Quaqtaq

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Quaqtaq is a northern Inuit village in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. It sits on the eastern shore of Diana Bay where it meets Hudson Strait, near Ungava Bay. It is one of the northernmost inhabited places in Quebec. The name means “tapeworm” in Inuktitut, from a local story.

Quaqtaq is not reachable by road and has a small airport, YQC. People first lived here about 3,500 years ago; their ancestors include the Thule. A Catholic mission opened in 1947. A trading post began in 1927 at Iggiajaaq and closed in 1950. After a measles epidemic in 1952, the government started delivering basic services. A nursing station was built in 1963. In the 1960s a store and a radio-telephone post opened. The store became a cooperative in 1974, and Quaqtaq was officially established as a Northern village in 1978. The Kativik Regional Police Force began serving Quaqtaq in 1996 and was renamed the Nunavik Police Service in 2021.

The climate is tundra, with cool summers. July and August average 6.3°C. Cold ocean currents keep the area much colder than other places at the same latitude.

In 2021, 453 people lived in Quaqtaq, with 144 of 173 private dwellings occupied. The area is 25.82 square kilometers, for a population density of 17.5 people per square kilometer. The Isummasaqvik School, run by the Kativik School Board, serves local students. Notable people from Quaqtaq include musician Beatrice Deer and former Inuit police officer Jaaji Okpik.