To say that Iqaluit did not emerge from the spring thaw with grace and beauty would be an...understatement. All cities accumulate garbage as the snow falls. And once it disappears, well, I defy you to find many cities that look good in the first few weeks after the snow goes.
But the snow has been mostly gone in Iqaluit for a month, and even the ice is starting to disappear out in the bay (You can tell I'm acclimating because the last sentence did not make me sob). And yet, Iqaluit has not been pleasant on the eyes these last few weeks. I don't have any photos of how bad it was, but you can look at this story to get an idea.
You can ask questions about why it has gotten this bad, but I have no answers for you. However, it's nice that something got done today.
Basically, the city took the morning off (well, federal, territorial and municipal government employees along with others) and went around and cleaned the place up. It's actually astonishing the difference than a morning of hard work can make. The place is not perfect and I'm sad to note that I saw one or two pieces of garbage in spots at 5 p.m. that I know were clean at noon. And honestly, if I catch someone littering in the next few days I'm likely going to get arrested and to have to pay for that person's hospital bills after they have to surgically remove the garbage from where I will ram it.
But right now, the city looks nice. Iqaluit is always going to be a place that looks prettier in winter. Even on the roads, it's still cleaner than all the slush and brown snow you get in St. John's. It has a very pristine look. Iqaluit in summer is more brown and dusty. Once you get outside town, there is a real beauty to the place. But in town, in summer, well, it's tough love, I should think.
Still, it looks a lot better now. At least I can tell where the garbage dump ends and the city begins. And before today, I might have had some problems.
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