Researching the North
Federal government finally puts price tag on long- promised facility along Northwest Passage
The Federal government has finally put a price tag on the long- promised facility along the Northwest Passage — and it is $ 142 million.
CAMBRIDGE BAY, Nunavut — The federal government will spend more than $ 142 million over the next six years to design and build a research centre in the High Arctic, finally putting a price tag on the two- year- old project.
The contract to design the research centre has just been awarded — albeit months behind schedule — and the funding was seen as critical for designers to determine how large and robust of a building would be built in this community along the Northwest Passage.
Between 35 and 50 seasonal, part- time and full- time staff will work at the station, beginning in 2017.
When the Canadian High Arctic Research Centre opens its doors it will receive about $ 26 million annually to operate. Harper said the government will grant the facility $ 46 million over the next six years to start up its science and research program.
“Our government believes the right place to do research about the North is in the North,” Harper said in making the announcement.
All told, the investment of nearly $ 200 million over the coming years could also be the amount in economic spinoffs for communities in the North.
It is estimated that the construction of the station will generate up to 150 jobs locally, across the North and in more specialized sectors in other parts of Canada.
“Building infrastructure big or small requires a substantial effort over many years,” said Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak. “The building of Nunavut is a project that impacts the entire country.”
Construction of the facility will begin next year with the first barges arriving in Cambridge Bay with building materials. Design ideas for the research centre may see some portions of the facility twinned with existing buildings in this hamlet along the Northwest Passage.
Researchers also will be able to twin their work with the knowledge of the Inuit “who know this environment best,” Aariak said.
When Harper arrived in Cambridge Bay Wednesday evening, he headed to the community centre for a feast organized by local residents.
Harper sat at one end of the hall, facing a packed crowd with cameras held aloft. At the opposite end of the hall was a banner: “Thank you for CHARS.”
The funding announcement comes as the government has faced criticism from scientists and opposition parties that it is choking the funding for research in Canada. Researchers have rallied on Parliament Hill, decrying what they call the “death of evidence” in government policies.
Spending cuts in the federal budget curtailed funding for a leading Arctic research in Eureka on the western coast of Ellesmere Island. The Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory had received $ 5.5 million in federal funding over the years to conduct research on the impact of global warming in the Arctic, including the depletion of the ozone layer and the evermelting permanent sea ice in the Far North. Scientists expect the ice to meet a record low next week.
When Harper was asked about the melting sea ice and the potential impact on Northern communities, he said he would address those issues Thursday.
“One of the things we’ve done as part of our Northern strategy has been to invest in scientific research here,” Harper said Wednesday in Norman Wells, N. W. T., after announcing a new national park in the Northwest Territories.
“Look, obviously ongoing climatic changes are something we watch carefully — it’s one of the reasons for the government’s concern about the growth of future shipping in that area.”
Harper said the government is hoping to build the capacity to enforce shipping regulations and environmental standards.
“These are things that we monitor very carefully,” he said.
Climate scientists estimate that the permanent ice cover in the Arctic could be gone in as little as five years, or as much as 50 years depending on the pace of global warming.
Ice coverage and ice thickness have reached record lows over the last decade, affecting weather, ocean currents and plant and animal life in the Far North.