education Program.[9]
In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Baker Lake had a population of 2,061 living in 577 of its 661 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 2,069. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[10]
Baker Lake is home to eleven Inuit groups:
| 2021[11] | 2016[12] | 2011[13] | 2006[14] | 2001[15] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indigenous | 1,920 | 1,900 | 1,745 | 1,565 | 1,420 | ||||||
| European | 105 | 135 | 115 | 135 | 85 | ||||||
| African | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| East Asian | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Southeast Asian | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Middle Eastern | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| South Asian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | ||||||
| Latin American | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Other/multiracial | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Total responses | 2,055 | 2,050 | 1,865 | 1,720 | 1,505 | ||||||
| Total population | 2,061 | 2,069 | 1,872 | 1,728 | 1,507 | ||||||
Many of the town's residents work in the Meadowbank gold mine for Agnico Eagle Mines Limited.[16] Much of the local infrastructure and logistics-related employment is based around aiding mineral exploration and mining efforts in the wider area. The main source of employment and growth in this sector is Canadian-based mining company Agnico Eagle Mines, which in 2010 began work at its Meadowbank mine site north of Baker Lake by road.[17] [18] The construction of the mine employed over 1,000 workers, over 30% of whom were locals from the general area of the Kivalliq Region. Along with employing local people, the company helped build cellphone towers to get the community connected to Northwestel's cellphone service. The coming of workers from all across Canada also helped developing tourism in this community. There is also potential for a uranium mine, called the Kiggavik Project, approximately 80 km to the west, which is being proposed by Orano Canada.[19]
Baker Lake features a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfc), bordering closely on a tundra climate, with short, cool summers and long, extremely cold winters. Winters run from October/November until April/May with temperatures averaging between . In contrast to Fairbanks, Alaska on a similar parallel, May is a subfreezing month and June is chilly considering the long hours of daylight.
Summers are usually cool, short and rainy; but can be hot and sometimes humid; with a record high of . Under the Nordenskjöld formula for distinguishing polar from non-polar climates, however, Baker Lake's climate is polar (Köppen ET) because with a coldest-month mean of, the warmest-month mean would need be above to keep Baker Lake out of the polar category, while Baker Lake's warmest-month mean is only — the lack of trees at Baker Lake vindicates this judgement.[20]
Baker Lake is host to a variety of wildlife including caribou, muskox, Arctic hares, wolves, wolverines, sik-siks, geese, and lake trout among others.
Baker Lake is known for its Inuit art, such as wall hangings, basalt stone sculptures and stone cut prints. The community has been home to internationally exhibited artists such as Matthew Agigaaq, Elizabeth Angrnaqquaq, Luke Anguhadluq, Barnabus Arnasungaaq, David Ikutaq, Toona Iquliq, Janet Nungnik, Jessie Oonark, Ruth Qaulluaryuk, Irene Avaalaaqiaq Tiktaalaaq, Simon Tookoome, Marion Tuu'luq, and Marie Kuunnuaq.[21] [22]
The Jessie Oonark Arts and Crafts Centre, which opened in 1992, is a work area for the community's artists. It provides space for carving, print making, sewing and jewellery making. It is also home to Jessie Oonark Crafts Ltd. a subsidiary of the Nunavut Development Corporation, a Government of Nunavut crown corporation.[23] [24]
The settlement is served by Baker Lake Airport, linking it to the nearby coastal town of Rankin Inlet, about 35 minutes away by air. Calm Air serves the town with at least two flights daily. Every day there are connecting flights to Winnipeg.
While the local road network does not connect to another community, there is an approximately all-weather gravel highway named Mine Road.[25] [27] An road runs east from the townsite to the Geographic Centre of Canada monument.[28]
The community has been served by the Qiniq network since 2005. Qiniq is a fixed wireless service to homes and businesses, connecting to the outside world via a satellite backbone. The Qiniq network is designed and operated by SSi Canada. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice.
Baker Lake has a women's shelter, health centre (Baker Lake Health Centre), dental clinic, heritage centre, visitor's centre, counselling centre, elders' centre, three hotels (Baker Lake Lodge, Iglu Hotel and Nunamiut Lodge), swimming pool, library, primary and secondary school (Rachel Arngnammaktiq Elementary School and Jonah Amitnaaq Secondary School), and youth centre.
There are three churches in the community, Anglican (St. Aidan's), Catholic (St. Paul's) and Glad Tidings.