Cooperatives

Kangirsuk, a community of 500 people and located 2000 km north of Montreal, is on the north shore of the Payne River near the Ungava Bay. Also known as Payne Bay, Kangirsuk means "the bay" in Inuktitut.

There are numerous lakes and rivers around Kangirsuk, and the strong tides of the Payne River draw anglers from all over.

Révillon Frères, a French fur trading company, set up a trading post near the present-day community of Kangirsuk in 1921. The Hudson Bay Company also set up a trading post in 1925. In 1959, a school was opened and as Inuit settled in, social, health and housing services followed in the 1960s.

The Payne Bay Cooperative Association was incorporated in 1961 and was one of the five founding members of the Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec. This cooperative operates a store, hotel, fishing camps, cable TV and petroleum distribution services.

Activities

Retail sales

Store: 819-935-4382

Distribution of petroleum products

Hotel service industry

Hotel: 866-336-2667

Cable television

Adventure tourism

Inuit Adventures: 855-657-3319

Outfitter

Arctic Adventures: 800-465-9474

Attractions

Payne River: renowned for its high tides and excellent mussel harvesting.

Nearby numerous lakes and rivers: abundance of arctic char and lake trout.

Wildlife observation: beluga, seal, caribou and many bird species.

Archaeological sites: not far from the village on Pamiok Island is the stone foundation of a long-house which some archaeologists believe to be vestiges of Vikings, presumed to have sojourned in the area in the 11th century.