Practice Makes a Difference: The Northern Canada Transportation Research Experience

By Douglas Baba, 2nd year MDP student

The placement with the Northern Sustainable Prosperity Initiative (NSPI) has not only sharpened my research skills but also afforded me the opportunity to learn from a vast array of researchers from International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD), Stantec Inc., community development managers, policy and service development advisors, and Northern transportation experts and engineers during our bi-weekly project partners meetings. What is more exciting and challenging to me is the fact that finding a way to work in order to meet the expectations of these varied groups of people by putting theory into practice.

L to R: Lee Fehler (NSPI), Brian Horton (UM), Terry Duguid (NSPI), Erica Vido (Province of Manitoba), Roger Rempel (Stantec), Douglas Baba (MDP), Pauline Gerrard (IISD)

The supply chain between the two regions is critical to growth and development in the Nunavut Territory in general and the Kivalliq region in particular. Resource exploration and development is expanding across Nunavut with mine exploration including uranium, gold, diamond as well as proven and potential oil deposits. The key to successful growth in this challenging region is a strong transportation sector which is able to manage variation in climatic conditions and adapt to the changing needs of northern business and communities. 

Nunavut is the only territory not connected to the rest of Canada by road or rail or to the rest of the world by a deep sea port. The absence of all these modes of transport in the area are essential infrastructure needs if Nunavut is to fully realize its economic potential and support sustainable economic growth. Nunavut is a vast area of land serving a very small population and this makes development of all forms very challenging.

More importantly, climate change, and the resulting fluctuating weather patterns across the North are leading to the exposure of transportation infrastructure conditions it was not originally designed to withstand. There are therefore a number of plans to support transportation connectivity and the supply of needed goods and services in the region.

I am going for four days to Churchill, Manitoba to conduct surveys with key stakeholders in the region on existing transportation infrastructure and the supply chain; the potential climate change and related impacts as well as nature and volume of goods and services that go to each community in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut. My passion for climate change will further be boosted by this exciting, educative and interesting trip to Churchill.

Northern Exposure

By Naomi Happychuk, 1st year MDP student

With my practicum coming to an end I have to say, that it has truly been an incredible summer. I learned so much, gaining practical experience, and building on my passion for northern development. Working with the Northern Sustainable Development Initiative in the city, I had the opportunity to attend various conferences and workshops and hear perspectives from a number of First Nations chiefs and Elders, government administrators, the Metis community, and private industries, particularly at the round table on “Models and Best Practices of Northern Development” we had organized in June.  I gained valuable skills in researching, writing, communication, and administration. I came to better understand the complexities of Indigenous Development in Canada.

Beluga Whale, Churchill, Manitoba

Travelling to Churchill, Manitoba and Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, was an incredible way to end my practicum.  This was an opportunity to form my own perspective on development in the north and to experience first-hand, much of what I had been researching. Churchill was a great introduction to the north and I met with the Community Administrative and Economic Development Officer, the President of Churchill Chamber of Commerce, the Executive Director of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, and the Superintendent of Parks Canada in Manitoba’s north. I also toured the port, which is the primary source of economic revenue for the town, took in some history at Dene Village and the Prince of Wales Fort, and even saw some spectacular wildlife including tundra swans, beluga whales, and polar bears!  

Rankin inlet, Nunavut

In Rankin Inlet, I felt I truly got a taste of the north. This town on the west coast of Hudson Bay, with sparse vegetation over rocky outcrops and valleys of tundra is home to about 2500 people, most of who are Inuit and speak Inuktitut. In this community, which has long been sustained by mining, exploration and surveying is abundant. Sled dogs would howl loudly and I had just missed the passing of a large caribou herd, a staple traditional food for people of the area. I also had the opportunity to visit an old Thule site, with dozens of tent rings, meat caches, kayak racks, and fox traps all made of stone. Again I met with various community members and learned more of the challenges and opportunities of development in the north. 

Naomi on a tour of a grain elevator in Churchill with Randy Spence

From these trips I was reminded of the need for more action to be stimulated from all of the meaningful discourse and thorough studies, and of the need for development in the north to come from the north with the support of southern entities, and not the other way around. This has been an incredible summer of learning and insight, as a development practitioner and as a Canadian.

Best Practices of Northern Development… And Other Insights

By Naomi Happychuk, 1st year MDP student

For the past several weeks I have been undergoing a field placement with the University of Winnipeg’s Northern Sustainable Prosperity Initiative.

Until last week I have been helping organize a virtual round table on Models and Best Practices of Northern Development. This was a tele-video conference held in the Cisco theatre at Richardson College, connecting First Nation Chiefs, community leaders, and industry representatives from across the country to discuss how Manitoba’s own northern strategy should move forward.

Roundtable on Models and Best Practices of Northern Development

It has been a great opportunity to meet and communicate with so many of the people engaged in Manitoba’s development initiatives, all with their own unique perspective over a common interest. While securing participation and planning the agenda for the event, we were met with achievements, surprises, and challenges. 

I have been reminded of some of the key lessons I learned in my first couple of years of my undergrad in International Development…

1. Politics is everything, and despite my eagerness to incite collaborative action, (Gosh darn it! Why can’t we make this work already?!), it cannot easily be evaded and at the very least must be acknowledge. -Though I remain convinced that greater communication (particularly over a tasty lunch) could solve most of the world’s problems.

2. Though we may think the more we learn the more clarity we acquire, it is actually quite the opposite, and the more I learn the more complex (and perplexed) are my realizations!

3. This society is overworked! Everyone is busy! You would be amazed at what can happen last-minute! (Or the day before the main event!)

This practicum has enabled me to learn professionally, personally, and academically, experiencing “real” work (I now understand why people get so excited for the weekends), learning about what is important to me and what I want to look for in a future career, and expanding my knowledge of, and passion for, development.  

After a successful and insightful round table, I am now working on a few projects relating to climate change and adaptation in Canada’s North, and putting together a document on best practices of Northern development. With this I know I have much more learning to do!

Evelyn Poitras (L), Ovide Mercredi (C) & Naomi Happychuk (R) at the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) Summit