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Take a warm dip in Quaqtaq

"It's very nice, actually, to swim in a place where there's no mosquitoes"

JANE GEORGE

CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
Quaqtaq's new swimming pool is a big draw for kids. (PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHNNY OOVAUT)

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There's no need to travel to the South anymore for a dip - just head off to Quaqtaq, where the Ungava Bay community's heated pool is the envy of other Nunavik villages.

Mayor Johnny Oovaut is extremely proud of Quaqtaq's 30-by-60-foot pool.

"It's almost been a year since it opened," he said. "It's a real pool! With a diving board and a slide and a deep end and a shallow end. I think the people are quite proud of it."

Simply called "the pool" by locals, it's the only year-round swimming facility in the region, although other communities in Nunavik have put swimming pools on their municipal wish-lists.

Quaqtaq found the $1.5 million needed for the pool's design and construction by drawing on money donated by Makivik Corporation.

CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
Sivanau Oovaut of Quaqtaq enjoys a swim in her community's new pool. (PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHNNY OOVAUT)

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This was initially earmarked for a new arena rather than a pool, but the community, eager for a pool instead, was able to combine other municipal infrastucture programs and sources and direct the Makivik money towards the pool.

The pool is open Tuesday through Sunday, but users have to pay an entrance fee to help cover the $100,000-a-year cost of staffing and maintaining the facility.

A swim costs $4 for non-students and $2 for students. Families may buy a membership at $40 a month.

A lifeguard, Carly Neal, was imported from the South to keep a watchful eye over swimmers.

"I can't get a local person, because no one is certified," Oovaut said. "We don't have swimming lessons per se, but people ask for hints. I saw some little children, like five years old, and they are very good swimmers now. They're swimming in the deep end without any floatation devices."

Oovaut says he also goes swimming "once in a while."

"It's very nice, actually, to swim in a place where there's no mosquitoes, you don't cut your feet on rocks, and you can see where you're going," he said.

There's always someone using the pool, but never too many people at once.

"We made sure we would have a schedule when it's not too full. If you have too many people swimming, it's not enjoyable, especially with children," Oovaut said.

Plans for the summer include connecting a pipe between the pool building's water tank to the water plant, to make it easier to supply water for showers in the swimmers' changing rooms.

Oovaut said the pool building, constructed on bedrock, has not required any exceptional maintenance to date.

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