Government invests $10 million to better infrastructure in Northern and Arctic Canada

Canada’s Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, announced an investment of more than $10 million under the National Trade Corridors Fund to strengthen the supply chain in Canada’s North and Arctic.

The funding is meant for six infrastructure projects and studies that will address local communities’ transportation needs and priorities.

“We understand we can make a difference in people’s lives by strengthening our supply chains for everyone. Northerners need to count on transportation infrastructure that is robust and adapted to their needs,” said Rodriguez in Monday’s announcement, adding that these projects help build the resilience for crucial trade corridors in the area.

The government will contribute $1.9 million to C-CORE for a project that uses satellite-based remote sensing to provide safer and cost-effective infrastructure operations in the North to support operational decision-making for highways, ice roads, runways and sea ice travel infrastructure.

The University of Alberta will also receive up to $1.6 million for a project that will focus on mapping the permafrost and ground ice along the Mackenzie Valley Highway and Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway in the Northwest Territories, using tools that will create a better understanding of the influence of surface and groundwater on permafrost soils and aggregate resources.

BGC Engineering Inc. will receive a $3.5 million investment to develop data management systems that will help improve the safety, reliability, and resiliency of the three Northern transportation corridors.

The rest of the funded projects will focus on improving cargo storage and distribution at the Puvirnituq airport, examine the feasibility of constructing a deep-water wharf at Ungava Bay, and explore the potential use of cargo airships and similar vehicles in remote Northern communities.

“Strong and reliable transportation infrastructure provides Canadians access to the necessary and affordable goods they need, no matter where they live,” said Jenna Sudds, the minister of families, children and social development Canada in a press release, adding that the government will keep investing in projects that support Canadian families’ needs.