0:00:04 > 0:00:08East Ender Mason McQueen drives one of London's 22,000
0:00:08 > 0:00:11black taxis.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12The London cab driver
0:00:12 > 0:00:15is naturally a nosy bastard.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18We're the eyes and ears of this city.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22Last year he left London to live and work as a cabbie in Mumbai
0:00:22 > 0:00:24for a BBC documentary.
0:00:24 > 0:00:25Whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:00:25 > 0:00:29It's chaos. It's like Mad Max meets The Kumars or something.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Big bus! Big bus! Big bus!
0:00:31 > 0:00:34What have I got myself into here, eh?
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Now Mason has accepted the challenge to drive a taxi
0:00:37 > 0:00:40in three very different cities around the world.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44Can it get worse than Mumbai? I don't think so.
0:00:47 > 0:00:48In the far north of Canada
0:00:48 > 0:00:51he'll be battling some of the worst conditions on the planet...
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:00:55 > 0:00:58I'm losing control of this vehicle.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03..and meeting a lost people.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Would you rather have today's life, or would you like to go back?
0:01:07 > 0:01:08I would rather go back.
0:01:10 > 0:01:11HE SOBS
0:01:13 > 0:01:16He'll be setting off for the paradise islands of Fiji...
0:01:16 > 0:01:17Bula!
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Bula!
0:01:19 > 0:01:21London? Where's that?
0:01:21 > 0:01:23..and an unusual local cuisine.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29200 years ago it'd be an Oxo cube up the bum
0:01:29 > 0:01:31and that'd be me in the pot.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Where am I going?
0:01:33 > 0:01:34- Straight.- Straight?
0:01:34 > 0:01:37And in the capital city of Cambodia...
0:01:37 > 0:01:39HORNS HONK
0:01:41 > 0:01:45..Mason will be getting to grips with a very different kind of taxi.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48You have got to keep your eyes open here,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50otherwise you ain't going to make it.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Oh, my God!
0:01:55 > 0:01:59It's one London cabbie's journey to find out how people live
0:01:59 > 0:02:02in some of the most extreme and exotic parts of the planet.
0:02:04 > 0:02:05It's the same the world over.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08If you want the lowdown on a place, speak to the cab driver.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18On the edge of the Canadian Arctic,
0:02:18 > 0:02:23Iqaluit is one of the coldest inhabited cities on earth.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25It's a frozen place,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28where the wind can gust at 90mph,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31and temperatures plummet to minus 50 degrees.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37This is an Arctic boom town with a growing and prosperous population.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42But it's also home to the Inuit,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45a people struggling to come to terms with the modern world.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Mason will be joining Iqaluit's hardy band of cab drivers
0:02:51 > 0:02:53at the coldest time of year,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57when the city is cut off from the rest of the world by the frozen sea.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02And the only way out, or in...
0:03:02 > 0:03:04is by air.
0:03:09 > 0:03:10HE SHIVERS
0:03:10 > 0:03:12It's freezing.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14I've never felt it so cold in my life.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16This is the...
0:03:16 > 0:03:18This is the coldest I've ever been.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Mason has arrived in the arctic winter.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26The temperature is minus 30 degrees.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29My cheek bones are, like, numb. My face is aching.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Augh!
0:03:32 > 0:03:33For the next ten days,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Mason will be working for Pai-Pa Taxis.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39It's one of the largest cab companies in Iqaluit.
0:03:44 > 0:03:45Come in.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Hello. Mr McQueen reporting for duty.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49Good morning, sir.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51His boss will be Craig Dunphy.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53- Have a seat.- Thank you.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I am going to show you the ropes.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58You're going to find some differences between driving here
0:03:58 > 0:04:01and driving just about anywhere else in the world.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04In Iqaluit we don't have a public transportation system.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- We are basically it.- Right.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11During blizzards we're always the last ones off the road.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13We don't want to leave people stranded.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16By the end of the day we're supposed to have wind chills
0:04:16 > 0:04:18in and around minus 48, minus 50.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Once you get to minus 40
0:04:20 > 0:04:23it doesn't matter whether it's Fahrenheit or whether it's Celsius.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25It's the same. It's still friggin' cold,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28which is another reason why a lot of people use taxis.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30It gets too cold to walk.
0:04:33 > 0:04:34Don't forget your shovel.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36You're going to have to shovel your car out.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40This is the car that you'll use.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43- This one? This is...- I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I'm kidding.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45HE LAUGHS
0:04:45 > 0:04:46Oh, right.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Hop in there, and we'll start your adventure.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Has it got four-wheel drive?
0:04:50 > 0:04:52No, of course not. We don't need four-wheel drive.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Oh, it's good to get in a car.
0:05:01 > 0:05:02It's why we get in the car!
0:05:09 > 0:05:12All right, man, this is it. We start your training.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Couple of things you've got to know.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Here we don't have street names.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20- Really?- Yeah.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22We have house numbers, we have building numbers.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24That's all we use.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- Just to confuse the London guy, yeah?- Just to...
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Well, it's not only the London guy, I'll tell you.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33To help Mason learn the layout of Iqaluit,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Craig's taking him to the highest point in town.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49So, dude...
0:05:49 > 0:05:51HE CHUCKLES
0:05:51 > 0:05:53From here we've got the perfect view of town.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56- On the other side of the hill, there...- Yeah, the ridge.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00On the other side of that you've got your 300s, 200s and 100s.
0:06:00 > 0:06:01OK, we look over here.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03The red one, the grey one, the yellow one, there -
0:06:03 > 0:06:05those are all 500s.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Down on the other side are your 600s, your 700s, 900s,
0:06:08 > 0:06:09all down that way.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12And over to our left, then we're into the higher numbers,
0:06:12 > 0:06:18the 2400s, 25s, 26s, 27s, and even a 2900 for good measure.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Fantastic. I'm losing consciousness, it's that cold.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- Let's go back in the car where it's warm.- Yeah.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Agh!
0:06:27 > 0:06:28Augh!
0:06:28 > 0:06:30In these sub-zero temperatures,
0:06:30 > 0:06:35being outside for just a moment too long can have severe consequences.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Agh!
0:06:40 > 0:06:42You're getting a bit of frostbite there already.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- You reckon?- On your cheeks.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48That is burning. That hurt.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50- Yeah.- That hurt.
0:06:50 > 0:06:51That really hurt.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Have a look.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- Shit, yeah.- Yeah.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58I look like a right boozer.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Like I was drinking too much!
0:07:00 > 0:07:02HE LAUGHS
0:07:02 > 0:07:05MUSIC: "Crosstown Traffic" by Jimi Hendrix
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Now we are at Four Corners.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15This is the busiest intersection in town.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Why? Because it has four corners.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18Right.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23# You're just like crosstown traffic
0:07:23 > 0:07:25# So hard to get through to you... #
0:07:25 > 0:07:27This is your Oxford Circus.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- It's like a busy West End part of London, yeah?- Yeah.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31This is busy here, yeah?
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Do you get a rush hour here?
0:07:34 > 0:07:36We get rush minute.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40And it's primarily at Four Corners.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42# Look out, baby... #
0:07:43 > 0:07:47What we're going to do now, it's going to be your turn to drive.
0:07:47 > 0:07:48Yeah. I'm slightly apprehensive.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50That makes two of us.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Just make sure you stay on the right-hand side of the road.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55Yeah, I'll forget about that!
0:07:58 > 0:08:01OK, people... Iqaluit, here I come.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Oh, God...
0:08:09 > 0:08:10- Take a right pass? - Take a right, yeah.
0:08:14 > 0:08:15Now you just failed your exam.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18- Why?- Cos you didn't use your indicator light.
0:08:18 > 0:08:19Every single time, you gotta indicate?
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Every single time.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28You've got a stop sign. You've got a stop sign.
0:08:28 > 0:08:29Shit.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31OK, it was back there.
0:08:31 > 0:08:32Sorry!
0:08:34 > 0:08:35Cor!
0:08:35 > 0:08:36If you got a lot on your mind,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38you could get in trouble in this city, driving around.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41- Oh, very easily, very easily. - Just gone through a stop sign, boom!
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Although Mason's just broken two of the rules of the road,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Craig has another test for his new recruit.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Driving up one of the iciest hills in the city.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56You gotta fly up that hill.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57- No!- Yes. Go.
0:08:59 > 0:09:00Yee-ha!
0:09:00 > 0:09:02MUSIC: "Comanche" by The Revels
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Can you brake? Ease...
0:09:05 > 0:09:06Oh, my God.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07Gears, gears...
0:09:11 > 0:09:13All right, go for it.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24You want to try from a different angle?
0:09:24 > 0:09:25We're getting up there.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Oh, yeah, you're going to get up there.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Try it again, but this time once you start going up the hill
0:09:32 > 0:09:34I want you to put it down into first gear.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Just for your own peace of mind, you gotta make it.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39There we go. Easy on the gas.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Come on, come on, come on.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47GEARS GRIND
0:09:47 > 0:09:49HE IMITATES GEARS
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Oh, my God, that's funny.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Them containers were coming...
0:09:57 > 0:09:59They were coming in really quick.
0:09:59 > 0:10:00LAUGHTER
0:10:02 > 0:10:05I had no control over the vehicle whatsoever.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Not too good in front of the boss.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10I'm up against a real challenge here.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13People just take it for granted that you're going to get there,
0:10:13 > 0:10:17and being a new driver, and not knowing what you're getting into,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19now I know that these numbers here
0:10:19 > 0:10:21represent a hill that I need to climb.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Driving a cab here might be tough, but it's lucrative,
0:10:26 > 0:10:30and taxi drivers from all over the world have come to cash in.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35I've had drivers here from Syria, from Africa, from Palestine,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39from Morocco, as well as our French Canadians.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44And a driver yesterday did well in excess of 600 clear in his pocket.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46- Wow!- Oh, yes.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47We charge people by the head,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51so if you've got four people in your car and the fare is 6,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54then you've got four times 6 for one trip.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55- That's great.- Yeah.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00Although wages are high, accommodation is expensive.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Craig provides staff houses for his drivers from out of town.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Mason, your roommate Gill.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09- Hello, Gill.- Gill, Mason.
0:11:09 > 0:11:10Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, sir.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12- How you doing?- Good.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14We'll be back in a few. I'm just going to show him his room there,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17show him where he can get settled.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Here's your room there, bud.
0:11:22 > 0:11:23- Home sweet home.- This is good. This'll do.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26It's got walls, it's got a bed, it's got a dresser,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28it's got a window, and you're very close to the toilet.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30- Yeah! Lovely. - Try not to break the handle.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Happy days. Cup of tea on.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Gill is from Montreal.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Like many taxi drivers, he was tempted by the allure
0:11:43 > 0:11:48of a paycheck double what he would normally earn in mainland Canada.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52I'm not used to having someone making my tea.
0:11:52 > 0:11:53It's nice, though, huh?
0:11:53 > 0:11:56It's nice to have a bit of company up here, yeah?
0:11:56 > 0:11:58I'm always alone here.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02I like TV just to forget about the job.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05I just want to hear the sound of it, making me feel like I'm not alone.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07It can be lonely up here, can't it?
0:12:07 > 0:12:09I got used to it.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Been like that for years.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Well...
0:12:17 > 0:12:22here I am. First night, and...
0:12:22 > 0:12:25I just feel isolated,
0:12:25 > 0:12:27cut off from the rest of the world.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30You know, there's no roads out of here.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33It's like nowhere I've ever been before.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39I feel like some of these cab drivers, they're loners, you know?
0:12:39 > 0:12:43Coming up here for the money and getting on with things.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44It's not easy.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46I couldn't live up here.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58It's eight in the morning,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02and rookie driver Mason is getting ready to clock on for work.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06- Morning boss.- Yo, good morning.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09- How're you doing? - Good, man. You?- Yeah.- Good.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12All ready for my first shift.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15You just have to remember, watch out for your stop signs.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18You know, you go through a stop sign and somebody's not ready for it,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- you're going to have a collision. - OK.- And we don't want that, OK?
0:13:21 > 0:13:22Watch your speed.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Don't go too slow, don't go too fast.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27- Watch for the spinning tyres on the ice.- OK.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30- All right, man.- Cheers.- Good luck. - Thanks, Craig.- All right, man.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Today he's on his own, and...
0:13:34 > 0:13:36yeah, it's going to be fun.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39The only thing I'm really nervous about is the numbers,
0:13:39 > 0:13:43and maybe having a collision or coming off the road.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46You know, I don't want to crash the car.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Car 20 clear at base. Roger.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Mason doesn't have to wait long for his first call.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11'Number 20, 281. Near the graveyard.'
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Roger that, dispatch.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Jeez, slippery.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Oh, f...kin' hell.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34My last job in London was Aldgate High Street to Moorgate station.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36This is slightly different.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Dispatch, this is car 20.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Can you give me a reminder of that number again please, mate?
0:14:44 > 0:14:46'Car 20, 281.'
0:14:46 > 0:14:50I'm at two...two thousand something.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54Most new cabbies take weeks to master the numbers.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Mason's had just one day, and he's feeling the pressure.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04This is a crazy system.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06'Car 20, Charlie?'
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Yeah, I'm on my way, dispatch.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Where is it?
0:15:13 > 0:15:15I'm a cab driver, not a postman.
0:15:19 > 0:15:20Down here somewhere.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23They're waiting.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Hi there, Miss. Sorry about the wait.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34No worries!
0:15:34 > 0:15:35I'm a bit of a new driver,
0:15:35 > 0:15:40- so it's just been an adventure finding your house.- OK!
0:15:40 > 0:15:41Now, where were you off to?
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- 723 please.- Where?
0:15:44 > 0:15:45- 723.- 733?
0:15:45 > 0:15:46723.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- 7..23.- 23.- Is that near Four Corners?
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Behind the Northmart.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54- Behind the Northmart?- Yeah. - Oh, I kinda know that.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Getting there is a different thing, though.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Oh, yes, a right and then a lift, and then Northmart will be on the left.
0:16:03 > 0:16:04Yeah.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06You're there.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09I'm there. It's just the numbers, more than anything.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11I'm sort of OK with Northmart,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14but not everyone wants to go to the Northmart!
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Busy, busy, busy at Four Corners.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Bit of argy-bargy there.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29- Hello, Miss.- Hey.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31- Where're you off to?- The library.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32Is that near Four Corners?
0:16:32 > 0:16:36It's just down there. I can direct you.
0:16:37 > 0:16:38112.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Is that near Four Corners?
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Where are you off to, Miss?
0:16:43 > 0:16:44To the hospital, please.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45Is that near Four Corners?
0:16:45 > 0:16:47That's all I know!
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Mason's been on the road for a couple of hours,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52and business is booming.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54All right?
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Court house, please.
0:16:57 > 0:16:58How're you doing, mate? You OK?
0:16:58 > 0:17:01I'm in a bit of a hurry, to be honest.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03- I'm a new...- Are you new in town? - Yeah, I'm a new guy.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Let's go. I'm going to be late. Let's go.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08- Where're we going again?- 2621.
0:17:08 > 0:17:09You're going to two.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Yeah, I know, darling, I know. Bear with me, yeah?
0:17:14 > 0:17:16You're not a taxi driver?
0:17:16 > 0:17:18I am a taxi driver.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Hard to believe, but I am, madam.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Mason might not know the numbers yet,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30but it's a chance for him to find out what life is like
0:17:30 > 0:17:32in this isolated city.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Does it bother you, the cold?
0:17:35 > 0:17:36It does, actually.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39It bothers me a lot, but you learn to deal with it.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- Don't you think it's too cold to live here?- Yeah...
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- A bit isolated? - Yeah, but it's not a problem to me
0:17:45 > 0:17:49because I take a cab going to work, going home.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53You're happy with, you know, being a resident here, and...?
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Yeah, I'm really happy.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Like, I don't know why, but this place runs in my vein.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59I just think it's so special.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01Oh, that's cool.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- Yeah. Otherwise I wouldn't be here. - Yeah, that's right.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09- Au revoir.- Au revoir. - Au revoir, Danielle. Bye. Thank you.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Car 20 clear at the library, over.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18'Car 20, 515 alpha.'
0:18:19 > 0:18:23Roger that, 515 alpha. 515 alpha.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Mason's next passenger is one of the city's 6,000 Inuit,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32the original inhabitants of the Arctic.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Hi. How're you doing?
0:18:35 > 0:18:38- Good. How are you? - Sorry I'm late.- That's OK.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Little baby on her back. Oh cool.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Hello.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Where're you off to, Miss?
0:18:49 > 0:18:51I'm going to CBC.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54CBC? Is that...
0:18:54 > 0:18:56- It's...- Is that near Four Corners?
0:18:56 > 0:18:59- It's near the...- That's all I know!
0:18:59 > 0:19:02- ..the tallest building in town. - The tallest building in town -
0:19:02 > 0:19:03I should be able to find that!
0:19:05 > 0:19:06And who's this on your back?
0:19:06 > 0:19:08This is Vivi.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09- Vivi?- Yeah.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- Hi, Vivi. What's your name?- Nancy.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15Nancy. My partner in England's called Nancy as well.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18It's a lovely name. We like that name.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Inuit culture is rich in music,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24and Nancy knows one of the more quirky traditions,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26throat singing.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28You use your throat, so...
0:19:28 > 0:19:30SHE VOCALISES
0:19:30 > 0:19:33That's part of it.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36- There's all sorts of different ways to do it.- Wow!
0:19:36 > 0:19:38So it would be like...
0:19:38 > 0:19:40SHE VOCALISES
0:19:43 > 0:19:44Why don't you try?
0:19:44 > 0:19:45Just go...
0:19:45 > 0:19:47SHE VOCALISES
0:19:47 > 0:19:49HE REPEATS
0:19:56 > 0:19:57Do you get it? Like, it would...
0:19:57 > 0:19:59I'm not getting it, no.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Let's try an easier one.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02Yeah.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Um-MUH. Can you do that?
0:20:05 > 0:20:07- What's that one?- It goes Um-MUH.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- Um-MUH...- It sounded like the Cookie Monster in Sesame Street!
0:20:12 > 0:20:15THEY VOCALISE
0:20:20 > 0:20:22This sounds quite funny, Nance.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It sounds like I'm doing something else, not singing.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30I've learnt some stuff today, Nance, but throat singing, that's amazing.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- It was nice to meet you as well, Nance.- Nice to meet you too.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36- Really nice.- OK, all right. - OK, you take care.
0:20:36 > 0:20:37You too.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Have a good day. Bye, Vivi. See you, darling.
0:20:40 > 0:20:41Take care.
0:20:50 > 0:20:51Wow.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54What a nice girl.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58HE VOCALISES
0:21:07 > 0:21:10THROAT SINGING
0:21:17 > 0:21:21The Inuit have lived in this frozen wilderness for 4,000 years.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Just a few decades ago they were a nomadic people,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30hunting for food from the land and the sea.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36It was a tough life, but they managed to survive
0:21:36 > 0:21:39in one of the most unforgiving environments in the world.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45Today the Inuit live in towns and cities like Iqaluit.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Life has changed dramatically for them.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52You must be Mason.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54- I am.- I'm Carlene.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58To find out more, Mason has offered to help at the local soup kitchen,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01which many Inuit rely on for food.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05If you want to help spread the egg salad on the bread there...
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Spread it on nice and thick.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Nice and thick. Is that good?
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Yeah, that's good. That's good.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Carlene is one of the volunteers.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17So Carlene, who comes to the soup kitchen?
0:22:17 > 0:22:21The people that come here, a lot of them are Inuit.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23A lot of them are on social assistance,
0:22:23 > 0:22:28which is a subsidised funding from the government, on welfare.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31It's just families that are trying to make ends meet.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33It's brutal out there, the weather.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36To think about, you know, being down on your luck,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38it must be extremely hard.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Well, the elements up here are harsh.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45The Inuit have survived up here for so many years with this environment.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47- Yeah.- And it's our home.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49You are on Inuit land here.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50Right.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53How many people do you think we'll have coming through the door today?
0:22:53 > 0:22:58It could be anywhere from 50 people to 120.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03The soup kitchen is open seven days a week.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07For many of the people here it's the only meal they get each day.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12The Inuit community is plagued with social problems
0:23:12 > 0:23:16such as high unemployment, crippling poverty
0:23:16 > 0:23:20and a life expectancy ten years less than the rest of Canada.
0:23:20 > 0:23:21Two white?
0:23:23 > 0:23:27In 2012 more than half the children of Iqaluit went hungry
0:23:27 > 0:23:31because their families couldn't afford to feed them.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Brown?
0:23:33 > 0:23:34There you go, sir.
0:23:35 > 0:23:3945-year-old Padlow bakes bread for the soup kitchen.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41You volunteer here do you, Padlow?
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Yes, I do, every day.
0:23:43 > 0:23:49I'm just volunteering, waiting for a call
0:23:49 > 0:23:51from any of the companies
0:23:51 > 0:23:54that I've applied for, for a job.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56So I'm keeping myself busy here.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Is there a lot of unemployment up here?
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Very much, especially if you're uneducated.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Padlow is one of a thousand Inuit in this small city
0:24:07 > 0:24:09who doesn't have an adequate place to stay.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13He makes do with anywhere he can find to get out of the cold.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18I sleep here and there, or sometimes in a shack.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20- In a shack?- Yes.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23How can you survive in a shack in these conditions?
0:24:23 > 0:24:28When it gets too cold I move to other places.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32If there's no room on the couch I'll sleep on the floor.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33Have you got any family?
0:24:33 > 0:24:35I do, but...
0:24:35 > 0:24:38they have their own problems.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41I don't want to burden them with my...
0:24:41 > 0:24:43situation.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49Padlow grew up learning the old traditions from his forefathers.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Now, homeless and penniless, he yearns for the past.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Was traditional life better than it is now, Padlow?
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Back then, I loved it.
0:24:59 > 0:25:00- You did?- Yes.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Nobody was homeless. Nobody went hungry.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05We've a hard life.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Yeah, a lot of Inuits I'm seeing,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10they look like they've had a hard life, you know?
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Yes. You can see it on their faces.
0:25:12 > 0:25:13You can.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Would you rather have today's life, or would you like to go back,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21with how things were back then?
0:25:21 > 0:25:23I would rather go back.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27HE SOBS
0:25:31 > 0:25:33You OK, fella?
0:25:34 > 0:25:35I'll be fine.
0:25:42 > 0:25:43I'd love that back.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Canada is one of the wealthiest countries in the world,
0:25:57 > 0:26:02and it's a shock for Mason to see what's become of its arctic people.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05I had no idea about this side of Iqaluit,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and the constant struggle that Inuits are under.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11This is where they're from. This is their territory.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19They've been here for thousands and thousands of years,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22before the white man came up here, and now they are losing out
0:26:22 > 0:26:26and they're struggling to adapt to the modern way of life.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31A lot of them, they're on the breadline,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35and they're the ones that I've seen that are really struggling
0:26:35 > 0:26:36in Iqaluit.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51London cabbie Mason McQueen has been on the road for a few days,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and he's getting to know his way around Iqaluit.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- Augh!- Guess where we're going?
0:26:59 > 0:27:01You ain't going to swimming club, are you?
0:27:01 > 0:27:03No, we're not going swimming, buddy.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08In 1999, this small town was chosen to be the capital of Nunavut,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11a new territory carved out in northern Canada
0:27:11 > 0:27:12and given to the Inuit
0:27:12 > 0:27:15to have more control over their ancestral homeland.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Since then, Iqaluit has boomed.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25New jobs have been created, and it's doubled in population.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29It's the gateway to the Eastern Arctic.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33To oil, metal and minerals.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37Did you have a good flight?
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Yeah, I sure did.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Very smooth.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43I like it smooth, don't you?
0:27:43 > 0:27:44THEY LAUGH
0:27:44 > 0:27:46It's the only way to travel.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Mason is meeting people from all over Canada
0:27:49 > 0:27:51who have come to work in the city.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Are you from Iqaluit?
0:27:54 > 0:27:56- Montreal.- Oh, Montreal.- Yeah.
0:27:56 > 0:27:57And who's this lovely young lady?
0:27:57 > 0:27:59SHE REPLIES IN HER NATIVE TONGUE
0:27:59 > 0:28:00She's my girlfriend.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Ah! How are you? You all right?
0:28:05 > 0:28:07You come up from the south to work up here?
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Yeah. I'm a mechanic.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11- And you're in demand up here, yeah, in Canada?- Yeah.
0:28:15 > 0:28:20Mason's next pick-up is Zoya, a professional who moved north
0:28:20 > 0:28:22from mainland Canada four years ago
0:28:22 > 0:28:25to take advantage of the job opportunities.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31- Hello.- Hello, Miss.- Hi.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33Hope you haven't been waiting long.
0:28:33 > 0:28:34No, not too long.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36- Where're you off to? - Home. 4080.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43Zoya is a marine biologist, and her husband is a teacher.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46I don't think I would have my indeterminate job,
0:28:46 > 0:28:50and I don't think my husband would have taught for the last four years
0:28:50 > 0:28:52as a teacher consistently if we didn't move up here.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56And the pay is obviously better than it would be in Winnipeg?
0:28:56 > 0:28:57The pay, and just available jobs.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00- Yeah.- Yeah. It's nice to kind of have the freedom
0:29:00 > 0:29:02and the finances to do what we like.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06We have a boat, and we have Skidoos, and we have ATVs.
0:29:08 > 0:29:09Gill!
0:29:09 > 0:29:12That's my buddy I share digs with.
0:29:12 > 0:29:13Oh, good.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15Good.
0:29:15 > 0:29:16Right, this one over here?
0:29:16 > 0:29:19The white one with the Skidoo, yeah, in the driveway.
0:29:19 > 0:29:20Oh, yeah, look at that - Skidoo!
0:29:22 > 0:29:24In this cut-off part of the world
0:29:24 > 0:29:27fresh produce and groceries are flown in daily,
0:29:27 > 0:29:30and they're extortionately expensive.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35This is the container all of our stuff got shipped up in,
0:29:35 > 0:29:37so now we use it as storage.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42Zoya has shipped up a year's worth of supplies from Winnipeg
0:29:42 > 0:29:44to Iqaluit to save money.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Yeah, so here's our toilet paper.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50We brought this up four years ago.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53The whole back here was packed with toilet paper cos it's so expensive.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55You haven't bought a toilet roll for four years?
0:29:55 > 0:29:57- That's right, yep. - HE LAUGHS
0:29:57 > 0:29:58We brought up a lot of those.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Thankfully toilet paper doesn't expire.
0:30:01 > 0:30:02So, yeah.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Here's just a little bit of our flour left,
0:30:05 > 0:30:07and that's going to last us until the end of the summer.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10- End of the summer. - Yeah.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12You've really done your homework, haven't you?
0:30:12 > 0:30:15We have, yeah, before we moved up, and it's a good adventure.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17We love it up here.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20- Thanks for showing me your sea-can, Zoya.- Thanks for the ride up.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22- Nice to meet you, Zoya.- Nice to meet you.- Take care.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25- You, too. - Bye now. Bye-bye.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34Mason is learning there's a huge divide
0:30:34 > 0:30:37between the rich and the poor in this city.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46He's arranged to visit Padlow, who he met at the soup kitchen,
0:30:46 > 0:30:48to see where he lives.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56- This is it, Padlow? - Yes.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59It's literally a little wooden shed.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01Yes, it is.
0:31:01 > 0:31:06It is unbearable, but as long as you have a roof over your head.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09What do you sleep on, Padlow?
0:31:09 > 0:31:11I sleep on a couch.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12- On a couch?- Yes.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14With a blanket over you, a sleeping bag?
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Over my jacket, over my winter...
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Is this the stuff...? This is your only stuff?
0:31:20 > 0:31:22Yeah, at the moment.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26So thin, it really is. It's too thin.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Is there lots of people like yourself in this situation?
0:31:32 > 0:31:37Yes, there's lots of us, people behind the shadows.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39Oh, mate, you're so cold, ain't ya?
0:31:43 > 0:31:46Over half the Inuit live in overcrowded conditions.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Padlow squats with his friend Amy.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51How long you been living here?
0:31:51 > 0:31:54- Four and a half years. - Oh, my God.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58And they can't get you an apartment or something to live in?
0:31:58 > 0:32:02Oh, no, I'm on the housing list.
0:32:02 > 0:32:03You're on the housing list?
0:32:03 > 0:32:06But I'm single, so I'm low priority.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08There's lots of people couch-surfing.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10Like I am.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12- We're invisible. - Yes, we are.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15And how long haven't you had a house for, Padlow?
0:32:15 > 0:32:18- For about 20 years. - Jeez.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21How cold is it, guys, when you wake up in the morning?
0:32:21 > 0:32:25Here, oh, about three or four degrees below freezing.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28You can see your breath.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31I get up, get some clothes on,
0:32:31 > 0:32:34then run to the stove and turn it on.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36This stove keeps you guys alive.
0:32:36 > 0:32:37Yes, it does.
0:32:39 > 0:32:40My God.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Poor Padlow. He's just surviving. It's invisible here, homelessness.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52You know, cos you couldn't sleep on the streets here. You'd perish.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00There's two sides to this city, you know, the people making money,
0:33:00 > 0:33:02and the people that are just surviving up here.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08It's a beautiful place, you know, to have a boat in the summer,
0:33:08 > 0:33:10and your skidoos for the winter.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14But on the other hand, you've got the tough side as well.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17Life here without money is really hard.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25As darkness falls, ice covers the roads.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29It's too expensive to import salt to keep them clear.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Whoa-eeeees...
0:33:39 > 0:33:41Getting a bit slippery out here.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47These are tough driving conditions.
0:33:52 > 0:33:57In these winter months, Iqaluit is in darkness for 18 hours a day.
0:33:58 > 0:34:0120 past three and it's virtually dark.
0:34:07 > 0:34:12With his shift over, Mason is going shopping for dinner,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15and he's decided to try some local produce.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21- Hello, sir. How're you doing? - Good. Yourself?
0:34:21 > 0:34:24- Yeah, I'm after some surprise. - Little bit of whale meat?
0:34:24 > 0:34:28Whale meat? Yeah, muktuk. Oh, muktuk.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31Whale and seal meat used to be the staple diet of the Inuit.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35Now it's sold at prices many struggle to afford.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37This is muktuk, yeah?
0:34:37 > 0:34:40- Yeah, yeah. Little bit of red there, that's the blood, eh?- Oh, right.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44- I'll give you a piece to try.- Yeah, OK, fella. Yeah, that'd be great.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Hey, you want to cut this into pieces?
0:34:47 > 0:34:49- Into little pieces?- Yeah.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52- Yeah.- What's your name again? - Mason.
0:34:52 > 0:34:53- Mason?- Mason, yeah.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55- Mison?- Mason. Mason.- Mason.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57- Mason.- Mason. - There you go.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02- You got to press on it. Got it? - Yeah.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Joe, do you eat it frozen all the time?
0:35:08 > 0:35:10I used to, but now I don't have any more teeth.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15It's hard, though, isn't it?
0:35:18 > 0:35:21It's diced up and then cooked.
0:35:21 > 0:35:22They don't eat it cooked at all.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24They just eat it like that.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26Really?
0:35:26 > 0:35:27Yeah. I eat it.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31It's delicious.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Right, that's the whale situation then,
0:35:34 > 0:35:36so I might go for something different.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40I don't know, I got some smoked char or plain char.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42This is char.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44Look at the size of that.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47And this is smoked.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49Wow, the smoked, now there you go. This is more me.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51Yeah, I'll take that one, Joe.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54- You know what this is? - Go on, what is it, mate?
0:35:54 > 0:35:56- A walrus penis. - It's a what?
0:35:56 > 0:35:59- A walrus penis. - A walrus...?- Penis.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01- Is it?- Yeah.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03That's a walrus's penis.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05- Yeah. - Oh, my God. I can honestly say...
0:36:05 > 0:36:08- You ever seen one of them? - He ain't got no problems, has he?
0:36:08 > 0:36:11- I bet Mrs Walrus is happy. - That's a small one!
0:36:11 > 0:36:14Yeah, and it's nice and hard. No complaints there!
0:36:14 > 0:36:17There's ten, Joe. Lovely. Thanks, mate.
0:36:17 > 0:36:18Have fun driving cabs.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20OK.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23Cheers, Joe.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26Frozen fish is far from Mason's normal takeaway,
0:36:26 > 0:36:29but he's treating his flatmate Gill to dinner.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35- Hello, mate. How are you, Gill? - I'm good, you?
0:36:35 > 0:36:38- Ca va bien?- Mais oui! - GILL CHUCKLES
0:36:38 > 0:36:40I got some dinner. I got smoked char.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42I don't eat fish.
0:36:42 > 0:36:43Oh, really?
0:36:43 > 0:36:47More fish for me, then, if you don't want any.
0:36:47 > 0:36:48How am I going to do this?
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Am I just cutting it up? It's still frosty.
0:36:54 > 0:36:55Cooking, I'm useless at it.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59I used to go out nearly every night when I was on my own.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03For this first-time chef, frozen fish is a step too far.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05I'm definitely going to leave the fish.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07I can't eat that like that.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10I just think I'll stick with the noodles tonight. Easier.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17To be honest, that tastes OK.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Anything you're consuming up here just tastes good,
0:37:19 > 0:37:22cos your body's just craving it all the time.
0:37:26 > 0:37:27All done.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34It's halfway through Mason's stay,
0:37:34 > 0:37:39and boss Craig has given him a day off.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43He's been invited to go ice fishing with Solomon, one of the best
0:37:43 > 0:37:45hunters in town.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48Am I kitted up OK, Solomon?
0:37:48 > 0:37:49- No, not at all.- No?
0:37:49 > 0:37:51No. That's not good enough.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55I have a better coat over there that you might want to wear.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59That's a seal skin. I've got also polar bear pants.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01- Polar bear pants!- Yes.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04God. You caught the polar bear?
0:38:04 > 0:38:07Yes, I caught the polar bear last summer.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10That's unbelievable. A pair of polar bear trousers.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13Some Eskimos might think that you are a polar bear.
0:38:13 > 0:38:14Yeah, someone'll shoot!
0:38:16 > 0:38:21Solomon has a full-time office job, so he hunts at weekends for pleasure.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25I'm going to bring my daughters with me too.
0:38:25 > 0:38:26- Oh, great.- Yes.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29All right. You know what? I'm getting worried,
0:38:29 > 0:38:32because they're probably going to catch a bigger fish than me!
0:38:37 > 0:38:39Oh! God!
0:38:44 > 0:38:46I'm baking in here, Solomon.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04When the Inuit were nomadic they relied on dog teams for transport.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08But with the move to permanent settlements, dogs are no
0:39:08 > 0:39:10longer a vital part of life.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13Now Solomon uses a snowmobile instead.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18- Are you ready?- I'm ready.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40It's a two-hour journey across the frozen sea to reach Solomon's
0:39:40 > 0:39:42fishing spot.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52- We'll stop here and go fishing.- OK.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55With a good salary, Solomon can afford the trappings of the
0:39:55 > 0:39:58modern world to make hunting easier.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07Instead of the basic tools used in the past, the power drill
0:40:07 > 0:40:09cuts through the ice in seconds.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17That's a good one. That's a lucky one, Solomon.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20So what kind of fish are we after, Solomon?
0:40:20 > 0:40:23I think we're going to go after Arctic char.
0:40:23 > 0:40:24- Arctic char.- Yeah.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27Solomon, you don't use any bait, just a lure, yeah?
0:40:27 > 0:40:29Yeah, just a lure. Sink it down.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34- That's how you do it.- Yeah.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36Just go a little bit more.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40- It's a waiting game now, Solomon, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:40:43 > 0:40:483,000 miles from home, Eastender Mason McQueen is ice fishing
0:40:48 > 0:40:49on the edge of the Arctic.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Come on, Arctic char.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59I really want to catch one to show him that I can do it.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09Just, it's absolutely amazing the landscape here. It's fantastic.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Look at it.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14It's just beautiful, and it's so quiet as well.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17It gives me a tiny sense of what it was like for the Inuit
0:41:17 > 0:41:21living up here, but it's just a tiny one, you know?
0:41:21 > 0:41:24I know I can go back to my digs and it'll be warm there and that.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27But can you imagine, like, just getting in your igloo
0:41:27 > 0:41:29and not catching any fish, knowing that you've got to go on
0:41:29 > 0:41:34and get some fish somewhere to feed the family and stuff like that?
0:41:34 > 0:41:36Yeah, it's a harsh environment up here.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39- Nothing?- Yeah, nothing.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41Nothing here yet too.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52About an hour now I've been standing here.
0:41:52 > 0:41:53Just need a little bit of luck.
0:41:53 > 0:41:58It's a bit like driving a cab really, fishing for fares.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01I'm a lot luckier in a taxi than I am fishing, definitely.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09- You caught any fish?- No.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11- No fish.- No luck.- No luck.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15The chances of Mason catching his first Arctic char are starting
0:42:15 > 0:42:19to look slim, so to keep spirits high and the blood flowing,
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Solomon teaches him some Inuit exercises.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27You're trying to pull me that way,
0:42:27 > 0:42:30and I'm trying to pull you that way, OK?
0:42:30 > 0:42:34- OK.- Harder. Very harder!
0:42:34 > 0:42:35Urgh!
0:42:38 > 0:42:40- Like this.- Yeah?
0:42:40 > 0:42:42And your hand like that, and you push.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47But I fight back.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Agh!
0:42:53 > 0:42:55Now I'm warm.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59- You think it's time for our tea? - Cup of tea?
0:42:59 > 0:43:01- Yeah.- Oh, yes, please.
0:43:03 > 0:43:08- Cheers.- Cheers. Good hunting. - Good hunting!
0:43:11 > 0:43:14How old was you when you killed your first seal?
0:43:14 > 0:43:15- I was about five years old.- Five?
0:43:15 > 0:43:18Yes. I couldn't forget those memories.
0:43:20 > 0:43:26In traditional society, hunting gave a man his status and his identity.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30But now the Inuit are spending less time hunting.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35Do you think the Inuit are losing their connection with the land?
0:43:35 > 0:43:38Unfortunately, yes.
0:43:39 > 0:43:45There's not much interaction out on the land like it used to be.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47I used to be out almost every day.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52Our children, they're more at home now.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54It's kind of sad.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58It's time to go home.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01But before they leave, Solomon wants to bestow an Inuit honour
0:44:01 > 0:44:03upon Mason.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05- I thought of a name for you. - Oh, you did?
0:44:05 > 0:44:07Yes, I did.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10SPEAKS IN NATIVE TONGUE
0:44:10 > 0:44:12MASON REPEATS TERM
0:44:12 > 0:44:13- Yes.- And what's it mean?
0:44:13 > 0:44:16It means that you never catch anything.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18MASON LAUGHS
0:44:22 > 0:44:26Life has changed rapidly for the Inuit in just two generations.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32In the 1950s and '60s the Canadian government encouraged the
0:44:32 > 0:44:37Inuit to settle in towns like Iqaluit, with the promise of
0:44:37 > 0:44:41a brighter future, of education, of opportunity.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48But many have struggled to find their place in this modern
0:44:48 > 0:44:53world, and Nunavut Territory is awash with social problems.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56Alcoholism, drug abuse,
0:44:56 > 0:45:00and a new ill is consuming the Inuit - suicide.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08100 years ago suicide was rare among the Inuit.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13Now Nunavut has one of the highest suicide rates in the world.
0:45:18 > 0:45:2318-year-old Paka grew up in Iqaluit, and knows only too well
0:45:23 > 0:45:26about this troubled territory.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31Drugs and alcohol are a big struggle here.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33Considering how there's nothing really to do,
0:45:33 > 0:45:36it's just the same thing every day so, you know,
0:45:36 > 0:45:39people turn to other things like smoke pot, or drink some alcohol.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41Kids even younger than me are selling pot
0:45:41 > 0:45:44and smoking it themselves.
0:45:44 > 0:45:45During the winter too, you know,
0:45:45 > 0:45:48you only get, like, five hours' daylight,
0:45:48 > 0:45:52sometimes less, and that's another big factor, you know,
0:45:52 > 0:45:55you're stuck in the dark, you're stuck far away from everybody.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58- It all adds up and then... - Yeah.- Yeah.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02A year and a month ago my good friend Robert, he killed himself.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07Wow. That's shocking, that really is.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10Losing your best friend, you know, that's tough.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13You know, when you lose somebody,
0:46:13 > 0:46:15that person's not going to be there any more.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17You're not going to see them ever again.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20Like, we planned to get our first tattoos together
0:46:20 > 0:46:22and, you know, go down south, but it all gets thrown away
0:46:22 > 0:46:24in that split-second it happens,
0:46:24 > 0:46:28you know, makes me feel small, makes me feel weak.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32A couple of years ago an 11-year-old boy killed himself.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36You know, that's horrific. That's something we need to stop.
0:46:41 > 0:46:46In 2013, Nunavut reached a grim milestone.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49The highest annual total of suicides on record.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54Most of those taking their lives are young Inuit men.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00Just over there by that big rock over there,
0:47:00 > 0:47:02that's where my friend Robert was buried.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08I try to come here at least once a week.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13It says, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine", and you know,
0:47:13 > 0:47:17Robert was full of sunshine, like, before he got depressed,
0:47:17 > 0:47:19like, he was always smiling
0:47:19 > 0:47:23and, you know, he was always laughing and joking around with us.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25He was always the one with the biggest smile.
0:47:27 > 0:47:32You've got to be in a real dark place to take your own life.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35It really hits home for me as a parent.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38It does hit home.
0:47:38 > 0:47:43There's a procession to life, and it's not burying your kids at 17
0:47:43 > 0:47:46for taking their own lives, you know, it's such a waste.
0:47:48 > 0:47:52You're out there to live your life at that age.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54Life's just beginning, not ending.
0:47:58 > 0:48:03It's hard to understand why he would've done it.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05Come on, mate.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22The pain, you know, of losing my best friend, that doesn't go away.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31Yeah, it's been a shock to me today.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35You know, hearing it first-hand, and being a parent.
0:48:50 > 0:48:51The frenetic pace of change
0:48:51 > 0:48:55is deeply scarring this remote community.
0:48:59 > 0:49:05But in the Arctic wilderness the amazing natural beauty is timeless.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13Wow. That's amazing. That is just incredible.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17I've heard so much about 'em, these Northern Lights,
0:49:17 > 0:49:20and they are, it's amazing.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28You know, working in a cab in London of a night I see some sights,
0:49:28 > 0:49:31but nothing as beautiful as this.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42The Northern Lights were incredible. Never seen anything like that.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44It was fantastic.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48The more I looked at 'em, the more it changed actually.
0:49:48 > 0:49:52It's quite spiritual. It was really special to see those.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54Definitely won't forget the place.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03It's Mason's last day as a cabbie in Iqaluit.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15Bitter, bitter wind starting to blow.
0:50:15 > 0:50:19Could be a blizzard coming in.
0:50:20 > 0:50:24This close to the Arctic Circle, the weather can change quickly.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32At Pai-pa dispatch Craig is briefing his staff.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37- Morning, Simon.- Hi. - We've got some weather coming in.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41We've got winds 50 to 70, 70 gusting to 100.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43It's going to be a bit of a mess.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46When a storm approaches, Iqaluit shuts down.
0:50:50 > 0:50:52Few people in the city own cars.
0:50:52 > 0:50:57They're at the mercy of the weather, and taxis are the only way
0:50:57 > 0:50:59they can get home.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06- Morning, boss.- Morning.- Wow.
0:51:06 > 0:51:07We're expecting winds now
0:51:07 > 0:51:11anywhere between 70 and 100km an hour,
0:51:11 > 0:51:13plus we've got the snow with it this time.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16All flights in and out of here are cancelled.
0:51:16 > 0:51:17The schools have been closed.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20Government offices, we've just been told, are shut down.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23So our job now is to get everybody home, get 'em there safe.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25- We're it now.- OK.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32The people of Iqaluit now depend on their taxi drivers.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35Car 20 all cleared outside base.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39Mason McQueen, a cabbie used to battling light showers on the
0:51:39 > 0:51:42A40, is about to take on one of the city's legendary storms.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45- RADIO:- 'We have a few blizzard warnings
0:51:45 > 0:51:47'here in Nunavut's capital in Iqaluit,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50'and we're expecting some high winds going all the way up
0:51:50 > 0:51:53'to 140km an hour, so be prepared.'
0:52:02 > 0:52:04- TWOWAY RADIO:- 'Car 20.'
0:52:04 > 0:52:07Roger that.
0:52:12 > 0:52:18Look at this. It's like a ghost town in here.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22- Hello, sir. How are you doing?- Good.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25- Where're you off to?- 4102 please.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27OK.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34Are you used to these conditions, sir?
0:52:34 > 0:52:38Well, this is going to be the first major one that I've had this year.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43Can't see anything, can you?
0:52:43 > 0:52:46You lose where you are, don't you, where the snow's blowing across?
0:52:46 > 0:52:49Is this your first time in a blizzard, driving?
0:52:49 > 0:52:50Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53You really don't want to hear that, do you?
0:52:53 > 0:52:56- When you're sitting in the back! - No, I'm OK, I'm OK.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58The best thing to do is if you can find a car ahead of you
0:52:58 > 0:53:01just follow the lights so you don't go in the ditch.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05Whoa.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07Yeah, you want to watch out for those.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10- Jesus!- Just go in low gear.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16- This is mental. - That's OK. Now go a bit slower here.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Again, it gets iced up on this stretch.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25OK. Nice talking to you, yeah? Take care.
0:53:25 > 0:53:26All the best.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29The temperature is minus 32 and plummeting,
0:53:29 > 0:53:32and a gale force wind is brewing.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36Conditions are treacherous.
0:53:36 > 0:53:4170 mile an hour winds, dense, blowing snow, and a deadly white-out.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46I would not like to be outside now.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50This is a proper blizzard.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55But Mason's determined to get his passengers home.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02WHEELS SCREECH Whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:54:02 > 0:54:04Just losing control of this vehicle!
0:54:16 > 0:54:18Hello there. How are you doing?
0:54:18 > 0:54:20Pretty good. How about you?
0:54:20 > 0:54:21Not too bad. Surviving.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23- Where're you off to, sir?- 1011.
0:54:23 > 0:54:261011? This weather's crazy, eh?
0:54:28 > 0:54:31- This is difficult driving conditions.- Yeah.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34Sometimes it gets a little dangerous,
0:54:34 > 0:54:37like some small pieces of houses will go flying.
0:54:37 > 0:54:41Yeah. That's what you've got to worry about, flying debris, right?
0:54:43 > 0:54:46- See you, mate.- See you.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50If conditions get too dangerous,
0:54:50 > 0:54:53Craig will pull his drivers off the road.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56It won't be long now until we shut down.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00The winds are getting stronger, drivers are getting more nervous.
0:55:00 > 0:55:01Everything is shut down.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07- Hi.- Hi. Boarding home.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09- Boarding Home?- Boarding home.- OK.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15- Blizzard now, eh?- Scary, eh?
0:55:17 > 0:55:19- Yes. There was a car off the road.- Was there?
0:55:19 > 0:55:22- Yeah.- Where? Along here?- Yes, over there.
0:55:25 > 0:55:30Yeah! Whoo! We're sliding into town.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35There you go. OK?
0:55:35 > 0:55:41THEY SPEAK IN NATIVE TONGUE
0:55:41 > 0:55:43OK, thanks. Bye.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46- Take care, darling. Look after yourself.- Yeah, thanks a lot.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55I've been in the middle of a tornado.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01Mason McQueen has survived a ferocious Arctic storm.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08And got all his passengers home safely.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11I feel exhausted for the concentration level.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15One minute you're going along and you can see to 25, 30 yards,
0:56:15 > 0:56:16and then it just disappears.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19You're, like, in a blanket. It's crazy.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21It's mental.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28Oh, Craig. Oh, dear.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31I am glad to be back here, mate.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34I'm just glad to be back in one piece, I really am.
0:56:34 > 0:56:36That was the worst conditions I've ever drove in.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38Really tough.
0:56:38 > 0:56:41So that's it, man. We're all but done. Easy does it.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44- All right.- All right, see you later. - Bye now.
0:56:49 > 0:56:53After ten days driving on the streets of this unique Arctic city,
0:56:53 > 0:56:56it's time for Mason to go home.
0:56:56 > 0:57:00The lives of the Inuit today have changed a hell of a lot.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04They're struggling to cope
0:57:04 > 0:57:07with how quick it is all changing up here, you know?
0:57:07 > 0:57:09They had a very simple sort of life before
0:57:09 > 0:57:14compared to how they are now, cap in hand.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17They've lost their independence.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24Some have adapted better than others in this modern world.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31I just feel that they have got a vulnerability to 'em.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35It's a very fragile community, it really is.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39Mason has one last farewell.
0:57:40 > 0:57:42- Craig!- Mason!
0:57:42 > 0:57:44- How are you? - I'm good, brother. You?
0:57:44 > 0:57:46- Yeah, good, fella. - Good, good, good.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48- Keys, mate.- Thank you very much.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52So, what do you think of the place?
0:57:52 > 0:57:56I think it's a little city with big city problems.
0:57:56 > 0:57:59It'd be interesting to come back here in a while
0:57:59 > 0:58:01and see how things turn out.
0:58:01 > 0:58:02But it's a great place.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05Good people, good people.
0:58:05 > 0:58:07Well, if you ever decide to come back,
0:58:07 > 0:58:10we'll have a car waiting for you.
0:58:10 > 0:58:11It's got to be car 20!
0:58:14 > 0:58:16We can arrange that, I'm sure.
0:58:16 > 0:58:18Cheers, mate.
0:58:18 > 0:58:21- Thanks for everything, yeah? - My pleasure.
0:58:21 > 0:58:24You take care. See you, Craig.
0:58:24 > 0:58:28Next time, Mason is heading off to the tropical paradise of Fiji.
0:58:30 > 0:58:31London? Where's that?
0:58:31 > 0:58:35He'll discover a city where taxi drivers struggle to survive.
0:58:35 > 0:58:39Very lucky. You need it here, I tell you.
0:58:39 > 0:58:41A people living under military rule.
0:58:41 > 0:58:43And he'll realise that paradise
0:58:43 > 0:58:46isn't always what it's cracked up to be.
0:58:46 > 0:58:50It ain't what you see on the postcards then.
0:58:50 > 0:58:53This is the other side of Fiji.