Monday, 14 May 2012 10:34 Written by Mia Bennett

Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Louis S. St-Laurent makes its way through the ice in Baffin Bay, Canada. Photo:Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press

The Royal Canadian Navy's plans to acquire six to eight ice-capable Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) are facing yet another obstacle. On Tuesday in the Canadian House of Commons, the 2012-13 Reports on Plans and Priorities were tabled.

The reports sum up the expected revenue, expenditures, and projects of each government agency and department in Canada. National Defence's plans and priorities show that the AOPS will be delayed another three years, with delivery now scheduled for 2018.

The first ship will not be operational until 2019, and that full operational capability of all of the ships will not be reached until 2023. The Treasury Board gave preliminary approval to the project in May 2007, so by the time the project is finally completed, over fifteen years will have elapsed.

Monday, 07 May 2012 11:03 Written by Mia Bennett

View of the Norvegian fjord Kongsfjord outside the scientist base of Ny-Alesund, one of Svalbard's permanent settlements, on June 5, 2010. AFP PHOTO / MARTIN BUREAU

Lloyd's of London, the British insurance company, and Chatham House, a London-based think tank, have released a report together entitled, "Arctic Opening: Opportunity and Risk in the High North." The report states that four key industries will be the "biggest drivers and beneficiaries of Arctic economic development." They are: mineral resources (oil, gas, and mining), fisheries, logistics (including shipping), and Arctic tourism.

Thus, governments and corporations are much more likely to profit from growth than the people and wildlife living in the circumpolar region.

Monday, 30 April 2012 10:29 Written by Mia Bennett

Defence Minister Peter McKay and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk lead a parade of Canadian Rangers and regular-force soldiers up the runway of this remote military post on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island at the close of Operation Nunalivut, the latest military mission intended to reinforce Canada's control of the North. The operation included the participation of a Danish military sled dog team, the first time foreign personnel have taken part in such an operation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bob Weber

The Canadian Forces have just commenced one of their annual sovereignty exercises in the Arctic, called Operation Nunalivut.

One-hundred fifty Canadian Forces personnel from the Navy, Air Force, Army, and Canadian Rangers are participating. This year, the exercises are taking place around Cornwallis Island and on the western portion of Devon Island in Nunavut.

Sovereignty and search and rescue (SAR) training compose a large portion of the operations this year. Royal Canadian Navy divers dove under six feet of ice in Gascoyne Bay to simulate a medical rescue.

Two Royal Canadian Air Force CC-138 Twin Otters also performed ski-landings to resupply a temporary camp in Viks Fiord.

Wednesday, 25 April 2012 16:43 Written by Mia Bennett

Ambassador Ronald Jumeau speaking at IPY 2012. (c) Mia Bennett

I've just returned from the first day of proceedings at the International Polar Year 2012 conference in Montreal. Entitled "From Knowledge to Action," the conference features panels, plenaries, action forums, indigenous exchange forums, and poster sessions about the current state of the poles.

Reflecting the conference's title, speakers are emphasizing how to implement the knowledge that scientists and researchers learned during the last IPY, which ran from March 2007 to March 2009.

Thursday, 19 April 2012 08:47 Written by Mia Bennett

The Chinese research vessel and ice-breaker Xuelong. Photo: AFP

On Monday, a deputy Chinese foreign minister, Song Tao, announced that Sweden, the current chair of the Arctic Council, supported his country's bid for permanent observer status in the multilateral organization.

He stated, "China applauds Swedish support for China to be an observer to the Arctic Council." Tao was speaking at a briefing on Premier Wen Jiabao's upcoming eight-day trip to Iceland, Sweden, Germany and Poland.

Monday, 16 April 2012 15:57 Written by Mia Bennett

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, second from right, stands on an iceberg as he talks with Chief of the Defence Staff General Walter Natynczyk (centre) as they take part in a training exercise during Operation Nanook in Resolute, Nunavut on the third day of his five-day northern tour to Canada's Arctic on Wednesday Aug. 25, 2010. Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

On Thursday and Friday, the chiefs of defense from all eight Arctic states met at a Canadian military base in Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador to discuss forging closer ties up north. This was the first time that generals from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the U.S. convened. The meeting will now become a yearly event in order to improve cooperation in the remote and inaccessible Arctic. Representatives also had opportunities to meet with Canadian Rangers and local community leaders.

Nunatsiaq News quoted Canadian General Walter Natynczyk as saying, "I am very pleased with the discussions amongst the eight chiefs of defence just completed in Goose Bay. This is the first time the northern chiefs of defence have had the opportunity to meet, as a forum, to discuss issues unique to our respective regions. We were able to gain an understanding of the unique challenges each faces with regards to emergency response and for support to our civilian authorities."

Wednesday, 11 April 2012 09:51 Written by Mia Bennett

Alaska Senator Mark Begich (Dem.) hosted a roundtable yesterday at the University of Alaska Anchorage to consider building a deepwater port in Alaska. According to a press release from Senator Begich’s office, among the dozen participants were Rear Admiral Tom Ostebo, Commander of the Seventeenth Coast Guard District (covering Alaska), Colonel Reinhard Koenig, Commander of the Alaska District of the Army Corps of Engineers, and representatives from NOAA and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority.

Thursday, 05 April 2012 15:12 Written by Mia Bennett

The Canadian dollar (loonie). Photo: Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press.

In early March, a few outspoken voices in Iceland, a country not known for its stable economy in recent years, floated the idea of switching from the krona to the Canadian dollar. The leader of the opposition Progressive Party, Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson, said, "If we are going to adopt another currency, then the Canadian dollar looks very promising."

Canada's ambassador to Iceland, Alan Bones, told RUV, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, that his government would be open to discussing the issue. Yet a few days later, his speech at a meeting of the Progressive Party was cancelled, reportedly by Ottawa.

Monday, 02 April 2012 14:41 Written by Mia Bennett

Prime Minister Stephen Harper poses for a photograph with Arctic Rangers in the Arctic port of Nanisivik, Nunavut, Friday, August 10, 2007.(CP PHOTO/ Fred Chartrand)

In August 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced plans to build a deep water port at Nanisivik, where remnants of an old port and airfield from the area's nickel mining days would serve as the foundations for further construction.

New docking and refueling facilities were to be built, thus turning Nanisivik into an important site in the High North for the Canadian Forces. Two years' worth of fuel could be stored and there would also an airport, a telecommunications network, offices, and living quarters.

The project was budgeted at CAD $100 million.

Tuesday, 27 March 2012 00:00 Written by Mia Bennett

Hudson Bay. Frozen. (c) Mia Bennett

I've never been north of the Arctic Circle – until now, in a commercial airplane. From my window seat on a 14-hour flight from Newark to Tokyo, I caught several glimpses of the Arctic's west and far east.

In between stretching my legs in place, flipping through the on-demand movie offerings, and poking at the salty reheated enchilada, I peered out the window, taking pictures of the blindingly white scenery below.