Kimik Co-operative

Community owned Co-operatives in the Arctic are multi-purpose businesses that provide a wide range of services to their members and their communities. Services provided by local Co-ops include retail stores, hotel and tourism operations, cable television, arts and craft marketing, fuel distribution, construction & heavy equipment services, property rental and a variety of agency type services. Kimik Co-operative is known for marketing the excellent carvings produced in the area formerly known as Lake Harbour. The Co-op also operates a hotel, retail store, cable TV and fuel delivery service. Kimmirut has a population of 455 and is also known by its former name: Lake Harbour. Local Meaning: Looks Like a Heel—referring to a rocky outcrop in the inlet. The community is located on the south shore of the Hudson Strait on Baffin Island. Access to this community is restricted to air and water. Situated on the ocean it borders the Katannilik Territorial Park, the only area where trees can be found on Baffin Island, as well as a variety of Arctic flora and considerable wildlife. Whaling ships made annual calls at Kimmirut in the 19th century, making it the most important harbor on the south coast. Until the start of World War I, the community was the center of a busy and thriving mica mining operation, which employed Inuit and Scottish miners. Kimmirut continues as a hunting and fishing community. Sea-kayaking adventures along the coast of Baffin Island can be arranged locally, as well as the local Hunters and Trappers Assoc can organize trips to view the spectacular scenery, wildlife, caribou and polar bears. There are also archaeological sites in the area to vist. Inuit carvers work with the local apple-green soapstone to produce remarkable sculptures, and ivory carvers produce intricate scrimshaw etchings. Visitors can arrange to tour a soapstone quarry. The Soper River is a popular choice for expert canoeists.