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Home : Canada : Canada's North unprepared for climate change: report

Canada's North unprepared for climate change: report

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CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Thursday Nov. 26, 2009 7:15 AM ET

Canada's northern communities are unprepared to cope with the threat that climate change poses to their roads, buildings and other infrastructure, a new report from the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy says.

"Climate change is moving fastest in Arctic areas, requiring Canada to be a world leader in adaptation practices, more than we had even contemplated," the group's chairperson said in a news release.

The independent federal government agency made 16 recommendations, saying a comprehensive effort will be needed to help deal with climate change effects such as degrading permafrost, melting ice roads, storms surges and coastal erosion.

The report comes as world leaders and environmental ministers prepare to meet in Copenhagen for a major climate conference in December.

Some of the group's suggestions include:

  • updating construction and engineering codes
  • providing better weather information
  • insurance system changes
  • new infrastructure built to withstand climate change

"From buildings to roads, from airports to pipelines, infrastructure is essential to modern, secure communities," NRTEE President and CEO David McLaughlin said.

The report says some of climate-change effects on the North include winter roads melting early, forcing communities to airlift supplies; melting permafrost destabilizing buildings and airport runways; increased snowfall adding additional stress to buildings; and, storm surges putting communities at risk.

The report says that national codes are inadequate for the challenges faced by the North, and there is an absence of co-ordinated strategies.

According to the report, NRTEE consulted with more than 100 experts and residents during its research.

The group has a mandate to advise the federal government on sustainable development issues.

Comments are now closed for this story

Warren in toon town
said
0 0

NRTEE you people are a joke. Apparently you did not see where the IPCC was found to be fixing data regarding there climate change scare. Emails were found between IPCC so called scientists showing that numbers were fudged between each other to scare people. Your big push on Governments to spend outrageous amounts of money on something that is not occurring will come back to haunt you, when people start to see that there is no big temperature rises occuring on the planet, you will be stopped and shut down.


david sawkiw[saskatchewan farmer]
said
0 0

Aw come on! Get serious! I live in Arctic conditions for six months of the year. For 57 years I've had to prepare for climate change each and every spring! I shall now give instructions to those up north facing this huge "crisis":
1)Remove your parka.
2)Turn DOWN your thermostat..
3)Get a seed catalogue and order your seeds,, you are going to plant a garden! Yeah really, really tough to adapt!!

Fran Slave Lake, Alberta
said
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They keep finding oil up there so it was warm before with lots of vegation and dinosaurses. Everything will be fine.


Kevin
said
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Do a little research people - the vast majority of reputible climatologists and atmospheric scientists do not believe in global warming or "climate change" Al Gore style - the data collected over the past 25yrs just does not support it. Does anyone remember back in the 70's how it was all about the next ice age, now its all about global flooding. FACT - 99% of so called "greenhouse gases" are naturally occuring through volcanoes, forest fires, etc...FACT - Canada produces only 2% of that remaining 1% of greenhouse gases. And we have politicains who want to spend 40-50 billion dollars a year to combat Canada's carbon footprint - please, please, please give me a break.


JB in Ontario
said
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The ecosystems are changing in the far north. For example, the Polar bear is losing hunting ground due to less ice in the north. There is a lot of evidence of glacier ice melt from year to year.


TVic in Guelph
said
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I'm surprised and disappointed by the number of posts that still don't believe that climate change is real and will have serious consequences for this country and the planet. The federal government is not doing enough to inform Canadians of the reality and seriousness of the situation. Nor are they doing anything about the problem. My children and grandchildren will pay dearly for this inaction. Hello Ottawa - is anybody there??


Mike Stokes
said
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Let's get with the program, the rest of the world's scientific community is in turmoil over last weeks revalations. members of the Australian Parliament have resigned over cap n trade schemes. Yet here in Canada the media is ignoring it! Speak up Canada contact your MP now and stop the nonsense.


jay, ottawa
said
0 0

Kevin said 'Do a little research people - the vast majority of reputible climatologists and atmospheric scientists do not believe in global warming or "climate change" ' >> Looks like that $60,000 / week (or whatever it is) that the Friends of Science is spending to flood the public with misinformation is working. They've fooled Kevin! It's entertaining how conservative-types are all about individual responsibility until it comes time for them to be individually responsible. Then suddenly all fault is diverted to Al Gore.


Jeff
said
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With the recent revelation in what is now being called climategate, I don't think we need to worry about the warming arctic.


Richard Batty
said
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Al Gore makes statements like a Prius producing more Co2 than a Hummer when it's fuel comes from the Oilsands. No one questions him on such ridiculous statements. He is not lying. He is just manipulating the facts and presenting them out of context. The fact is that a Prius may produce more Co2 than a Hummer, but using any fuel. It is because of the large amounts of Co2 produced in manufacturing, replacing and transporting the batteries around the world.How can the scientific community give so much praise to a person who is so manipulative and misleading. Fact: there is Global Warming and that it is caused by human activity. Fact: There is no proof that Global Warming will be anything like what Al Gore implies.The truth is that the scientific community doesn't believe that the common person can understand the true facts and science behind Global Warming. Without a lot of drama, people will not take the threat serious.I am sorry. If you can not be honest about the science, you will only leave room for critics and rebuttals.


Ignore the Ignorant
said
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The posts here denying that climate change is occurring are a joke! As if David Sawkiw is a real farmer - if he was he'd actually be attuned to what's been going on in the fields. Instead he's just some paid Conservative poster that sits online all day. As for the real farmers who will end up suffering because of the increasing numbers of invasive pests and insects that can now survive our 'winters', they'll have less money available to them to help out since the government will be spending it on things like rebuilding foundations of hospitals that were built on previously frozen permafrost! Oh wait we're running a $56 billion deficit this year - sorry no money!


bikerborz
said
0 0

For those of you still fearing climate change or global warming, check your history -- the Vikings made prosperous settlements on the West Coast of Greenland -- where was the ice? Hudson and Frobisher found the Northwest passage -- where was the ice? Even in recorded history, 300 to 400 years ago, citrus (lemons, limes, oranges) were being grown in Britain. Britain! Where was the ice?We're fine.


Janet
said
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Canada is probably the only country in the western world that does not adequately support such an amazing resource as our far north. Other nations fight for sovereignty of the north by developing and maintaining both land and sea resources in the far north. We should not underestimate the importance of helping those who live there, and in maintaining a military and civilian sea presence there.


PBW
said
0 0

So the committee wants our government to spend untold billions on infrastructure in the remotest part of our nation to ensure infrastructure can withstand the effects of climate change. I have serious doubts about whether the national "pie" has enough volume to take more billions out of it. We have demands for more billions to support recession relief; billions for health care; billions for criminal law reform - but note: no billions for needed new prisons or expansion of police forces to actually enforce laws. And on top of this, we have opposition parties demand judicial enquiries into everything the government does, at a cost of millions of unproductive dollars a shot. I sincerely hope that someone, somewhere in government, has a realistic list of priorities, so that in future we don't get a T1 short that asks "State your annual income" then orders us to "send it". While I do object strenuously to the obscenely high salaries paid to some, I do not want our nation to be bankrupted by spending on every special-interest urged project that makes it to parliament hill. How much more must citizens pay out for government ineptitude?


Brian fr Langley
said
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to Thic in Guelph, The reason I don't believe the scientists is simple, many of them are lying. While I believe their motivations may be honourable (they are trying to save humanity) virtually all science in the western democracies succumb to political correctness. For example despite the science empirically proving male circumcision reduced the transmission of hiv/aids the poor lady scientist who discovered the correlation was made a pariah for years. Yet only in the last few years has the WHO finally concurred and now recognize this procedures validy. Since by definition most people assume science is science they find it hard to believe that subjective things like politics may be involved. Well it is and they are. As one very senior scientist (who told an interviewer on why he did not believe in the so called consenus on human caused global warming) said and I paraphrase with apologies "I'm not interested in consenus only science and the science does not agree with the consensus.


Bob in Ottawa
said
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Did the NRTEE report also show where the Arctic will be overrun by Unicorns ?You know, the white ones with the thick fur .....Bob.


Norm
said
0 0

Its wonderful how all you couch climate experts have dismissed the relevance of climate change for us all. As the saying goes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and without exception, every one of you posting here is in fact dangerous in the sense that u spread these misconceptions and ill-informed opinions. Do you really believe your "barely got through highschool science" brains are capable of understanding these complex climate models? They aren't... plain and simple. It's much easier just to get on the rumour train with the rest of these feeble minded posters..


Canadian
said
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JB IN ONTARIOIf you ask the Inuit (and not the NRTEE or any other organization based out of Toronto) they will tell you that the polar bare is thriving. So much that it is becoming more dangerous for the Inuit people.Global warming is nothing but a scam.


Marc
said
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It all ends in 2012 anyway so who cares.


d_abes Saskatoon
said
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JB in ontario said: "The ecosystems are changing in the far north. For example, the Polar bear is losing hunting ground due to less ice in the north. There is a lot of evidence of glacier ice melt from year to year"This is factually incorrect. Arctic ice summer minimums have increased each of the past two years. Polar Bears are more numerous in the north now then they have been in at least 60 years.Global temperatures have been declining since 1998, The tropical atlantic has cooled 2 degrees. Notice very few hurricanes this year?Ten years after the IPCC predicted vast storms, rising seas, pestilence, and famine, none has occured, and no evidence exists that we have moved in that direction.If anything we have learned in the past week with "climategate", it is the science is still very much unsettled over the issue. The prediction models were wrong, the data manipulated and cherry picked to show warming. It is obvious to anyone that the climate scientists really do not yet have a clue what is or will be happening. Get the science right first, then make trillion dollar economic/environmental decisions. The horse goes in front of the cart.


stopthebandwagoning
said
0 0

Our climate has, and will always be, in a constant state of change. To try and control this is an absolute illusion. As Kevin mentioned our contribution to climate change has not been proven to impact the natural cycles in place. That does not mean that we shouldn't safeguard our natural ecosystems with tough environmental law, but let's understand the situation before we divert money from Health Care, Education, and other programs central to the development of our country and culture...


Justin in Vancouver
said
0 0

Everyone on here is touting that they've done their own research... I call BS. Fact is, several of you are correct, the earth is not in trouble, even if Climate change is a fact. One witty commenter states that there must have been tropical conditions in the arctic at one point, or else we wouldn't find oil there. She's probably correct. But do you think humans were able to exist in that time period? NO!So the Earth, once humans have been eradicated will certainly return to some sort of equilibrium. However the Earth is not the issue; what we need to be concerned about is the survival of the human race! We surely will not be around to see this equilibrium reestablish itself.


cam
said
0 0

TVic The flat earth society must have a alert that sounds every time someone on CTV mentions oil or climate change.That or someone with deep pockets is paying the keypad peckers.Either way it is most annoying to see the same talking points repeated over and over.

Doug @ BC
said
0 0

Well said "Janet".Canada can either use it,or lose it.If,and "if" is the big unknown here,but if climate change does occur,we will be better off preparing to take advantage of all our territories and our entire land mass.The north will provide vital resources and incomes for generations of future Canadians. As it stands now,we are far better off spending the few dollars we do have on developing the north.That's something we can actually make progress on.Unlike the possibility of a global warming that may or may not come,and that Canada can do nothing about even if it does come.By following the left wing scare tactics,we could eassily spend not only all of our money,but all the resouces of our children and our grand children,on infrastructure tham may never be needed,that hasn't been shown to work,that is not even close to affordable,and that would not come close to solving the problem that many think will come. Money invested in the north is an investment that will surely pay dividends,Money spent now on unknown technology may do nothing less than bankrupt several generations of future Canadians.Going "green" is not a really bad idea.But please,get back to me when you have something that works,and can be done at a price we can afford to pay.Of,failing that,at a time when the planets biggest emitters commit to doing something too. Right now,both India and China take the position that they don't need to act until all of their citizens are as wealthy as those in places like Canada and the USA. If that is so,then the entire negotiations around greenhouse gases are really just about negotiating a transfer of weath.Not about the environment at all.


d_abes in Saskatoon
said
0 0

Oil is in the arctic, not because of once tropical conditions, but due to plate tectonics. The arctic crust was once located far closer to the equator.


Bee
said
0 0

When is CTV going to stop pushing the global government agenda of climate change and start exposing it for the hoax it is? I would have thought CTV would be the first to report on the emails.


Gerald Graham
said
0 0

As a Consultant specialising in the circumpolar north, 22 years ago I proposed a study to DIAND ( specifically Danielle Wetherup ) that would have looked at the impact of climate change on the Arctic. I was told to come back in 20 years. I kid you not!Gerald Graham, Ph. D.Victoria


Ian in Oshawa
said
0 0

The day that New York City and Prince Edward Island go under the waves, this will be the first place I come to ask whether those crazy liar scientists were right. Come to think, of it, there'll probably be some new excuse by then.


Portes
said
0 0

d abbesI found a quote from an article that proves you rightIn the 1950s the polar bear population up north was estimated at 5,000. Today it's 20- to 25,000, a number that has either held steady over the last 20 years or has risen slightly. In Canada, the manager of wildlife resources for the Nunavut territory of Canada has found that the population there has increased by 25 percent."That is all I have to say on the Polar Bear thing


annie
said
0 0

If I could find a liberal organization/government to fund me for 10s/100s of thousands of dollars, I'd make up some evidence also.Would CTV report that?


Rick in NB, Ste Marie
said
0 0

And the award for the most desparate comment, goes to Fran Slave Lake, Alberta. You must be a wizzard on debate teams. And Warren in toon town. You say NRTEE is a joke. How did they get all the polar bears to migrate further north every year? How did they open the northwest passage? Last how did they convince Canada, Russia, United States, and Norway that oil reserves have suddenly become available due to global warming. That's some kind of joke Warren. Do any of you protesters realize how senseless your posts look when you deny global warming, it's nature doing what nature does.


Brian in Calgary
said
0 0

Many scientists are arrogant and think that people who don't work in their discipline are stupid. With the revelation that some of the leading scientific advocates for the notion that humans are the cause of global warming have been manipulating data to make their case, I am now firmly in the camp of skeptics about the cause of global warming.


Westerner
said
0 0

People go visit the Columbia Icefield on the Banff Jasper Highway. This has receeded remarkably since I visited it the first time in the mid 60's. Not only are climate changes happening - but also the shift in the Earth's Axis from previous years. You have to look at the whole picture and be around for a few years to compare and see it for yourself BEFORE you can comment in a non-bias manner. To me seeing the columbia Icefield receed remarkably indicates things are happening elsewhere that need addressing but at a individual level first and then at a corporate leve.


Jim in Ottawa
said
0 0

The fossil record indicates a long and boring history of irregular climate change cycles. Living things learn to adapt and move forward. I'm sure we modern humans living in the north can devise new and innovated solutions to address the infrastructure problems cited in this article.


Saskmike
said
0 0

@Ignore the IgnorantI don't like most of the comments that come from David the farmer but you have to remember that the sky was falling about 8 years ago when the big hole opened up above Antartic. No mention of this anymore...it's funny how these just heal themselves...Mother Nature. The planet will continue to go through cyciles and there is no way to stop that.


Kevin
said
0 0

Jay Ottawa - it is interesting how the uniformed liberal types are all about forcing agendas on people regardless of the veracity of the subject. It's all about corporate responsibility because the vast majority of these liberal types can hide in their individual hypocrisy. For your info Jay I care about this world and do as much as possible to be green, I am not about wasting resources on false and forged research.


AH in Ottawa
said
0 0

Well, now the Grits have a plan on climate change, and the Greens, NDP, and bloc all have their own plans, now the govt are trapped.They have to have a clear plan before they go to Copenhagen.This is going to be interesting to see what happens afterwards.Hope to god we don't get the fossil fuel award again.


Mead
said
0 0

Simple planning - build big resorts on the beaches up north. Build it and people will come. It is getting warmer, isn't it? A new Florida, here in Canada. I can't wait.


d_abes in Saskatoon
said
0 0

Westerner said "To me seeing the columbia Icefield receed remarkably indicates things are happening elsewhere that need addressing."No doubt the Columbia Field is decreasing. In discussing climate however, you must expand your time field of view to centuries, not a few decades. The climate issue centers on AGW. Androgynous Global Warming due to Co2 emissions.Fact is, the icefields have been shrinking for millenia, where I sit today, 10,000 years ago was under a mile of ice. If you are relying on your experience with the Columbia IceFields to formulate your position on fact or fiction, the obvious conclusion would be against the AGW co2 theory as being responsible. The AGW factor only became apparent 150 years ago, and only in the past 60 years has the Co2 emissions been significant.


Gregory d
said
0 0

I have lived in the arctic from 87-92 and I have family up there now. I can tell you the climate has changed drastically. I also lived in the Ottawa region and in the last 30 years there has been drastic change. They don't get the big snow falls they used to. In fact there are many years they only have a little snow for a few short months. I have to wonder if the posters here that are insinuating it is a scam, actually live in Canada. Now I do not necessarily agree with all the doomsday talk from scientists but to deny climate change is ludicrous. I am a Conservative and if all these posters are doing this for a political purpose I would be very disappointed. I joined the party because the new conservative party is supposed to get passed politics and govern truthfully with the interest of the people in mind. Not their own self interest.Also I am getting sick of the harassment for contributions from the party. I am a conservative but I am a Canadian first. Kinda Naive I guess eh.


realityseeker
said
0 0

One unfortunate aspect to the internet is the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories. I suspect that many of the disbelievers in climate change also believe the US government destroyed the World Trade Center, the moon landings were just filmed in Hollywood, Area 51 has dead aliens, H1N1 was deliberately released in an attempt to reduce world population and the gold in Fort Knox is actually gold plated bricks. Maybe the world is flat, too.


The Widowmaker
said
0 0

Climate change and global warming are nothing more then a cash grab. The earth goes through cycles of change all the time. You get a small group of people who exploit a situation to make it seem worse then what is really going on. The earth is changing period. Nothing we can do will stop it. Having said that it doesn't hurt for us to do our part and become a clean and more caring society. Be realistic.


Oliver
said
0 0

It better get started then. I suggest a diet high in fibre, lots of exercise, and invest in a good refrigerator.


KC-bby
said
0 0

"Your big push on Governments to spend outrageous amounts of money on something that is not occurring will come back to haunt you, when people start to see that there is no big temperature rises occuring on the planet, you will be stopped and shut down." - ummm....the alternative is that they are right and that there is a tipping point where nothing can be done to reverse the damage. That would be a bigger haunting than forcing big polluters like China from carrying on as ususal.


Alex (Toronto)
said
0 0

Let's take note that the Montreal Protocol on reducing ozone emissions, sponsored by the Mulroney government and specifically by Environment Minister Jean Charest, has been successful in reducing global ozone emissions and is making the planet safer. We could do the same thing with CO2 emissions, and it seems like the rest of the world is going to do so with or without Canada's help. Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk saw with his own eyes the reduction in arctic ice between his visits to space; the facts are visible. We know from measuring temperatures that temperatures have risen in the past 35 years more than ten times faster than any natural climate change, and we also know that CO2 levels have risen in the past decade higher than anything known to have happened in the past half million years for which we can get data. Contrary to one of the claims here, the population of polar bears is also dropping. China, India, and other newly-developing countries are simply asking the Western nations to remediate the problems we caused in the first place. When the West was benefiting from the Industrial Revolution, China and India were still subject to Western imperial occupation (not to mention the opium wars). It's completely disingenuous and unfair for Canada to demand that the Asian countries act first on a problem we started and gave them.Fortunately Canada isn't very important and the rest of the world will move without us. Unfortunately this means that Canada's reputation will continue to suffer, as it has for the past three years, and we will also lose opportunities for green jobs as other countries move to develop environmental technologies before we do. We need a new government that will stop kowtowing to the demands of the Parti Albertois.


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