G7 Meeting in Northern Canada

(Iqaluit, Canada) The week's Group of Seven (G7) meeting of finance ministers is being held in town of Iqaluit on the south end of Baffin Island, a location better known for its seal meat than international economic conferences.

In February, the average temperature in Canada's most northern capital dips to minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a lot chillier than the past February's Group of Seven meeting in Rome.

As the host of the February meeting, Canada had its pick of the location. Officials chose the venue to showcase its Canadian Arctic and to bring the G7 back to the group's roots, where ministers could talk less formally in fireside chats.[...]

Jim Bell, the editor of the Iqaluit's weekly newspaper, Nunatsiaq News, said he was surprised when his home of 30 years was chosen, because of the logistical problems it poses.

"It's not a kind of place that has the resources to completely support a gathering like this," Bell says. "Even in the best of times the telecommunications services can be dicey."

NorthwesTel, the major telecommunications company in the area, warned residents to expect dropped calls and spotty Internet connections.

Thanks to its one-runway airport, Iqaluit is considered the major gateway to the Eastern Arctic. The city is a three-hour plane ride away from Montreal and Ottawa, the nearest large cities.

In other words, Iqaluit is not the end of the world but, if you get on your tippy-toes, you can see the end of the world. It's believed that the location discourages protesters.

Heh. No kidding.