Policy Paper: Maritime Infrastructure in Canada’s North

Sara Bourquin | BIG Research Reports | #18

Maritime traffic is increasing in Canada’s Arctic waters while development remains stagnant in regards to maritime infrastructure. Only 10% of Canadian Arctic waters have been charted, while the charts that do exist have been deemed dated, and unsafe. Support services such as oil spill response plans, navigation aids, and telecommunications required for safe resource development and shipping in Canada’s arctic waters are minimal. Bandwidth capabilities are currently not adequate to accommodate safe and reliable maritime and aviation communication. Currently there is not adequate human resources to support further infrastructure development due to low population, lack of skilled persons and poor living conditions. This paper presents and evaluates three policy options addressing the issue of maritime infrastructure in Canada’s North.

Sara Bourquin