Canada steps up fight for the Arctic

Another volley has been launched in the battle for the Arctic, with Canada announcing Friday that two new military facilities will be built in the Arctic in a bid to boost its sovereign claim to the fabled Northwest Passage.

The frigid hamlet of Resolute Bay, Nunavut
The two projects will cement Canada’s claim to each end of the fabled Northwest Passage, coveted for centuries as a possible trade route to Asia.

Canada’s ownership claim to the waters has been largely ignored because of the harshness of the climate, which makes maritime transportation in the barren region impractical.

That is changing, however, as warming temperatures open the prospect of resource exploitation and maritime access.

While it remains unknown just how much mineral wealth and other resources lie in the archipelago’s 36,500 islands and 1.4 million square kilometres, Russia made the dramatic move of placing a flag underneath the North Pole last week to claim the area’s resources as its own.

Globe and Mail