A part of a continuing effort to bolster Arctic sovereignty, the federal government announced it will invest in 26 new research and development projects that include improvements to the port of Churchill.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the announcement Friday in Churchill, Man., a tiny community nestled on Hudson Bay.
He reiterated the government's commitment to Arctic sovereignty and stressed that the projects are another facet of Canada's ownership of the region.
"Scientific inquiry and development are absolutely essential to Canada's defence of its North, as they enhance our knowledge of, and presence in, the region," Harper said.
"Like I've said so many times before, use it or lose it is the first principle of sovereignty."
New research initiatives include:
- Studies on how polar bears, seals, and whales are adapting to climate change;
- Research into the level and origin of toxic chemicals in the Arctic air;
- Studies about changes to the Canadian cryosphere -- the snow, glaciers, ice caps, and lake, river, and sea ice found in the region.
Harper also said the federal government has partnered with the government of Manitoba to share the $40 million cost of upgrading the rail line running north to Churchill from The Pas, Man. The $8 million cost of port improvements will also be split.
The list of projects selected by the government is part of its $150 million commitment to the International Polar Year (IPY), which began in September.
An additional 43 Canadian projects are already underway in the worldwide program that will see some 50,000 scientists from 63 counties conduct and share research during the next two years.
"A strong and sovereign Arctic must be a healthy and prosperous Arctic. In the weeks and months that lie ahead, our government will continue to introduce measures aimed at unleashing the North's true potential," Harper said.
The IPY takes place every 50 years with the first conducted from 1882 to 1883. The first IPY saw scientists from 11 countries establish research stations around the Arctic, which provided the foundation for much of the polar science knowledge we have today.
The largest of Canada's projects is being led by Dr. David Barber from the University of Manitoba, who is conducting a study called the Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) System Study.
The project includes 200 scientists from around the world studying the "flaw lead" system, a circumpolar phenomenon created when the central Arctic ice pack moves away from coastal ice, leaving areas of open water.
The polar year is being sponsored by the UN's World Meteorological Organization and the International Council for Science. About $1.5 billion has been earmarked for the year's projects by various national exploration agencies.
