$150M for IPY signals Canada's latest attempt to rebuild northern research capacity

By Debbie Lawes

For Canada's academic and government scientists, it was a long-awaited financial boost for a research field given new life after decades of neglect. For Canada's "new government", it was an opportunity to bolster its green credentials with an electorate that ranks climate change as its top concern. On March 1, Environment minister John Baird and Indian and Northern Affairs minister Jim Prentice shared centre stage with scientists and Inuit leaders at Ottawa's Museum of Civilization to announce 44 research projects to be funded as part of the government's $150-million commitment to the International Polar Year 2007-08 (IPY).

The funding is being jointly managed by an ADM committee representing six federal departments — Indian and Northern Affairs, Environment, Natural Resources, Fisheries and Oceans, Health Canada and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council on behalf of Industry Canada — making it one of the largest interdepartmental research initiatives ever undertaken in Canada.

With some 60,000 researchers from more than 60 countries involved, IPY is the largest-ever international program of coordinated, interdisciplinary research focused on the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Canada is involved in more than half of the 228 IPY studies happening around the world. It is also the biggest financial contributor.

Canada's $150 million IPY funding will flow over six years to accommodate longer-term projects, with about $79 million going directly to the 44 projects. The largest study is being led by Dr. David Barber from the Univ of Manitoba. His team of 200 scientists will receive $34 million to study the "flaw lead" system, a circumpolar phenomenon created when the central Arctic ice pack moves away from coastal ice, leaving areas of open water. Funding levels for each project will be announced next month.

Another $24.5 million will be used to operate five Coast Guard icebreakers, and $13 million is budgeted for emergency preparedness, upgraded Arctic weather forecasting and logistics. Funds will also go to data management ($7M), training/capacity building ($7.5M), and communications, outreach and knowledge translation ($11M). The latter program is still in development.

"We have a committee that is being put together with representatives from across the country, from territorial governments, from the federal government, from a number of communities in the north to look at the logistics that will be needed for this program," says Kathleen Fischer, executive director, IPY Federal Program Office based at Indian and Northern Affairs in Ottawa. "We will also be conducting a communications and outreach component … that will be developed over the coming months."

A "RENAISSANCE" FOR NORTHERN RESEARCH

The $150-million investment, initially committed by the Liberal government in September 2005, is $100 million less than originally requested but still represents the single largest commitment Canada has ever made to northern research.

"It's important that (northern) scientific research in Canada is undergoing a renaissance of sorts and IPY is a very significant step forward in this," says Dr. David Hik, executive director of the Canadian IPY National Office and a Canada Research Chair at the University of Alberta. Hik says the IPC legacy could include many long-term benefits, such as "new and enhanced observation systems, facilities, multidisciplinary research networks, an unprecedented degree of access to data and information about the polar regions, a new generation of polar scientists, engagement of residents of the polar regions and public policy makers worldwide."

That cautious optimism was echoed by Marty Bergmann, division manager of Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Arctic Science Program in Winnipeg. "There isn't the level of funding in the Arctic versus other places and everybody would agree with that statement. I think that the fundamental aspect of change here is over two years with this tremendous increase by the Government of Canada in terms of an investment, we are looking at leveraging things into the future at a scale never done before."

Canada's investment in northern research, while going up, has not kept pace with the significant increases to post-secondary research. In an October 2 presentation to the House Finance Committee, the chair of the Canadian IPY National Committee suggested that the $133 million (2003 figure) spent by the federal government on northern research isn't enough.

"We're the only northern country without a northern university," said Ian Church. "We need to look at research stations and platforms. They've deteriorated over the last 50 years, for the most part. There are some good examples of progress made in Quebec ... but elsewhere they're in bad shape."

NSERC TO AWARD $6M FOR IPY PROJECTS

More than 150 research applications were reviewed by scientific review panels and external review panels, overseen by a Science Review Subcommittee, chaired by Dr. Gordon McBean. Of the 44 projects, 15 are led by federal departments, 23 by a university or college, and the remainder by northern organizations, including First Nations groups.

The projects fall into two broad research themes: climate change impacts and adaptation, and health and well-being of Northern communities. A key criteria was that each project include a "human dimension" that looks at the impacts of a changing Arctic on the environment, the economy, human health and even sovereignty. "(The projects) couldn't just be excellent science. They also had to be policy-relevant," says Fischer.

Just seven years ago, a task force report to Canada's natural sciences and social sciences granting councils warned that northern research was in a state of crisis as a result of government cutbacks and rising research costs. That downward spiral began to reverse over the last few years with investments in the ArcticNet Network of Centres of Excellence ($25.7M), the Amundsen research icebreaker ($30.7 million), and larger grants for northern research by the three granting councils, particularly the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. NSERC winn announce the winners soon for a separate $6-million competition for IPY projects.

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