Photo: The Trans Canada comes north

Canadian tourism ministers celebrate a milestone for outdoor enthusiasts announcing the connection of Baffin Island to the Trans Canada Trial, at Iqaluit’s Frobisher Inn Nov. 25. Federal minister of small business and tourism, Bardish Chagger, says adding the historic Itijjagiaq Trail, from Iqaluit to Kimmirut, is another step in bridging Canada’s diverse habitats. “Our nation’s greatest natural resource is its diverse, natural beauty, which the Trans Canada Trail brings to all of us from coast to coast to coast,” said Chagger, second from right, above. With her are, from left, Nunavut deputy minister of environment, David Akeeagok, Nunavut’s tourism minister Monica Ell-Kanayuk and Trans Canada Trail Foundation director, Graham Greene. The inclusion of the Itijjagiaq Trail to the TCT will bring extra funding for nine rest stations between Iqaluit and Kimmirut as well as additional signage and advertising. The 177-kilometre trail will join the 24,000-km pan-Canadian trail that spans the full breadth of Canada. (PHOTO BY STEVE DUCHARME)