Welcometo Moose Factoryand the MushkegowukTerritories!

During your rotation, you will be exposed to the medical, social, and political complexitiesandjoysofcomprehensiveremoteprimary carewithisolatedNorthernFirst Nations communities. This is achallenging rotation but filledwith innumerable opportunities to push yourknowledge and skills to theirutmost whilerooting your practiceinan ethicalengagement towards social justice.

Thefollowing informationwillprovideyouwithinformationregarding someofthe essentialsofdaily livinguntilyoufeelmoreorientedandabletobetterexploreonyour own.

Theimportanceoftheweather: Ifyouarecominginthewintermonths(especially December –February),expecttemperaturesdownto-40-50C.Awarm coat/scarf/mitts/hat/bootsaredefinitemusts. Long johns/snowpants/bellaclavaarehighly recommended,especiallyifyouwanttoenjoythewinterlandscape. Ifyouarejoining usinthe spring/fallrubber bootsare a mustasour roadsare mudandwhenwetbecome quitemessy(thesecanbepurchasedatoneofthelocalstoresatreasonableprice). Summer can fluctuateintemperature from verywarm to cool – it would beagood ideato bringatleastafewitemsinthecaseofcoldweather. Springandearly summeryouwill need bugspray, butcan purchasethat here.

Groceries

Often past residents/students will leaveafew items behind – so checkyour cupboards first beforeyougo to thegrocerystore.

Youroptions forshoppingincludethe following:

1. The “Northern”Store(which whilesoundingquaint and local is reallyagiant multinational that exploits marginalized communities throughout theworld)

This grocerystoreis located at abuilding called theMooseCreeComplex. Theprices- especiallydairyand produce-will bemore expensivethanyouareused to butyou can generallyfindeverythingyou might need.

You canget there either bytaxi (5 dollars each way)orbywalking about 20 minutes. If you’reluckyandyourpreceptoris congenial,youcan hitch a ridewith them as well

.

Ifyouarelookingforabroaderselection,orwanttoaddtotheadventure,youcould traveltotheNorthernStoreinMoosonee(locatedontheMainroad), bysnowmobiletaxi inwinter ($10eachway),or water taxiinsummer ($10eachway);alternatively,ifyou haveaclinicin Moosonee,youcouldgrabgroceries onyourlunch break.

2. GG’s is a fascinatinglocal storelocated on Centre road. It is reminiscent oftheold “general stores”whereyou find can find hardwarelocated next to thebread and fireworksadjacent to themusicdepartment. This is agreenwarehousebuildingthat is located on CentreRoad (on thewayto theNorthern); and is onyourleft just past the baseball diamond. Thereis small sign on the roofbut ifnot sure anyonewill be ableto tellyou wheretogo. You can probablyfind anythingyou could imaginehere!

Eating Out

1. Gunner’s Grill

Gunner’sGrillislocatedintheComplex,andserves“greasy spoon”food,withgenerous portions and great appetizers.

2. QuikStop

Thisconveniencestoreislocatedapproximately a15minutewalkdowntheriverroad, andhousesaPizzaHutExpress/KFC, andawide assortmentofjunkfood! It’salso owned bytheNorthern Store.

3. CreeVillageEco-lodge

The Eco-lodge isabeautifulhotelfeaturedin“EcotourismCanada”andismade of entirelynaturalproducts,withbig windowsoverlooking theMoose River. Therestaurant serves betterqualityfood, and serves brunch on theweekends.

4. Summers

Inthespringandsummer,‘Summers’sellssomegoodicecreamandfairlydecent burgers,fries,poutine,etc. There’salsoPLD’swhichisontheroadleading tothe Complexand sells good pizzas as well as similarfareas Summers.

5.Ifyoucansnaganinvitetosomeone’shouse:youmaygetlucky,andbeableto samplesome amazingmoose, goose, beaver, orrabbit.

6.InMoosonee,therearevariousrestaurants/café’s,includingtheSakabonCafé,Polar

BearLodge, Skyranch, achip wagon, andaPizzaHut Express/KFC.

Miscellaneous

A CanadaPost Officeis located in the complex. Mail is fairlyquick despitethedistance. Thereareno banks in MooseFactory, howevermultipleindependent ATM’s arelocated

at thehospital, Quikstop, in theComplex, and theNorthern.

Thereis aCIBCbranch in Moosonee.

Entertainment

As with anynew experience, MooseFactoryis goingto bewhatyou makeofit!You are surrounded bywilderness so take advantageofit,seek out newadventures,and have fun! Hopefullyifyou’vechosen to comehereyou enjoytheoutdoorsand can take advantage ofgood hikingandwalks, canoeing, kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing, boat rides to thebay, camping,and fishing.

There is a walking trail around the island that starts adjacent to the Ecolodge.It traversesthewoodsalong theriverandemergesneartheNorthernComplex. Fromthere youcanthenwalkbackalongthe riverroadtothe hospital. Inthe spring,youwillneed eitherbug repellantorabug jacket,andifit ismuddyyouwillneedrubberboots. Inthe winter, it is especially gorgeous (but dresswarmly)

TheMooseRiverisdirectlyconnectedtoJamesBay,whichfeedsintoHudsonBay, whichfeedsintotheArcticOcean. Asaconsequence,ourriveristidal:youmaywalk alongabeachinthemorningonlytofindithasdisappearedbytheafternoon. Inthe spring, the beluga whales make their way down from the Arctic and this is the furthermostsouththey travelanywhereintheworld. Inthefall,youmayspotseals. In theboatingseason,youcan hireawatertaxi that forafeewill takeyouupthe riverto the mouth of JamesBay. ‘Two Bay’in Moosoneeoften runsboattours thatyou can sign up for.

Thewinteris especiallybeautiful. Theriverfreezes overcompletelyandyoucanwalkor skiformiles. AtnightkeepyoureyespeeledfortheNorthernlights! Therearealso trailsonthetwoislandsdirectly acrossfromthehospital–Sawpit,andCharlesisland– whereyoucan walk, snowshoe, orcross-countryski.

Forlocalcommunity eventswatchthecommunity channeloncableandthemessage boards atboth thehospital andin thecomplex. Thereis alwayssomething going on,and flyers will beposted.

Recreation

1.Arena

The JonathanCheechooArenaislocatednexttothe complexwhichhousesbothanice rinkandalargecommunity hall. Allwinterlongtherearehockeygamesgoingonandif youhaveskatesanda helmetyoucanparticipateinmen’sandwomen’s pick-upshinny hockey. Thecost is about $4 pergame.

Thecommunity centreisusedforvariouseventsincludingpow-wows,movies,musical performances, dances,communitybreakfasts, andregularbingogames.

2. Weight Room

There isa weightroomacross fromthe hospitalwithfreeweights,universalequipment, treadmill,stairmaster,androwingmachine. Theuseofequipmentisfree:thekeyis signedoutfromthesecuritydesk(switchboard),andreturnedaftereachuse(thereisonly onekey!).

3. Gym Sports

Thereare twogymnasiumsusedfor sports:oneatthe public school(Ministik) andone at the high school (Delores D. Echum Composite School).Regular sports include volleyball,badminton,andbasketball–pleaseaskaroundforthescheduling;allare “pick-up”and freeofcharge.

Therearealso fairlyregularoutdoorsoccer and ultimate Frisbeegames which areheld in theMinistik schoolyard.

4. Video Rentals

You can rent movies at both Quickstopand GG’sfor approx. $4.

Places ofWorship

In MooseFactoryand Moosoneethere aremultipleplaces ofworship which include: Pentecostal, Baptist, Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian, and non-demoninationalcongregations.

Ifyou arelooking fora church to attend – pleasefeel freeto ask and someonewill help you out.