Hello. I'd like to thank the committee for holding this important hearing.
I'm pleased to be here today to provide comments on behalf of Polar Knowledge Canada.
My name is David Hik. I have served as the chief scientist at Polar Knowledge Canada for the past two and a half years. I am based in Cambridge Bay, or Ikaluktutiak, in Nunavut, at our headquarters in the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. I'm joined today by Andrew Applejohn, who is the executive director of programs.
The questions the committee is addressing in this study are both timely and important. The impacts of climate change in the Arctic are already evident and will have an impact on the rest of the country and the entire world. While the impacts of climate change are drastically affecting Arctic people, wildlife, infrastructure and the environment, the consequences of these changes are reverberating throughout the global climate system, influencing extreme weather, wildfires, the sea level and increases in temperatures, with impacts on communities across Canada. The importance of Arctic research at this time cannot be overstated.
Ensuring that northern and indigenous rights holders, organizations, communities and partners are directly involved in leading science and research relevant to the Arctic is essential for identifying solutions to address the many challenges facing this region.
In October 2007, the Speech from the Throne acknowledged the need to give greater attention to the Arctic by committing to the development of an integrated northern strategy. Included in this approach was the intention to build a world-class research facility in the Arctic to work on the cutting edge of Arctic issues, including climate change, environmental science, food security and resource development.
In 2019, 12 years later, the community of Cambridge Bay and the representatives of Canada and Nunavut marked the official opening of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station, or CHARS. While the primary focus of the CHARS facility is civilian, its infrastructure and strategic Arctic location can also support, when needed, emergency response or security efforts in the region. In fact, the Canadian High Arctic Research Station will be providing operational support for the Canadian Armed Forces' Operation Nanook again this summer.
POLAR's mandate, as established under the Canadian High Arctic Research Station Act, is to undertake and support locally relevant and globally significant knowledge creation. As an organization headquartered in the Canadian north, POLAR is fully engaged with northern communities, governments and organizations to ensure that the work it undertakes respects local priorities and returns meaningful benefits to the north.
POLAR conducts and supports research focused on climate change adaptation, mitigation and innovation by bringing together diverse groups of experts and, importantly, our northern partners. Three focus areas guide our work.
The first objective is ecosystem science, improving our knowledge of dynamic northern terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems within the context of rapid change. Over the past decade, we've obtained detailed baseline information about these ecosystems, including rapidly changing abiotic elements such as permafrost, snow and sea ice.
Our second objective is to increase the understanding of the connections between northern community wellness and environmental health, including aspects of food security, sovereignty and safety. This “one health” approach recognizes that northerners will benefit from a better understanding of how changes in the environment affect the abundance and diversity of country foods, the impact of environmental contaminants, like mercury and microplastics, and the impact of diseases on northern wildlife. This is consistently a top priority for northerners.
Our third objective is to advance clean energy and cold climate infrastructure solutions for the unique conditions in the Arctic. For example, northerners have a great interest in cost-effective options for waste and waste water management, alternative and renewable energy solutions and building technologies designed for northern conditions. CHARS supports the testing of clean energy solutions, including energy storage, biofuels and advanced renewable energy technologies by industry, government and academia prior to technology deployment in remote communities.
Polar Knowledge Canada is implementing programs and activities that support our science and technology goals and contribute to building capacity across northern Canada in several different ways. POLAR staff and operating funds are used to conduct research at CHARS in collaboration with researchers from other government departments, academia, communities and other countries. POLAR also provides grants and contributions aligned with our objectives to qualified recipients through open, competitive funding programs. In recent years, these calls have been co-developed with indigenous and northern partners to ensure that their priorities are being addressed.
High-quality Arctic research requires high-quality research infrastructure. POLAR is committed to supporting the development of Canadian research infrastructure that is essential to conduct Arctic research and international collaboration, and is committed as well to advancing respectful engagement with Arctic indigenous peoples.
Why does this matter? Research is critically important to understand the drivers, the societal and environmental responses, and the possible pathways to adapt to these changes.