Member Co-ops Koomiut
Koomiut Co-operative Association Limited
Box 118,
Kugaaruk, NU X0B 1K0
Ph: (867) 769-6231
Fax: (867) 769-6098
Email: manager@koomiut.Coop
Koomiut Co-op was incorporated in 1966 and operates a variety of businesses; these include a hotel, retail store, cable TV, freight services, heavy equipment, property rentals and general contracting. This Co-op also offers sea kayaking tours for those who love the outdoors.
The name Kugaaruk means “a river flowing through the community that is used for fishing and to supply water”. Kugaaruk—formerly known as Pelly Bay—is located on the Simpson Peninsula, south of the Gulf of Boothia. Locally, the community is also known as Arviligjuaqy meaning “the great bowhead whale habitat”. Kugaaruk has long been occupied by the Netsiligmiut– the people of the seal. According to the 2011 census, the community has grown in recent years to a population of 771. Kugaaruk is nestled within coastal mountains, which lie between the bay and the wide expanse of the tundra. As a result, the area is very picturesque with a diverse landscape. A stone church built by missionary priests in the 1930’s and 40’s is a historic site that has been maintained by the Hamlet of Kugaaruk.
About the Community
Sea kayaking expeditions led by local Inuit guides who accompany adventurers in the clear blue waters along the Boothia coast. History and nature come alive as the guides share their special knowledge of the land with you. The waters are alive with marine animals such as bowhead whales, narwhals, and seals. The rocky coastline offers up glimpses of falcons, caribou, and polar bear. This adventure is open to novice and beginner paddlers for the first tour date in July, after the first trip it is best suited to experienced wilderness paddlers for the rest of the dates in August. Abundant opportunity for hiking at Kugaaruk – see an Inukshuk, the oil drum cross left by missionaries, photograph arctic animals in their natural habitat, visit historic campsites where ancient Inuit hunted and fished.