a marine subsistence economy." Ennadai Lake relocations 1950–1960s In the late 1960s a famine swept the land. Inuit were forced to walk towards places like Arviat to escape the desperation. Survivors who couldn't walk were airlifted to Whale Cove, Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet. Demographics In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Whale Cove had a population of 470 living in 116 of its 128 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 435. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Self-government In 1973, the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (now Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami) initiated the Inuit Land Use and Occupancy Project and anthropologist David Hoffman conducted fieldwork in Whale Cove as part of a team of experts contributing to this project. The project under Milton Freeman, documented the total Inuit land use area of the Northwest Territories, then stretching from the Mackenzie River to east Baffin Island, to provide information in support of the fact that Inuit have used and occupied this vast northern land since time immemorial and that they still use and occupy it to this day. Economic development Whale Cove companies and organizations, community and government services, the Kivalliq Inuit Association, Issatik Co-op, Nunavut Arctic College, Calm Air, Nolinor Aviation, Service Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Sakku Development Corp., Nunavut Development Corp, Agnico Eagle, The North West Company, Kivalliq Partners in Development and ED&T. made presentations at the first Economic Development Day held at the Inuglak School gymnasium, in Whale Cove on 20 September 2011. According to the Nunavut Planning Commission Whale Cove region's potential non-renewable resources include: "gold, diamonds, uranium, base metals, and nickel-copper platinum group elements (PGEs)". Broadband communications The community has been served by the Qiniq network since 2005. Qiniq is a fixed wireless service to homes and businesses, connecting to the outside world via a satellite backbone. The Qiniq network is designed and operated by SSi Canada. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice. In September 2019, Bell Mobility established a data tower and provides high-speed mobile and internet connectivity within the community. Telus users will also receive coverage due to the Bell/TELUS cellular partnership. Climate Whale Cove features a cold tundra climate (“ET”), a polar climate sub-type under the Köppen climate classification; unlike most of southern Nunavut (most of which is