Northern Canada basics

The northern half of Canada comprises three large territories: The Northwest Territories, Nunavut Territory, and Yukon Territory. The Canadian territories differ from provinces in their governance: provinces have their own constitutional power, while territories are governed directly by the federal government.

Some newcomers move to the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, or Yukon for access to incredible wilderness. Large wildlife like polar bears and buffalo roam freely in expansive national parks, untouched rivers and waterfalls, and sharp mountain peaks. Camping, hiking, and canoeing are a few of the ways folks with adventurous spirits can take advantage of this special land.

The three Canadian territories are less densely populated than the provinces of the south; each of the large territories is home to roughly 40,000 people—a lower population than many southern Canadian cities. The fairly cold climate of the territories is one reason fewer people settle in the North. Northern winters are long and drop below -30 degrees Celsius often. However, if newcomers are prepared with the right outdoor gear, these temperatures can be a manageable adjustment. Newcomers may be surprised to hear that in some areas of the territories, such as in the Northwest Territories, summers can be hot and sunny, reaching up to 30 degrees Celsius.

Summer days can be long in high northern areas; the midnight sun occurs around the summer solstice when daylight hours last well over 18 hours. Above the Arctic Circle, the sun will not set at all until winter. The flip side of those long summer days is that winter nights can be equally long, and quite cold and dark. The long winter nights are the perfect time to catch the Northern Lights, the fantastic light-show phenomena in the sky that occurs in much of Northern Canada.

The major cities of the North include Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, Whitehorse in Yukon, and Iqaluit in Nunavut. All of these cities are accessible by international flights through Canadian flight hub cities like Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal. In Yukon and the Northwest Territories, cars can be used between communities. Nunavut’s communities are more remote, and so outside of Iqaluit, small planes are used to travel in between towns. The North has slightly higher costs of living than other places in Canada, due to transport costs of flying goods and food up to more remote communities. Typically wages are also slightly higher in the
North to make up for this difference.