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Iqaluit Launches First Bus Service in Canadian Arctic

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Jacinto Marques left Angola for Canada's frozen edge, settling in Iqaluit, the largest and only city in Canada's Arctic. Now he is pioneering the territory's first bus line, a milestone for a community long reliant on taxis, snowmobiles, and foot traffic. The service, launched after years of planning, aims to connect neighborhoods across the sprawling, subzero capital of Nunavut.

Residents, many of whom are Inuit, have welcomed the scheduled routes as a lifeline during brutal winters when temperatures plunge below -30°C. Marques, an immigrant entrepreneur, navigated bureaucratic hurdles and extreme logistics to deploy a small fleet of heated buses equipped for icy roads. Officials say the system could reduce isolation, lower transportation costs, and support economic growth in a region where infrastructure gaps are profound.

As climate change thaws permafrost and reshapes northern life, reliable transit becomes critical. The bus line symbolizes adaptation and ambition at the top of the world.