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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Download Full Overview (English)
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).
The School of Public Policy Publications
Infrastructure Policy Trends • December 2021
Critical minerals mining can help drive clean technology development, accelerate Canada's clean energy transition and industrial transformation.
Polar Geography
Ahead-of-print • October 2021
Canada’s northern regions have unique geospatial characteristics which are based on differences in biodiversity, climate, ecosystems and socio-economic conditions. Together, these distinct conditions challenge the prevailing “one-size fits all” northern infrastructure development approach which is often based on southern conceptions of the North. This paper, published in Polar Geography, examines the need to capture Canada’s northern complexity in order to support a comprehensive but differentiated northern policy approach. The research also emphasizes the importance of including Indigenous Knowledge into any type of future northern infrastructure development strategy. A School of Public Policy Publications paper based on this research is forthcoming in early 2022.
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 14 • Issue 33 • November 2021
The lengthy regulatory and review processes to assess major infrastructure development projects and lack of long-term planning are often viewed as sources of conflict between the economic objectives and environmental conservation and culture and heritage preservation. Cancelled and stalled infrastructure projects can offer valuable insight into this and can lead to better decision-making processes around infrastructure development in Canada. For this purpose, this piece provides a retrospective look at the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline.
