Bryan Robin Pearson was born in 1934 in England. He moved to Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit) in 1956 to work as a dishwasher for a catering company on contract with the DEW Line. His testimony, which relates to most Qikiqtani communities, includes information about many aspects of the development of Frobisher Bay. He has been involved in the public sphere at the local and the territorial level over the years. He describes: the operations of the Apex Rehabilitation Center; the military presence and its interaction with the Inuit; the role of the RCMP officer; dog control in the community, including discussions at the community council; the introduction of alcohol and the liquor store; the conditions of health evacuations by boat; the set up of the first community council; various plans for the city’s infrastructure; the introduction of communication devices (radio, phone lines) and water delivery; the creation of the high school with its unique architecture and recreational infrastructure; early Inuit-owned companies; the various types of houses that were built by or for the Inuit; the introduction of ski-doos; the introduction of politics and democracy to the Inuit, including communication problems which were due to poor interpretation services and a lack of media coverage of NWT legislature for the Inuit; the creation of an interpreter core to accompany the NWT Commissioner; the early days of the Toonik Tyme festival; the creation of the first store in Frobisher Bay; residential school compensation, and; medical care provided by McGill University to the Inuit for 30 years.
