Kugluktuk – formerly Coppermine – is located at the mouth of the Coppermine River on the Coronation Gulf and is the most western community in Nunavut.
The Coppermine River is a designated Canadian Heritage River because of its importance as an exploration and fur trade route. The Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park, located just 15 km from the community is one of the few parks in Nunavut with a shared history between the Inuit and the Dene.
The traditional language of the region is Inuinnaqtun, which is written in the Latin alphabet rather than the syllabics used in the Inuktitut system.
Fishing still plays an important role in the lives of residents, and a variety of wildlife is found in the area, including barren ground grizzly bears.
Potential non-renewable resources in the region include: gold, diamonds, uranium, precious metals, base metals, and nickel-copper platinum group elements (PGEs).
Land Use Planning
Approved Land Use Plan
The community of Kugluktuk is not yet covered by an approved land use plan.
Draft Nunavut Land Use Plan
Between 2004 and 2011, NPC staff visited every Nunavut community to conduct individual “Use and Occupancy Mapping” interviews to collect information on traditional land use activities “within living memory”. This community land use information is included in the Draft Plan and has been used to support decision-making.
The Commission also visited the Community on March 6-7, 2014, for community engagement meetings on the Draft Plan.
Information was presented and received from participants in Kugluktuk in accordance with Nunavut Planning Commission’s Engagement Strategy. The summary report of the Community Meetings on the Draft Nunavut Land Use Plan held on March 6-7, 2014 in Kugluktuk can be found here: http://www.nunavut.ca/files/reports/2014-05-30_Kugluktuk_Report.pdf.
The community views and comments have been very informative in the ongoing process of development and revisions of the Draft Nunavut Land Use Plan. In particular, all areas of importance identified by the community are included in the Draft Plan as “Community Priorities and Values”.
