INTERVIEW: ‘Ice Lake Rebels’ finds Canadians living way off the grid

To see Great Slave Lake on a map, it’s probably best to crane one’s neck to the tippy top where all sensible human habitation seems improbable. Head past the recognizable Canadian cities of Vancouver and Calgary. Heck, even Edmonton looks like the Caribbean compared to Great Slave Lake. Tucked away in the Northwest Territories, east of the Yukon and home to Yellowknife, sits this massive lake and a motley crew of residents who live off the grid with little government intervention. The taxes and legal system are far away; this is frontier land, a place where January highs hover at -7 and January lows dip to -23.

Amid the icy waters of Great Slave Lake, subject of Animal Planet’s new series Ice Lake Rebels, lives Stephan Hervieux and Allyce Rattray, fiancees with a calling for the cold. In the recent season premiere, the couple had problems with their houseboat, while the show’s other characters hunt for moose and battle treacherous storms.

This is living off the land.

Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Hervieux and Rattray about their unusual life. Answers have been slightly edited for style.

Why did you move to Great Slave Lake? What was the reason for going “off the grid”?

Allyce: I moved onto Great Slave Lake when I met Steph. I loved the houseboat the first time I set foot on it. It was never a question of can I live out there or what would I miss from town but more of a question of when. I grew up in Yellowknjfe looking at the houseboats but never considered living on one until I met Steph; now I can’t imagine going back to land. Growing up we had a cabin that had a propane stove, outhouse and no running water that we went to every single weekend of the year. We canoed in the summer, skiied in the winter and a little of both in break-up and freeze-up. That introduction when I was young has probably saved my life at least a few times now that I live on the lake.

Steph: I realized very young that the world was living in excess when so many others have nothing. That people take so much for granted and appreciate so little, so I’ve always wanted to find a more natural, minimal and more gratifying way of living. I saw a houseboat when I was 8 years old and wanted to live on one year round and was told that it was impossible … until I moved to Yellowknife. There was one for rent in August 2008, and I fell in love with the lifestyle, the challenges and the honest way of living, and I’ve never left.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your life on the lake?

Both: There are a gamut of challenges that we face. It’s the unpredictability, there is no season or period of time that absolutely everything runs smoothly. In the winter everything can break down or freeze. In freeze-up and break-up, the conditions change so quickly you have no way of knowing what you will wake up to or return to after an hour in town. In summer, the winds can pick up at a moment’s notice, and you might not be able to get home at all.

The wildlife in this remote region must be unique. Have you had many wildlife encounters?

Both: There’s tons of wildlife around all the time. In the spring there’s a rejuvenation as all the songbirds, ducks and eagles come back and bring life in to the area. In the summer it’s great as we always have baby ducks on the island behind the house, and we also have beavers and otters swimming through. One summer we had muskrats living in the bathroom wall; we had to live trap and relocate them. In the winter the bigger animals come close on the ice. There’s always the threat of wolves and coyotes. Walking Dora (our dog) in the dark because the sun isn’t up for more than three to four hours a day hearing howling all around is pretty scary.

How is the “community” on the lake? Do you all get along?

Both: That’s the same as asking anyone if they get along with everyone in their neighbourhood. I’m sure the answer is no. The difference is here, living off the grid, we are a community that must stick together and look out for each other. It’s a matter of survival and pettiness has no home here in the bay. There are of course issues; with no rules, rivalries can start pretty easily. You can go to bed one night in your own corner of the bay and wake up the next morning with a neighbour 10 feet off your deck. No one likes it, but there’s nothing you can do about it, as long as your anchor lines are clear anyone can move in next door.

Are there ever times when you miss having more people around?

Allyce: I love the freedom and peace and quiet on the lake so I never want more people around.

Steph: I’m a social guy and I’ve always loved people. I’ve always tried to surround myself with good, honest people, and living here is exactly what I was looking for: peace, happiness and a sense of purpose.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Ice Lake Rebels airs on Animal Planet Sundays at 10 p.m. Click here for more information.