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The Nutrition North Canada (NNC) program, introduced in April 2011 is a federal strategy to improve access to perishable, nutritious foods for remote and isolated communities in northern Canada by subsidising retailers to provide price reductions at the point of purchase. As of March 2023, 123 communities are eligible for the program. To evaluate existing evidence and research on the NNC program to inform policy decisions to improve the effectiveness of NNC. A scoping review of peer-reviewed articles was conducted in ten databases along with a supplemental grey literature search of government and non-government reports published between 2011 and 2022. The search yielded 172 publications for screening, of which 42 were included in the analysis. Narrative thematic evidence synthesis yielded 104 critiques and 341 recommendations of the NNC program across eight themes. The most-identified recommendations focus on transparency, communication, and support for harvesting, hunting, and community food initiatives. This review highlights recommendations informed by the literature to address critiques of the NNC program to improve food security, increase access to perishable and non-perishable items, and support community-based food initiatives among eligible communities. The review also identifies priority areas for future policy directions such as additional support for education initiatives, communication and transparency amidst program changes, and food price regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognizing that limited literature exists regarding food programs in northern Indigenous communities within Canada, this study draws on a range of sources to map and characterize existing food programs in these contexts. A secondary aim assessed the extent to which traditional food was offered through the identified programs, which has implications for cultural appropriateness and, in turn, food sovereignty. Peer‐reviewed articles and grey literature published between 2000 and 2022 were examined. Frameworks to guide methodologies include PRISMA‐ScR, Arksey and O'Malley, Levac et al., and Godin et al.'s grey literature search strategy. Inclusion criteria were food programs located north of the Northern Boundary Line, programs providing food access, and programs serving Indigenous communities. Data were synthesized based on program type, target population, and whether the program offered or incorporated traditional food. The review yielded 30 records wherein 46 unique food programs were identified and characterized into eight distinct program types. Program success of the identified programs depended on funding availability and continuity, staff/volunteer availability and retention (including program champions), and types of policies that impact traditional food provision. Findings are valuable to organizations and communities interested in using food programs to support Indigenous food security and sovereignty efforts. Key messages: The results identified eight distinct types of food programs: 1) community‐wide; 2) gardens/greenhouses; 3) school‐based; 4) harvesting/sharing; 5) community freezers; 6) daycare‐based; 7) maternal/family nutrition; and 8) hospital.The ability of programs that serve diverse populations across large regions to respond to community and Indigenous‐specific needs is questionable; therefore, community‐based programming should be prioritized.Current challenges that limit the ability of food programs to meet community needs include tedious grant applications, limited resources, and navigating multi‐level government policies for serving traditional food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTThe Nutrition North Canada (NNC) program, introduced in April 2011 is a federal strategy to improve access to perishable, nutritious foods for remote and isolated communities in northern Canada by subsidising retailers to provide price reductions at the point of purchase. As of March 2023, 123 communities are eligible for the program. To evaluate existing evidence and research on the NNC program to inform policy decisions to improve the effectiveness of NNC. A scoping review of peer-reviewed articles was conducted in ten databases along with a supplemental grey literature search of government and non-government reports published between 2011 and 2022. The search yielded 172 publications for screening, of which 42 were included in the analysis. Narrative thematic evidence synthesis yielded 104 critiques and 341 recommendations of the NNC program across eight themes. The most-identified recommendations focus on transparency, communication, and support for harvesting, hunting, and community food initiatives. This review highlights recommendations informed by the literature to address critiques of the NNC program to improve food security, increase access to perishable and non-perishable items, and support community-based food initiatives among eligible communities. The review also identifies priority areas for future policy directions such as additional support for education initiatives, communication and transparency amidst program changes, and food price regulations.

Indigenous people in northern Canada have relied on sustained and safe access to traditional foods for millennia. Today, however, they experience higher rates of food insecurity than non-Indigenous people or Indigenous people living in urban settings. Changing socioeconomic and environmental conditions in the Canadian north have altered traditional food acquisition and consumption patterns, with implications for health and wellbeing, and cultural continuity. To assess the breadth and depth of scholarship on the sociocultural role of traditional foods in northern Indigenous food security, we conducted a scoping review of online peer-reviewed articles. The 22 articles selected and screened for comprehensive review affirmed that traditional foods remain vital and central to food security for northern Indigenous populations. However, our review brings to light a recurring tendency in these studies to disregard or inadequately consider the complex sociocultural dimensions of traditional foods, such as the critical role of food processing, cooking, and sharing in supporting Indigenous food security. To address this gap and ensure food security is aligned with Indigenous-defined needs and priorities, community-led research is needed, grounded in Indigenous knowledge that promotes access to traditional foods and affirms Indigenous food sovereignty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital literacy research and practice typically presume certain conditions, such as an urban orientation and adequate, affordable access to connectivity and devices. But these conditions are not universal; for example, people in small, rural/remote Indigenous communities may seek to balance connectivity challenges and digital innovations with land-based living specific to place and community. Drawing on efforts to broaden critical digital literacies to support Indigenous sovereignty, we consider how overlapping contexts of places, communities, and infrastructures intersect in the cocreation of appropriate digital literacy. Specifically, we discuss a series of virtually facilitated, participatory workshops that utilize "hacker literacies" and "infrastructure literacy" to reimagine connectivity infrastructure and demonstrate the potential of community networking in, with, and by rural/remote Indigenous communities. We also reflect on limitations of this work and identify lessons for future projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food insecurity increased in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic; in the Yukon Territory, the Whitehorse Food Bank saw its scope increase sig­nificantly as smaller Yukon communities were requesting deliveries of food while travel restrictions were in place. In this qualitative study, the researchers conducted semi-structured inter­views with food bank clients in Whitehorse and two smaller Yukon communities, as well as repre­sentatives of other organizations that were involved in community food security initiatives. The results revealed five main themes emerging from shared client experiences and impacts from the pandemic: emphasis on the hamper as core food on an ongoing basis, the importance of tradi­tional foods, food insecurity and access, the role of the Whitehorse Food Bank in supporting informal networks in communities, and ideal food situations that focused on an abundance of fresh and land-based foods. The results show some contrast between needs in Whitehorse and needs in smaller, more remote Yukon communities. Because of lim­ited access to fresh foods in communities outside of Whitehorse, merely increasing income supports would not completely alleviate food insecurity for these participants, who they lack physical access as well as economic access to fresh, preferred foods.

Food insecurity increased in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic; in the Yukon Territory, the Whitehorse Food Bank saw its scope increase significantly as smaller Yukon communities were requesting deliveries of food while travel restrictions were in place. In this qualitative study, the researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with food bank clients in Whitehorse and two smaller Yukon communities, as well as representatives of other organizations that were involved in community food security initiatives. The results revealed five main themes emerging from shared client experiences and impacts from the pandemic: emphasis on the hamper as core food on an ongoing basis, the importance of traditional foods, food insecurity and access, the role of the Whitehorse Food Bank in supporting informal networks in communities, and ideal food situations that focused on an abundance of fresh and landbased foods. The results show some contrast between needs in Whitehorse and needs in smaller, more remote Yukon communities. Because of limited access to fresh foods in communities outside of Whitehorse, merely increasing income supports would not completely alleviate food insecurity for these participants, who they lack physical access as well as economic access to fresh, preferred foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous people in northern Canada have relied on sustained and safe access to traditional foods for millennia. Today, however, they experience higher rates of food insecurity than non-Indigenous people or Indigenous people living in urban settings. Changing socioeconomic and environmental conditions in the Canadian north have altered traditional food acquisition and consumption patterns, with implications for health and wellbeing, and cultural continuity. To assess the breadth and depth of scholarship on the sociocultural role of traditional foods in northern Indigenous food security, we conducted a scoping review of online peer-reviewed articles. The 22 articles selected and screened for comprehensive review affirmed that traditional foods remain vital and central to food security for northern Indigenous populations. However, our review brings to light a recurring tendency in these studies to disregard or inadequately consider the complex sociocultural dimensions of traditional foods, such as the critical role of food processing, cooking, and sharing in supporting Indigenous food security. To address this gap and ensure food security is aligned with Indigenous-defined needs and priorities, community-led research is needed, grounded in Indigenous knowledge that promotes access to traditional foods and affirms Indigenous food sovereignty.

Background: Policies for developing broadband in rural and remote regions typically focus on infrastructure funding. This article postulates that funding may be necessary but is often not suffcient to install and operate sustainable broadband services in these areas. Analysis: This article analyzes issues raised in recent Canadian regulatory proceedings concerning broadband deployment and evidence submitted by Indigenous and community broadband providers that serve rural and remote regions in the Canadian North. Conclusions and implications: Several suggestions are provided to improve policies designed to extend reliable and affordable broadband and to facilitate the provision of services by small and Indigenous providers. These include reconsideration of northern jurisdictions to harmonize regulations, a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission offce dedicated to Indigenous issues, requirements for Indigenous consultation and training and hiring of residents, and procedures to expedite installation and procurement for Indigenous networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No existing remoteness index can be considered to be truly universal. Remoteness has been defined in many different ways by scholars from a variety of areas of study, and indices that measure remoteness are vital in guiding policy decisions in remote regions. However, index methodologies vary greatly from one another by the input variables included, how the index is constructed using these variables, and thus ultimately, their results. This paper compiles the scores of three well-known remoteness indices for each of 32 localities in Canada's Northwest Territories. We compare these scores using statistical tests, use k-means clustering to outline new remoteness categories, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of each index. We find that the choice of input variables ultimately determines how remoteness is defined and that different indices should be used to different ends based on this choice. Our findings can guide researchers and policymakers in choosing the most appropriate method to measure remoteness based on objective factors or designing a remoteness index, while also exploring how remoteness can be defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disturbed low-Arctic environments provide many challenges for ecological restoration, from harsh climates and remote locations to limited knowledge on plant establishment and successional pathways within tundra ecosystems. Due to limited commercially available materials for restoration of native low-Arctic plant communities, transplantation may provide an effective technique for revegetation in these difficult-to-restore environments. In this study, whole-turfs and shredded turfs were harvested from undisturbed upland-heath tundra near Rankin Inlet, Canada, and transplanted onto nearby disturbed gravel quarries to investigate species survivability and development of upland-heath vegetative communities. Two years following transplantation, turfs were found to maintain 85% of the initial vegetative cover and 91% of the initial species richness, with expansion up to 8 cm into the surrounding substrate, and production of seeds and spores. Although shredded turfs were unable to significantly establish vascular species, evidence suggests a shredded turf may establish non-vascular plant cover over a larger area than intact turfs, if given greater protection from environmental stressors. Our results demonstrate that whole-turfs are resistant to harvesting and transplantation stresses, flooding, drought, and poor soil conditions, and are an effective means of species transfer promoting development of vegetative cover on disturbed substrates. High species survivability indicates that turfs have the potential to provide disturbed areas with a wide array of native species, critical for the development of sustainable and self-organizing assemblages of native vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited research has evaluated sexual health promotion projects with adolescents living in Arctic regions. The study objective was to examine changes in STI knowledge and safer sex efficacy among youth in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada who participated in arts-based sexual health workshops. We used a pre/post-test design with a convenience sample of students aged 13–18 years recruited from 17 NWT communities. We conducted summary statistics and comparisons between pre and post-test scores using paired t-tests. Among participants (n = 610), we found statistically significant increases in STI knowledge overall (mean difference = 3.9; p < 0.001) and across gender and age stratifications. There were statistically significant increases in safer sex efficacy overall (mean difference = 0.9, p < 0.001), across genders, and among participants: aged <15 years, in rural communities, reporting food insecurity, reporting dating violence, and Indigenous youth. No statistically significant differences in safer sex efficacy were observed among participants who were aged ≥15, sexually active, reporting consistent condom use, and using drugs/alcohol. Findings signal the promise of youth-targeted, arts-based sexual health workshops for improving STI knowledge and safer sex efficacy among adolescents in the NWT. Further research can explore how safer sex efficacy may be shaped by age, substance use, and sexual experience to inform tailored interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although mine closures are an inherent feature of extractive industry, they tend to receive less attention in the literature on deindustrialization than the closures of manufacturing and other heavy industries. Until recently, the settler-colonial context of hinterland mineral development and its impact on northern Indigenous lands and communities in Canada have also remained largely unexplored within this literature. Mineral development is historically associated with the introduction of a colonial-capitalist industrial modernity across Canada's northern regions. Yet the boom-and-bust nature and ultimate ephemerality of mineral development has meant that resource-extractive regions have also been subject to intensive "cyclonic" periods of closure and deindustrialization. This article examines the experience of deindustrialization on the part of the Inuit community of Arctic Bay, who were largely "left behind" by the closure of Nanisivik, Canada's first High Arctic mine. Through documentary sources and oral history interviews we illustrate how, for Arctic Bay Inuit who were engaged in the cyclonic economies of Nanisivik's development and closure, there were myriad dimensions of social loss, displacement, and resentment associated with the failure of this industrial enterprise to deliver promised benefits to Inuit, beyond more commonly understood socioeconomic impacts such as job loss. Bien que les fermetures de mines soient une caractéristique inhérente de l'industrie extractive, elles ont tendance à recevoir moins d'attention dans la documentation sur la désindustrialisation que les fermetures d'industries manufacturières et d'autres industries lourdes. Jusqu'à récemment, le contexte colonial de l'exploitation minière de l'arrièrepays et son impact sur les terres et les communautés autochtones du nord du Canada sont également restés largement inexplorés dans cette documentation. Le développement minier est historiquement associé à l'introduction d'une modernité industrielle capitaliste coloniale dans les régions du nord du Canada. Pourtant, la nature en dents de scie et l'éphémère ultime du développement minier ont fait que les régions d'extraction de ressources ont également été soumises à des périodes « cycloniques » intensives de fermeture et de désindustrialisation. Cet article examine l'expérience de désindustrialisation de la communauté inuite d'Arctic Bay, largement « laissée pour compte » par la fermeture de Nanisivik, la première mine canadienne dans l'Extrême-Arctique. Grâce à des sources documentaires et à des entrevues d'histoire orale, nous illustrons comment, pour les Inuits d'Arctic Bay qui étaient engagés dans les économies cycloniques du développement et de la fermeture de Nanisivik, il y avait une myriade de dimensions de perte sociale, de déplacement et de ressentiment associés à l'échec de cette entreprise industrielle à livrer les avantages promis aux Inuits, au-delà des répercussions socioéconomiques mieux comprises comme la perte d'emploi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An examination of research in northern Canada and its ties to extractive, colonial practices has been highlighted in recent years, alongside heightened expectations for community- and Nation-engaged practises. Here, we explore the diverse ways that northern-focused early career researchers (ECRs), from a range of faculties, life experiences, and disciplines, engage with the communities and Indigenous Nations they work in and, more broadly, the knowledge they have gained from conducting research in the North. Scholars in the fields of education, anthropology, and renewable resources from the University of Alberta share their experiences to discuss 1) approaches to meaningfully and respectfully engaging with communities and Nations in the North; 2) knowledge translation and mutual capacity building; and 3) responsibilities and accountabilities for engaging with communities and Nations. We find resonance with the Five R’s of research—relevance, reciprocity, respect, responsibility, and relationship—that help ensure Western-derived knowledge benefits the communities and Nations that ECRs work alongside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yukon’s experience with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been an interesting one; the territory successfully implemented travel restrictions to limit importing the virus and rolled out vaccines quickly compared to most Canadian jurisdictions. However, the Yukon’s first wave of COVID-19 in June and July 2021 overwhelmed the healthcare system due to widespread transmission in unvaccinated children, youth and adults, despite high vaccination uptake overall and mandatory masking. This experience highlights the importance of continued support for public vaccination programs, widespread vaccine uptake in paediatric populations, and the judicious relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions in all Canadian jurisdictions as they reopen while more contagious variants emerge.

The impact of climate change on soil temperatures at Kuujjuaq, Quebec in northern Canada is assessed. First, long-term historical soil temperature records (1967–1995) are statistically analyzed to provide a climatological baseline for soils at 5 to 150 cm depths. Next, the nature of the relationship between atmospheric variables and soil temperature are determined using a statistical downscaling model (SDSM) and National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), a climatological data set. SDSM was found to replicate historic soil temperatures well and used to project soil temperatures for the remainder of the century using climate model output Canadian Second Generation Earth System Model (CanESM2). Three Representative Concentration Pathway scenarios (RCP 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5) were used from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). This study found that the soil temperature at this location may warm at 0.9 to 1.2 °C per decade at various depths. Annual soil temperatures at all depths are projected to rise to above 0 °C for the 1997–2026 period for all climate scenarios. The melting soil poses a hazard to the airport infrastructure and will require adaptation measures.

Lyme disease has been documented in northern areas of Canada, but the source of the etiological bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) has been in doubt. We collected 87 ticks from 44 songbirds during 2017, and 24 (39%) of 62 nymphs of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, were positive for Bbsl. We provide the first report of Bbsl-infected, songbird-transported I. scapularis in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Newfoundland and Labrador; north-central Manitoba, and Alberta. Notably, we report the northernmost account of Bbsl-infected ticks parasitizing a bird in Canada. DNA extraction, PCR amplification, and DNA sequencing reveal that these Bbsl amplicons belong to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (Bbss), which is pathogenic to humans. Based on our findings, health-care providers should be aware that migratory songbirds widely disperse B. burgdorferi-infected I. scapularis in Canada's North, and local residents do not have to visit an endemic area to contract Lyme disease.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, access to adequate, affordable, reliable broadband has become essential to many aspects of modern life. However, while urban centers in Canada already benefit from high-speed broadband services, many rural/remote and Northern communities face increasingly concentrated spaces of exclusion associated with digital divides. Inequalities in broadband services in Northern Canada have long been recognized by the federal government, which has initiated policies, regulations and funding programs to support the deployment of better connectivity infrastructure and services. Historically, many of these initiatives reflect a top-down approach that fails to consider the diversity of the communities and regions they are designed to support. Here, we focus on a case study of a policy consultation held by the national telecommunications regulator in an effort to learn current issues and challenges in the North. Consistent with existing research, our findings revealed that the most frequently reported challenges are the high cost of access, slow speeds, and limited competition. We also point out fewer submissions from smaller rural communities and argue that policymakers and researchers should pay closer attention to place-based challenges identified in different types of communities, and adopt more precise engagement tools and processes to encourage input from community members. • Long-standing digital inequalities persist in many rural/remote areas in Canada. • The telecommunications regulator launched a public consultation in North Canada. • We investigated the prevalence and focus of submissions from Northern residents. • There are distinctions between submissions from urban and rural communities. • More tailored policies can help reduce the social exclusion of rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impact assessment (IA) involves complex interactions among societal actors with diverse knowledge systems and worldviews (ontological pluralism) that ideally combine to both define and support societal goals, such as sustainable development. An often acknowledged but rarely explored concept in these efforts is research capacity — the ability of a group to engage, produce, maintain and use knowledge — and associated implications for pluralistic process outcomes. This paper presents an embedded case study of the IA policy network in the Yukon Territory, Canada, to explore the various roles of research capacity in a well-established IA process where Indigenous and public representation are guaranteed, as is financial support for boundary spanning and knowledge brokering roles to support pluralism. Using Rapid Policy Network Mapping, we examine the formal and informal connections amongst IA policy actors and identify sources and flows of knowledge throughout the network. Results indicate that while research capacity is critical to well-functioning IA processes in the Yukon Territory, the ability of the IA policy network to source, disseminate and engage new knowledge is limited. Important boundary spanning 'choke points' can act as both facilitators and barriers, based on the capacity of the knowledge brokers occupying these spaces. The findings inform policy efforts to ensure inclusion and advance pluralism in IA processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article traces the historical and evolving development of "critical northern geography"-paying attention to questions of Indigeneity, research ethics, and the practice of northern geographical fieldwork from within the settler colonial context of Canada. We share our reflections on the current state of the field and its future directions by weaving together contributions from scholarly literature, and creative texts, among other sources. Critical northern geography offers a theoretical framework and research praxis shaped by feminist, anti-colonial, anti-racist and critical Indigenous scholarship, and is driven by a belief that scholarly inquiry and practice can be tools for social justice. We argue that the COVID-19 pandemic has reframed understandings of research harm and practices of care for study communities. COVID-19 thus amplifies existing imperatives to move towards the use of critical research methodologies grounded in social justice frameworks, such as critical northern geography, as a means of nurturing more respectful research relationships. To this end, critical northern geography can help shape the questions we are asking as researchers and can contribute to the ever-evolving development of anticolonial, anti-racist and non-extractive research relationships in the North. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corridor concept aims at reducing the costs, duplication, and delays associated with the construction of transportation and ancillary infrastructure. These include diversification of export markets, supporting indigenous and northern development, expanding interregional and international trade, enhancing northern security and relieving bottlenecks and constraints to the existing transportation infrastructure grid. In support of the Canadian Northern Corridor research agenda, the purpose of this study is to compile a review and evaluation of the constraints impairing the Canadian transport infrastructure grid. It identifies and evaluates the existing and expected bottlenecks and constraints in terminals (ports and airports), connectors (road, rail, and pipelines), and ancillary infrastructure (power transmission and telecommunications). It also outlines the opportunities and constraints for infrastructure development in a potential corridor.

Residents of northern Canada experience high rates of water, energy, and food (WEF) insecurity relative to the national average. Historically, WEF systems have been treated independently with little policy or institutional coordination occurring between sectors. This paper presents the results of a WEF nexus analysis for northern Canada. We assess the positive and negative interactions between the WEF sectors that could facilitate or impede the attainment of WEF- related sustainable development goals. Out of 210 pair-wise interactions, 87% were found to be synergistic of some magnitude, meaning that efforts to address insecurity in one WEF sector will have positive spillover effects toward the others. With synergies significantly outweighing trade-offs, opportunities exist to simultaneously address WEF insecurities through mutually beneficial actions that capitalize on and promote synergetic policies. Key words: water; energy; food; WEF nexus; sustainable development goals (SDGs); security; northern Canada Comparativement a la moyenne nationale, les habitants du Nord canadien connaissent des taux eleves d'insecurite en matiere d'eau, d'energie et d'alimentation (EEA). Par le passe, les reseaux d'EEA etaient traites de maniere independante, sans trop de coordination politique ou institutionnelle entre les divers secteurs. Cet article presente les resultats de l'analyse du nexus EEA dans le Nord canadien. Nous evaluons les interactions positives et negatives entre les secteurs de l'EEA susceptibles de favoriser l'atteinte d'objectifs de developpement durable en matiere d'EEA ou d'y nuire. Parmi les 210 interactions par paires, 87 % etaient considerees comme synergiques dans une certaine mesure, ce qui signifie que les efforts deployes pour contrer l'insecurite dans un secteur de l'EEA auront des retombees positives sur les autres. Puisque les synergies l'emportent considerablement sur les compromis, il serait possible de contrer simultanement les insecurites en matiere d'EEA par le biais d'actions mutuellement benefiques renforcant et favorisant les politiques synergiques. Mots cles : eau; energie; alimentation; nexus EEA; objectifs de developpement durable (ODD); securite; Nord canadien Traduit pour la revue Arctic par Nicole Giguere., INTRODUCTION In 2015, the United Nations introduced Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN, 2015). The 2030 Agenda was endorsed by the world's leaders to serve as [...]

Contaminant levels and trends have been monitored in the eggs of seabirds from the Canadian Arctic since 1975. Nearly 50 years of monitoring have provided key information regarding the temporal and spatial variation of various contaminant classes in different seabird species. However, previous work has primarily assessed individual or related contaminant classes in isolation. There is therefore a need to collectively consider all of the contaminants monitored in seabird eggs to determine where monitoring has been successful, to find areas for improvement, and to identify opportunities for future research. In this review, we evaluated monitoring data for the major legacy and emerging contaminants of concern in five seabird species from three High Arctic and three Low Arctic colonies in Canada. We review the history of Canada's Arctic seabird egg monitoring program and discuss how monitoring efforts have changed over time; we summarize temporal, spatial, and interspecies variations in Arctic seabird egg contamination and identify important knowledge gaps; and, we discuss future directions for ecotoxicology research using seabird eggs in Arctic Canada. Ultimately, this paper provides a high-level overview of the egg contaminant monitoring program and underscores the importance of long-term and continued seabird contaminant monitoring in Arctic Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barge transport operations on the Mackenzie River, a major transportation corridor in the Northwest Territories, are impacted by multiple sources of uncertainties. In particular, the impacts of climate change on this important corridor have led to summer shipping seasons that are growing more volatile in terms of length and quality. This change can lead to a growing reliance on costly airlifts for delivering essential freight that cannot be delivered by barge during seasons that end early due to low water. The Government of Northwest Territories has been planning the construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway (MVH) for decades to provide cheaper, more reliable transportation for communities. However, the costs of constructing the MVH are prohibitive, and traditional benefit-cost analyses are unable to consider flexible investment actions in response to uncertainties. Therefore, we apply a real options modeling framework to determine if and when to construct the different segments of the MVH, considering climate change and freight demand uncertainties. We first model climate and freight demand uncertainties as geometric Brownian motion processes. Next, a benefit-cost model is developed. Finally, we use the least-squares Monte Carlo method to solve for extended project values and optimal investment times for each segment. The results indicate that Segment 2 has the largest value with an optimal seven-year delay in investment time, followed by Segment 1, Segment 3, and Segment 4 in the last year of the planning period (or possibly beyond). Freight demand volatility appears to have the greatest impact on project values and investment years. The results show that, although the benefits of construction may not outweigh the costs now, they may at some future date; in between, decision makers have opportunities to change their minds as conditions change. This is particularly important in northern Canada, where highly costly infrastructure investment decisions are subject to massive uncertainties. Overall, we see such an approach as a tool to communicate the value of uncertainty in infrastructure benefit-cost analyses and as one tool in a larger decision-support toolbox that is required for major transportation investments in northern Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of climate change on soil temperatures at Kuujjuaq, Quebec in northern Canada is assessed. First, long-term historical soil temperature records (1967–1995) are statistically analyzed to provide a climatological baseline for soils at 5 to 150 cm depths. Next, the nature of the relationship between atmospheric variables and soil temperature are determined using a statistical downscaling model (SDSM) and National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), a climatological data set. SDSM was found to replicate historic soil temperatures well and used to project soil temperatures for the remainder of the century using climate model output Canadian Second Generation Earth System Model (CanESM2). Three Representative Concentration Pathway scenarios (RCP 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5) were used from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). This study found that the soil temperature at this location may warm at 0.9 to 1.2 °C per decade at various depths. Annual soil temperatures at all depths are projected to rise to above 0 °C for the 1997–2026 period for all climate scenarios. The melting soil poses a hazard to the airport infrastructure and will require adaptation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An understanding of the migratory connectivity between breeding and nonbreeding areas is fundamental to the management of long-distance migrants under pressure from habitat change along their flyways. Here we describe evidence for genetic structure within the nonbreeding range of the endangered Arctic-Canadian rufa subspecies of Red Knots (Calidris canutus). Using blood and tissue samples from the major nonbreeding regions in Argentina (Tierra del Fuego and Río Negro), northern Brazil (Maranhão), and southeastern USA (Florida), we estimated genetic structure in 514 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) loci, applying cluster assignment analyses in DAPC, assignPOP, and STRUCTURE. Using a priori location information, individuals could be correctly re-assigned to their nonbreeding regions, which validated that the assignment accuracy of the data was sufficient. Without using a priori location information, we detected 3-5 genotype clusters, and posterior assignment probabilities of samples to these genotype clusters varied among the three regions. Lastly a chi-square test confirmed that allele frequencies varied significantly among nonbreeding regions, rejecting the hypothesis that samples were drawn from a single gene pool. Our findings hint at undescribed structure within the Red Knot rufa breeding range in the Canadian Arctic and indicate that each rufa nonbreeding area in this study hosts a different subsample of these breeding populations. The observation that nonbreeding sites of rufa Red Knots contain different genetic pools argues for separate conservation management of these sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gwich'in and Inuvialuit inhabitants of the Mackenzie Delta, in Canada's Northwest Territories, have witnessed an eventful history in relation to colonialism and environmental transformation. Their current lives are characterized by mobility, mixing, and melting as they negotiate new and old livelihoods, continuity in traditions, and thawing landscapes. Approaching these lives in terms of volatility opens up an experience‐near understanding of people's relations with perpetual, uncertain transformations. Differently situated delta inhabitants have different ways of dealing with these uncertain dynamics, but all are characterized by an improvisation that carries forth reputable activities and attitudes by new means. Dispositions like curiosity, playfulness, and risk‐taking must not be seen as lacking resolve to confront transformations, but should be appreciated as skills for inhabiting a volatile world. [volatility, improvisation, Gwich'in, Inuvialuit, Arctic] Gwich'in ts'àt Ineekaii kat Canada gwizhìt Northwest Territories, Nagwichoo Njik gwa'àn gugwich'in ts'àt yi'eenoo nits'òo gugwiindài' ejùk natr'igwiłtsaii aii geeghee ts'àt gwiinlit guunagoo'ee ejùk t'igwinjii gugwinah'ình. Jùk gweendoo nagahdidal, nihtat ejùk gugwahtsii ts'àt nan nagwaaghaii guuzhik ejùk gwinjik gugwindaii ts'àt yi'eenoo nits'òo tr'igwiindài' gwinjik gugwindaii guuzhik guunan nagwaaghaih. Ejùk t'igwinjii gwizhìt tr'igwich'in kat nits'òo gugwindaii gwiinlit ejùk guuvah gweedhaa jii gwinyaa'in jì' nits'òo gugwindaii gwiiyeendoo gahiidandaih. Ehdii tat gwa'àn nihłinehch'i' t'angiinch'uu kat guunagoo'ee gwa'àn ejùk t'igwinjii k'iighè' k'eejit gwinjik gugwiheendaii gugwahtsih. Geenjit gahvidandai' giiniindhan, vàh tsiigidi'ii ts'àt gaoguunuu gwizhìt gwitr'it gugwahtsii k'iighè' guunan ejùk t'igwinjii guuzhik tth'aih ezhik t'igiinch'uh. [khanh ejùk t'igwinjii, ejùk t'igwinjii gwizhìt nits'òo gugwiheendaii gahgidandaii, Gwich'in, Ineekaii, Arctic] Itkililu, Inuvialuit, inuniaktut umaagimii atautchimi, Canadum nunanga. Tautuguakgikput kafini ukiunii, qanukhilimaat ukauhich nuna allungnuktuk. Inunia ahvikput allungnuk piluni, ingilagaatun inunaniaqugut, uvaptigun inunialakugut, nunakput auktualikuk. Kaiviluting kilamik inuniuhikput, hunaliimarak kilamik allanga nuktuaniakuk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind speed analysis is important for informing airport operation and safety. Many communities in the Hudson Bay and Labrador regions (Canada) are remote communities that rely heavily on aircraft for passenger and freight movement. Historical trends in average daily wind speed and maximum daily wind speed from 1971 to 2010 were examined to identify patterns of change and determine how these changes may influence aviation in six northern communities across Hudson Bay and Labrador in Canada. Significant increases in average wind speed and maximum wind speed were found for some of the months and seasons of the year for the Hudson Bay region, along with a significant decrease in those variables for the Labrador communities. Average wind speeds at multiple locations are approaching the threshold (18.5 km/h or 10 knots) when take-off and landing would be restricted to one direction. The results of this study agree with previous research that examined historical patterns for wind speed in these regions but calls into question climate change impact assessments that suggest wind speeds will continue to increase under future climatic conditions for this study area. Future research is needed to further analyse shifts in prevailing wind directions and changes in the frequency of extreme wind conditions, to better understand the potential impacts of projected climate change on this climatic variable and the implications these changes may have on applied sectors, such as aviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Canadian Northern Corridor (CNC) has been proposed as a potential solution to the challenges presented by limited transportation infrastructure in Northern Canada (Sulzenko and Fellows 2016). Building, operating and maintaining infrastructure in a northern corridor would be inherently challenging due to issues of remoteness and climate change. This paper reviews scientific evidence about the documented and potential impacts of climate change in Northern Canada and examines what the implications are for future CNC development.

The Yukon's experience with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been an interesting one; the territory successfully implemented travel restrictions to limit importing the virus and rolled out vaccines quickly compared to most Canadian jurisdictions. However, the Yukon's first wave of COVID-19 in June and July 2021 overwhelmed the healthcare system due to widespread transmission in unvaccinated children, youth and adults, despite high vaccination uptake overall and mandatory masking. This experience highlights the importance of continued support for public vaccination programs, widespread vaccine uptake in paediatric populations, and the judicious relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions in all Canadian jurisdictions as they reopen while more contagious variants emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article details Saskatchewan's first environmental impact assessment, which took place in the 1970s over a proposed dam on the Churchill River at the Wintego Rapids. The Wintego Dam, which would have been the largest hydroelectric dam in the province at the time, was controversial because of the environmental repercussions and impacts on the local Indigenous communities, particularly the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. We show that the Blakeney ndp government did not initially intend to create a robust environmental impact assessment, and then explain how and why such an assessment was ultimately undertaken. Using archival material that was previously unavailable, the article recounts the governmental study, the Indigenous-led studies (after they rejected the governmental process), and the final Board of Inquiry report. The Wintego saga should be understood within the context of a growing resistance to northern development projects whose benefits accrued mostly to the southern white population. Ultimately, the Blakeney government decided not to build Wintego because of the economic, environmental, and social impacts, as well as concerns about unsettled treaty claims. This could be considered the first attempt – even before the Berger Inquiry – by a provincial government to fully assess the impacts of a natural resource project before final approval, and it was the earliest incorporation of Indigenous-led studies into the assessment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health is one of the key priorities of Indigenous communities in the Canadian North. Land-based programs rooted in Indigenous knowledge and focused on building connections to one's land and culture have been used to promote mental wellness. However, evaluation of land-based programs is an emerging field of work. In this article, we describe the process of developing and implementing an evaluation tool for community-led land-based programs across the Canadian North to promote mental wellness among Indigenous boys and men. Through a partnership between eight community organisations and a community-based northern health research centre, a scoping review of existing evaluation tools and related literature was conducted by the research team to identify priority evaluation concepts. These concepts were then further discussed and reviewed during a consensus workshop to develop an evaluation tool (36-item questionnaire). Six community organisations in Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Nunatsiavut used the tool to evaluate their programs, which validated its usefulness to assess programs varying in their activities, geography, and organisational types and capacities. Some implementation challenges were also identified. The findings highlight the necessity of developing program evaluation strategies tailored to the specific contexts of Indigenous communities, as well as the need for further research to report on the outcomes of evaluation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrastructure development in Canada's northern regions remains a challenge. Although scholars and policy-makers recognize the significant socio-economic potential of northern infrastructure, the prevailing piecemeal approach does not respond to many of the challenges faced by Indigenous communities. A pan-Canadian approach, such as a Northern Corridor, can circumvent some of the disadvantages stemming from fractured and uncoordinated initiatives but it still underlies the diverse environmental and socio-economic conditions across the Canadian North. The Nordicity index, originally developed by Hamelin, reflects northern Canada's diversity and has been applied as a public policy tool, e.g. for determining northern living allowances or adapted for transportation development. However, these indices are spatio-temporally fixed which means they do not recognize changing spatial patterns of northern mobility. Thus, this paper argues that northern infrastructure development should be informed by Indigenous spatial practices of mobility. To this aim, the paper investigates the role of Nordicity in Canadian policy-making and analyses how northern Indigenous spatial practices of mobility have transformed throughout the last century. The Nordicity index recognizes the environmental and socio-economic conditions across Canada's diverse northern regions but it should be complemented with an analysis of the spatial practices of northern Indigenous Peoples to inform future infrastructure development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change impacts on Indigenous peoples in remote regions pose unique institutional challenges and opportunities for governments. Reducing vulnerability and enabling collaborative knowledge creation through the inclusive consideration of Indigenous peoples' perspectives in government and institutional efforts can help to advance adaptation to environmental change. In Northern Canada, Indigenous communities and multiple levels of the Canadian government and its institutions, including the Canadian Armed Forces, share the commensurate task and responsibility of responding to, tracking, monitoring and adapting to rapid climatic changes and impacts associated with climate change in the Arctic. In this review paper, we explore how Canadian governments may effectively work as partners and catalysts for advancing mutually beneficial climate change adaptation efforts with Indigenous peoples and communities affected by climate change in remote Arctic regions of Northern Canada. We review knowledge and concepts related to Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge in the context of institutional adaptation planning and policy approaches in remote regions. First, we provide a geographical and contextual background that informs the efforts of institutional partners and Indigenous communities seeking to mutually address long-term challenges associated with adapting to climate change, specifically in the remote Canadian Arctic. Second, we unpack knowledge for advancing collaborative adaptation efforts between Indigenous peoples and institutions in the Arctic. We identify relevant gaps and opportunities for enhancing institutional approaches to climate change adaptation involving Indigenous peoples in remote regions like the Arctic. We conclude with a summary of policy relevant insights for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to retrace past developments that occurred in the Alaskan and Canadian North as of result of the Second World War and illustrate the ramifications of these events in the Canadian and American political landscapes as it pertains to warfare tourism. The paper also intends to initiate a discussion on how certain narratives pertaining to warfare tourism are promoted, while others are overlooked. Design/methodology/approach - This paper analyses the political, economic, socio-cultural and technological factors that resulted in tourism growth or the lack thereof in the Canadian and American Norths. Findings - Warfare tourism, like most types of tourism, is expected to grow. Through this growth comes opportunities to expand and integrate the discussion pertaining to warfare tourism in the Canadian and American Norths while also providing a starting point for discussion about potential solutions to address warfare tourism and cultural dissonance. Research limitations/implications - This viewpoint is dependent on literature reviews. Practical implications - The relationship between Indigenous peoples and other marginalized populations in the Second World War and warfare tourism is a relatively new research area. For warfare tourism to become integrated into tourism policies and developments, a willingness to address cultural dissonance and integrate populations formerly marginalized in the Second World War will be required. This paper examines how northern and other marginalized voices can be integrated in future commemoration and interpretation strategies. Social implications - The paper provides an opportunity to examine the growth and healing that can result from warfare tourism. Originality/value - This interdisciplinary collaboration conducted by a military historian, a northern historian and a tourism research researcher provides one of the first examinations of the impacts of the Second World War in North America, and the relevance of these impacts to the interpretation of warfare tourism in Canada.

Vulnerability to climate change is highly dynamic, varying between and within communities over different timescales. This paper draws upon complex adaptive systems thinking to develop an approach for capturing, understanding, and monitoring climate vulnerability in a case study from northern Canada, focusing on Inuit food systems. In the community of Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, we followed 10 hunters over a 2-year period, asking them to document their harvesting activities and discuss their lived experience of harvesting under changing environmental and societal conditions. GPS monitoring and participatory mapping sessions were used to document 23,996km of trails (n = 409), with conversational bi-weekly semi-structured interviews and secondary instrumental weather data used to contextualise climate change within a nexus of other socioeconomic, cultural, and political stressors that also affect harvesting. Our results demonstrate that climate change has considerable potential to affect harvesting activities, particularly when its impacts manifest as anomalous/extreme events. However, climate change impacts are not necessarily the most salient issues affecting harvesting on a day-to-day basis. Instead, factors relating to economics (particularly financial capital and the wage-based economy), social networks, and institutions are found to have a greater influence, either as standalone factors with cascading effects or when acting synchronously to augment the impacts of environmental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High latitude freshwater ecosystems are sentinels of human activity and environmental change. The lakes and ponds that characterize Arctic landscapes have a low resilience to buffer variability in climate, especially with increasing global anthropogenic stressors in recent decades. Here, we show that a small freshwater pond in proximity of the archaeological site "Native Point" on Southampton Island (Nunavut, Arctic Canada) is a highly sensitive environmental recorder. The sediment analyses allowed for pinpointing the first arrival of Sadlermiut culture at Native Point to ~ 1250 CE, followed by a dietary shift likely in response to the onset of cooling in the region ~ 1400 CE. The influence of the Sadlermiut on the environment persisted long after the last of their population perished in 1903. Presently, the pond remains a distorted ecosystem that has experienced fundamental shifts in the benthic invertebrate assemblages and accumulated anthropogenic metals in the sediment. Our multi-proxy paleolimnological investigation using geochemical and biological indicators emphasizes that direct and indirect anthropogenic impacts have long-term environmental implications on high latitude ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]