Expedition Members Mike Beedell is an internationally published photographer, explorer, wilderness guide and speaker. His presentations have been given extensively in Canada, the US and Europe highlighting his journeys in the Canadian wilderness. He is the author of the Canadian best-seller The Magnetic North and photographer of the Canadian Geographic/Key Porter book The Northwest Passage as well as contributing photographer to more than three dozen other books (see Mike's work throughout the website). Mike has been a contributing photographer to numerous international magazines for 20 years. He has more than two decades experience guiding and teaching in the Canadian wilderness and elsewhere. He was a member of two major historical expeditions in the last ten years: the 1986-88 Polar Passage, the first sail-powered journey through the Northwest Passage from Inuvik to Pond Inlet which was documented in feature articles in Canadian Geographic and National Geographic and a one-hour television special aired worldwide. The second journey, the 1987 Qitdlarssuaq expedition, was a 2,500 km dogsled journey that retraced the 19th century migration of the Inuit shaman Qitdlaq. This cross-cultural expedition was a feature in Equinox magazine and was nominated for a national magazine award and resulted in many speaking engagements in Canada, the US and Europe. Mike holds a degree from the University of Ottawa in Social Sciences.

Pamela Coulston is a Consultant in International Development. She holds a bachelor degree from Carleton University in East Asian Studies, a graduate degree from the University of Ottawa in International Development (Third World studies) as well as courses in International Affairs from the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University. She has 15 years experience as a consultant including two years with UNICEF in Rwanda as a Project Officer. She is a freelance writer who has been featured in Canadian magazines and newspapers, most recently an extensive feature on the spirit bear of the British Colombian mid-coast and a feature article on the genocide sites in Rwanda, both for The Ottawa Citizen.

Pamela is designer and owner of Disegno Inc, a jewellery company currently consisting of three distinct lines of jewellery selling throughout Canada and the U.S.: Fine Lines - 18k gold with precious and semi-precious stones, canada-canada - very detailed sculpted Canadian animals and icons in silver and gold (see The Trading Post for examples), and perpetual E-motion, bold, contemporary designs in silver only. Pamela has worked as an assistant wilderness guide for 6 years in remote regions of Canada. She has travelled extensively in east Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and North America.

Peter Irniq was born in 1947 at a hunting and fishing outpost camp near Naujaat-Repulse Bay, Northwest Territories. He attended schools at Igluligaarjuk (Chesterfield Inlet) and Yellowknife in the NWT, Churchill, Manitoba and Ottawa, Ontario. Peter is a former broadcaster, politician, writer, and Director of Tungavik Federation of Nunavut, Director of Communications for Nunavut Tungavik Inc., and is presently a Deputy Minister of the newly-created Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, with the Nunavut Government in Iqaluit.

He is sometimes described as a cultural activist and survivalist, recently changing the spelling of his family name from Ernerk to Irniq (meaning 'son', it is the standardized orthography and a more correct indication of the proper Inuktitut pronunciation) as a reflection of his commitment. He travels frequently outside Iqaluit to promote the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth and to meet with the people in Nunavut.

Avril Benoit is a host of CBC Radio One's flagship public affairs show This Morning, which has already won numerous awards for the quality of its journalism since it replaced Morningside with Peter Gzowski in September of 1997. Avril interviews people from around the world on a dizzying range of topics: from politics, to the arts, to business and social issues. Her work also takes her on assignment across Canada including several trips to the north. On April 1st, this year she hosted a three-hour broadcast to mark the official birth of Nunavut. Avril is an explorer by nature whose 15 years in media demonstrate a knack for adapting to new challenges.

She has worked as radio technician, an investigative writer-broadcaster, a newspaper editor, a gonzo sports reporter and television host. She is a bilingual native of Ottawa, whose career took her far afield as Germany and Haiti, but was mostly based in Quebec before she settled in Toronto with her two young children.

Allen Smutylo is a nationally recognized painter and printmaker, represented in major galleries in cities across Canada. For the last 15 years, Allen's work has been derived from extensive sea kayaking and backpacking trips in the Canadian Arctic, high Arctic and Greenland. His art often layers the visual environment, the past and present culture of the land and the emotional resonance of a place. Smutylo is represented in over 200 corporate and public collections. His work has been included in many international shows as well as winning numerous awards in Canada and Japan.

He and his work are featured in the 1999 release of the Radio-Canada 1 hour t.v. documentary The Nature of Art--The Last Frontier. This film chronicles Smutylo's work over a two year period, exploring his creative response to observing, paddling and swimming with humpback whales in Labrador, Maui and Alaska.

July Papatsie was born in Pangnirtung during the relocation era of Inuit from their traditional homes. As a child his summers were spent out on the land with his family, learning from his parents the traditional knowledge and history of the Inuit. July treasures the summers he spent as a seasonal warden in Ayuittuq National Park near Pangnirtung, and as such would like to work as a coordinator for an outdoor youth camp or Outward Bound-style trip. During the winters he works as an interpreter and by teaching Inuit art. As an Inuk urban artist, July's goals are to educate his audience about the Inuit understanding of celebrating life to the fullest as a balance to the hardship and more painful experiences we encounter.

Through his international curatorial work, July strives to overcome the old-fashioned perceptions that Inuit art is just simply Arctic animals and scenes from the past.

Ted Tungilik Irniq, 21, was born in 1977 in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. He attended Maani Uluyuk Illinarvik in Rankin Inlet and has his GED Grade 12. Ted has worked in snowmobile and automotive repair, spent a summer at Meladine mining camp, and has worked in food preparation and service. He currently anticipates a full-time computer training job with the Government of Nunavut and for the future looks towards working in private business and politics. His interests include rebuilding and modifying all-terrain vehicles and snowmachines and enjoys the challenge of long-distance racing and hill climbing on both types of machines.

Bertha Piku Tukturdjuk is an outgoing 24 year old Inuit woman from Repulse Bay (pop. 550), Nunavut. In 1998 "Ber" became the first person from Repulse Bay in the past 12 years to earn a high school diploma. Bertha has received training as an interpretative guide and has worked as a cook’s assistant and assistant naturalist guide at one of Nunavut’s premier nature tour destinations, Sila Lodge in Wager Bay. On April 1st, 1999, as part of celebrations for Canada’s newest territory, Bertha entered the ladies dog sled race in Rankin Inlet and, with a sprightly team borrowed from Wolf Den Kennels, she braved blizzard conditions and very cold temperatures to literally emerge from the blowing snow in first place overall.

This past June, Bertha participated and graduated from an intensive sea kayak guide training program held in Palmer Rapids, Ontario. Bertha enjoys painting landscape scenes with water colours, crocheting warm blankets, sewing winter clothes, sled dogs and dog sledding, and paddling the wood and canvass kayak her uncle constructed for her. She is a shrewd cribbage player and loves eating Pavlova and drinking speciality coffee. Bertha hopes to further her education by attending college or university, and is interested in studying architecture and business management.