The Canadian Northern Corridor Research Program includes multiple studies, across several areas of expertise, to address the many facets of the corridor concept including financial, legal, geographical, socio-economic, environmental, regulatory, governance and policy dimensions. The purpose is to provide the information and analysis necessary to establish the feasibility of the Canadian Northern Corridor.
Community-based Environmental Monitoring (CBEM) for Meaningful Incorporation of Indigenous and Local Knowledge
Evgeniia (Jen) Sidorova and Luis D. Virla
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 15 • Issue 15 • June 2022
Meaningful incorporation of Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts is key to accelerating effective action plans. This study argues that community-based environmental monitoring (CBEM), if done properly, can be more effective in incorporating ILK than environmental impact and monitoring based only on Western science. The paper examines successful elements, benefits, challenges and limitations in the existing CBEM studies that incorporate ILK to recognize how to design comprehensive CBEM policy for large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Canadian Northern Corridor (CNC) concept.
An Overview of Major Engineering Challenges for Developing Transportation Infrastructure in Northern Canada
Eva Stephani, Julie Malenfant Lepage and Guy Doré
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 15 • Issue 14 • May 2022
The proposed corridor crosses extensive areas of permafrost, including sporadic to continuous permafrost distribution. It also travels through areas that are not perennially frozen, but that are exposed to seasonal freeze-thaw cycles and to other cold-region processes that can become geohazards for infrastructure. This overview paper focuses mainly on permafrost-related issues because of the significant challenges and important knowledge gaps in permafrost.
Reducing Transaction Costs on Infrastructure Corridor Projects in Canada
André Le Dressay, Jason Calla and Jason Reeves
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 15 • Issue 11 • March 2022
This paper uses a comparative systems analysis to identify specific transaction costs in four areas — historic, infrastructure development process, fiscal and economic systems. We argue these transaction costs can be significantly reduced by systematically implementing Indigenous fiscal, infrastructure and lands jurisdictions because this will permanently ensure that Indigenous communities and people are able to receive similar fiscal and economic benefits generated from infrastructure corridor projects as those enjoyed by other Canadians and other governments.
An Overview and Assessment of Key Constitutional Issues Relevant to the Canadian Northern Corridor
Dwight Newman
The School of Public Policy Publications Volume 15 • Issue 9 • March 2022
This report considers, at a high level, some of the key constitutional considerations associated with the development of the Northern Corridor. It considers both the ways in which the Canadian Constitution may facilitate such a development and ways in which it may offer barriers to such a project.
The School of Public Policy Publications Infrastructure Policy Trends • March 2022
The use of REEs (rare earth elements) has become fundamental to many high-technology end-use applications including the electronics and transportation sectors, but manufacturers may face significant challenges to procuring sufficient REE supplies due to supply-chain disruptions and long project lead times for new mines. A strong policy agenda is needed if Canada is to position itself as the “global supplier of choice” for these minerals.
Subarctic Corridors in Northern Quebec: Is the Canadian Northern Corridor Concept Aligned with Quebec's Historical Development?
Thomas Stringer and Marcelin Joanis
Journal of The Arctic Institute of North America
Volume 75 • Number 1 • March 2022
This paper groups Quebec’s infrastructure developments into three main phases, synthesizes each phase, and critically compares them to the proposed Northern Corridor concept (NCC). No research has yet examined the NCC’s complementarity with Quebec’s history of northern infrastructure development. Obstacles arising from the conciliation of past developments with the NCC include the unfitness of using existing infrastructures in Quebec for a Pan-Canadian corridor and differing development trajectories at the provincial and federal levels.
Canadian Arctic Marine Transportation Issues, Opportunities and Challenges
Frédéric Lasserre
The School of Public Policy Publications Volume 15 • Issue 6 • February 2022
This paper examines some of the trends shaping the shipping industry in Canada’s Arctic, and what these changes might mean for the construction of a Canadian Northern Corridor. To what extent could expanded shipping in the Canadian arctic be supported by a corridor, and what are some of the economic trends from a commercial perspective? Given the remote and extreme conditions, what are some of the most realistic scenarios for economic, industrial and other drivers for northern marine development in Canada?
Corridor nordique canadien: Aperçu des recherches récentes
Ce document résume les documents d’orientation achevés dans le cadre du programme, jusqu'au septembre 2021. Le document comprend les messages clés de nos publications et vise à mettre rapidement les décideurs, les parties prenantes et les autres parties intéressées au courant des travaux du programme de recherche.
Canadian Northern Corridor: Recent Research Overview
This document summarizes the Canadian Northern Corridor's completed research through September 2021. It includes Key Messages from the Program's School of Public Policy publications and aims to give policy makers, stakeholders, and other interested parties a comprehensive overview of the work accomplished by CNC researchers through the first full year of the CNC Research Program.
Existing and Pending Infrastructure Projects: Potential Compatibility with the Canadian Northern Corridor
Alaz Munzur
The School of Public Policy Publications Volume 15 • Issue 5 • January 2022
Rigorous planning of a multi-modal corridor at a national scale involves identifying current and future infrastructure needs and determining opportunities for co-location of linear infrastructure. Ensuring compatibility of such a major and complex infrastructure expansion with existing and planned projects is necessary to avoid potential redundancies, minimize environmental impact, optimize resource allocation and enable long-term, sustainable economic growth. For this purpose, this paper reviews linear infrastructure projects in Canada's North and near-North that could potentially constitute a segment of the Canadian Northern Corridor (CNC).
