Breaking the Ice

This past week we spoke with Mead Treadwell, former Lieutenant Governor of Alaska and former chairman of the US Arctic Research Commission from 2001 to 2006, and Jackie Dawson, Canada’s Research Chair in Environmental Change and Arctic Shipping at the University of Ottawa.Both are prominent figures in Arctic research and policy. Despite their different backgrounds, Treadwell and Dawson share a common passion: advocating for an Arctic strategy that truly taps into the immense opportunities this region offers for Canada. With their extensive expertise and unique perspectives, they stand out as leading voices in the crucial conversations surrounding Arctic maritime defense and security.

This week for our first episode of this summer’s ‘Breaking the Ice’ Podcast Series, we were joined by Erin O’Toole and Sean Boyd to have a conversation on North American Arctic infrastructure and defence.We looked at Canada’s need to develop an effective Arctic strategy, the increased need to focus on Canadian Arctic security and sovereignty, and the role of infrastructure, education, and innovation to address Canada’s Arctic needs and unlock its potential. Sean and Erin both come to this discussion through long-term careers focused on Canada’s North. Erin O’Toole’s early military service first turned his attention to Canada’s North which later influenced his strong advocacy for Arctic infrastructure, investment, partnerships, and policies during his time as a Canadian political MP. Through his tenure (including as former CEO) at Agnico, Sean Boyd spent ample time in the North and developed strong partnerships with Inuit communities and leaders through Agnico’s mining projects in the region. His experiences eventually fuelled his national advocacy on the need for a Canadian Arctic strategy to build multi-purpose and multi-sector social, economic, and defence infrastructure that includes enabling private-public partnerships.

Arctic360 is proud to announce the return our summer podcast series Breaking the Ice. Each week, we will speak with international and local experts to understand the issues facing the North American arctic.Listen to this episode for more information about what to expect this summer.

In this first episode of ESG in the Arctic, we will explore Ocean Conservancy’s Arctic Corporate Shipping Pledge. With the Arctic warming three times faster than the rest of the world, the melting ice opens up new pathways for trans-shipment routes. According to Ocean Conservancy, increased shipping traffic poses threats to marine ecosystems. In response, the pledge asks corporations to avoid Arctic Trans-Shipment routes and promote precautionary Arctic shipping practices. Today we’re pleased to welcome Whit Sheard to Breaking the Ice. Whit is the Senior Director of Shipping Emissions at Ocean Conservancy and the lead for Ocean Conservancy’s International Arctic Program. Together, we discuss the origins and aims of the pledge, Ocean Conservancy’s collaboration with Nike, and the possible implications of the pledge.

We're back with a new fall series on ESG investing! Stay tuned for new episodes over the next few months.

As interest in northern shipping routes continues to grow, Canada may need a well-developed port system to manage this increased traffic.But is it possible to build a SMART port in the Arctic? SMART ports use innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence, automation, blockchain, and more, to help in the docking of ships, unloading of goods, and other key port functions.Today on Breaking the Ice, we’re speaking to Dr. Natalie Gupta on this important subject. Natalie has worked independently through her own consultancy firm Port Processes Ltd., advising ports around the world.

Nunavut is the only jurisdiction in Canada where residents do not have access to internet speeds over 25 megabits per second. Instead, Nunavut must rely on satellite internet, which is slow and expensive.This has made life even more difficult for northern residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many have struggled to access online healthcare, schooling, and other services.Today on Breaking the Ice, we’re talking to Madeleine Redfern from CanArctic Inuit Networks about their plan to build a fibre-optic SMART cable to Nunavut. This would finally bring internet speeds comparable to what is available in southern Canada north.In addition to her position as COO at CanArctic Inuit Networks, Madeleine is also the former mayor of Iqaluit and the Executive Director of Arctic360’s Northern Branch, among many other roles.

Last year, former federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains announced a new initiative for Canada called “mines to mobility.” This would see Canada leading the world in autonomous and electric vehicle technology at every stage of the value chain, from the minerals in the ground, to technology development, to final assembly.But where is the north’s place in this plan?To answer that question, we were pleased to welcome Andrew Ghattas to Breaking the Ice. Andrew is the director of the Critical Minerals Task Force at Natural Resources Canada.

Accompanying the surge in political and diplomatic interest in the Arctic has been an increase in the amount of people who see the region as an exciting place to do business. Chambers of commerce, entrepreneurs, and big businesses are all starting to recognize the untapped commercial potential of the Arctic.What does this mean for Canadian firms looking to trade more with their Arctic neighbours, and for Greenlandic ones looking abroad? And what are the implications for Indigenous-owned businesses?Today on Breaking the Ice, our co-hosts sit down with four individuals at the heart of these questions: Christian Keldsen, Managing Director of the Greenland Business Association; Louise Lynge Berthelsen, a clothing design entrepreneur; Madeleine Redfern, co-founder of the Inuit Business Council; and Helene Scherling Olsen, a Senior Trade Advisor with the Danish Trade Council in Toronto.

Many satellites rotate in a polar orbit, where the spacecraft will pass over or near the Earth’s poles, including the Arctic north pole. Scientists use these satellites to observe and collect data on the Earth. And somehow, that data needs to be transferred back down to the ground.Today on Breaking the Ice, we’re speaking to a representative of the government-owned Swedish Space Corporation, or SSC, which facilitates this process in the Arctic. In 2010, the SSC established a Satellite Station Facility in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, as part of their “Kinuvik” concept. This is a partnership between Kiruna, Sweden, and Inuvik Canada, to establish a wide-ranging zone of satellite connectivity coverage across the Arctic region.We’re pleased to welcome Dan White to our show today. Dan is an engineer who now runs the Americas business unit at the Swedish Space Corporation.

Of all the regions of Canada, it’s the north that will feel the most severe effects of climate change. Despite that, the region is heavily dependent on fossil fuels to power its homes, businesses, and industries. Today on Breaking the Ice, we’re speaking to a team of talented researchers at Yukon University who are working to change this dependence. Northern Energy Innovation looks at how to better integrate renewable energy into northern energy grids. They also work on other projects, including new ways of storing energy for periods of high demand. Dr. Michael Ross is Northern Energy Innovation’s NSERC Industrial Research Chair. Dr. Ross has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from McGill University. He previously worked with Hydro-Québec on their northern energy project before making his way north to work at Yukon University. Dr. Ross was also joined by James Tlen, a research assistant at Northern Energy Innovation. James grew up in the Yukon, and has experienced the problems with energy in the north first hand.

This week on Breaking the Ice, we’re continuing our series on young innovators in the north who are proving that the Arctic will be a place for science and technology research for years to come.Meet Michael Martinez, who is a 21-year-old Yup’ik college student currently studying at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He has developed a new way of using microbes in rare earth metal mining to reduce environmental damage and avoid toxic byproducts. He has now created his own biotechnology company called Arctic Biotech Oath to build on this work. In 2020, he won the High North Young Entrepreneur Award from the High North Dialogue Conference in Norway.Michael was also joined by Dr. Brandon Briggs, who is an Associate Professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage and works with Michael on the Arctic Biotech Oath project.

The most important driver of innovation is human knowledge. Creative, thoughtful, and forward-thinking individuals are at the centre of all scientific research. Today on Breaking the Ice, we're starting a two-part series looking at the young people who will make innovation happen in the north for years to come.In our first episode, we're speaking with two youths - one from the north and one who moved there - who are already involved in the sciences. Nicholas Flowers is an 18-year-old from Hopedale, Nunatsiavut (in Newfoundland and Labrador). Last year, he won the STEAM Horizon Award, which recognizes innovative Canadian youth who promote positive changes throughout their community. Nicholas spoke about how Indigenous knowledge is critical in informing how we do STEM and innovation technology research.Ayesha Ahmad is a 21-year-old who moved to Whitehorse, Yukon, two years ago. She is not from the north, but rather, saw it as a place with an enormous potential for science and innovation and decided to move there on her own initiative. Ayesha spoke about her impressive work that looks at how to safely manage mine tailings in northern conditions.

While much has been done of late to strengthen the North American Arctic, there is much potential to strengthen the ties between Canada and Greenland. The win-win of a closer relationship between the two countries has long been touted as a way to mitigate the persistent issues in the region such as security, economic under-development, and the infrastructure gap. Today on Breaking the Ice, Dr. Jessica Shadian, Elliott Simpson, and Ayoe Kristiansen discuss this with two people keenly aware of the risks of continuing down this path of ‘business as usual,’ Leona Alleslev - MP for Aurora, Oak Ridges, and Richmond hill, and Vittus Qujaukitsoq – former Minister for Finance and Nordic Cooperation.

Greenland and Canada are neighbours in the Arctic, and they share much in the way of cultural ties. They also share an abundance of natural resources - especially critical minerals. But what is diplomacy's role in all this? And how can the diplomatic ties shared between Canada and Greenland improve the economic, and human outlook in the North American Arctic? Today on Breaking the Ice, Dr. Jessica Shadian, Elliott Simpson, and Ayoe Kristiansen sit down with two people intimately involved in the day to day matters of diplomacy between Canada and Greenland. Simeon McKay - Counsellor for Political and Public Affairs at the Embassy of Canada to the Kingdom of Denmark - and Inuuteq Holm Olsen, Minister Plenipotentiary and Head of Greenland’s representation at the Danish Embassy in Washington, DC.

Canada’s north has incredible potential for innovation in transportation. We have thousands of kilometres of land that could be available for almost year-round modern vehicular research, including the performance of autonomous and electric vehicles in northern climates. Unfortunately, Canada is not taking full advantage of this potential. But other countries are. Norway, in collaboration with Finland, has established a research centre based around a test track on public roads in its far north. At this facility, it tests how Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems might function in northern environments.In this episode of Breaking the Ice, host Connor Oke speaks to Tomas Levin, who is a Senior Principal Engineer at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, to learn more about the E8 Borealis Test Track.

Canada's north is facing a severe housing crisis. Today, we're looking at innovative solutions to address this problem, including new techniques for building on permafrost and the possibility of 3D printing new homes. Our co-hosts Connor Oke and Rebecca Rogers sit down with Stig Hansen, the project manager for a new student housing complex in Svalbard, Norway, and Julian Leland Bell, a mechanical engineer who specializes in robotics, manufacturing, and mechanical design. In 2017, he worked on a project at MIT to construct houses using 3D printing techniques.

Mining is important to the economies of both Northern Canada and Greenland. There is a lot that the mining industries in Canada and Greenland can learn from one another.Our cohosts were pleased to welcome Hans Hinrichsen, General Manager of the Greenland School of Minerals and Petroleum. His school, based out of Sisimiut, Greenland, takes an innovative approach to mining focused on hands-on learning and practical experience in the industry. And from Canada, we spoke to Paul Gruner, President & CEO of Det’on Cho Management LP. Serving the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Det'on Cho Management LP employs 600-700 people working in 15 companies and is heavily involved in services for the mining sector.

Heavy fuel oil is thick and has a tar-like consistency. That makes spills involving heavy fuel oil a major environmental concern. It is commonly used in shipping vessels, including in Arctic waters. However, the International Maritime Organization has recently approved a ban on HFO in the Arctic after July 1, 2024.To make sense of this ban and what heavy fuel oil is, our co-hosts Paris Molokwu-Ogwuda Jr. and Rebecca Rogers sat down with a panel of guests: Andrew Dumbrille, Lead Specialist in Marine Shipping and Conservation at the World Wildlife Fund; Dr. Sian Prior, Lead Adviser to the Clean Arctic Alliance; and Michael Kingston, an Irish maritime lawyer and the Managing Director of Michael Kingston Associates.

Indigenous Development Corporations are the economic arms of many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in Canada and the United States. These organizations are major drivers of innovation and economic growth for Indigenous communities.Our hosts Paris Molokwu-Ogwuda Jr. and Rebecca Rogers speak to Clint Davis, President and CEO of Nunasi Corporation, and Debbie Atuk, President and CEO at Kootznoowoo, Inc., to learn more.