Professors explain “Why Research Matters”
Researchers, students, and community members gathered at the Guelph Civic Museum on Nov. 29 to discuss the University of Guelph’s research contributions in the North. The event consisted of three presentations, all from U of G professors who conduct various types of research in the Arctic.
Dr. Malcolm Campbell, vice-president of research at U of G, began the event by acknowledging the traditional territory of the Attawandaron people, a practice that has been integrated into many events facilitated by the University. Dr. Campbell also acknowledged the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Métis neighbours.
“As we approach our 150th anniversary as a sovereign nation, we must remember that, in fact, our history goes back much longer than that. Our First Nations people inhabited our northern country over 20,000 years ago. They inhabited a vast area that really defines us as Canadians, and I think it is appropriate that as we approach our 150th anniversary that we think about the north,” said Dr. Campbell.
He went on to introduce the evening’s first speaker, Dr. Sherilee Harper. Dr. Harper investigates the associations among weather, water, and Indigenous health in the context of climate change in the Canadian Arctic.
Dr. Harper’s research focuses on climate-sensitive health priorities such as food and water security and unpredictable weather. She argued in her presentation that, in the case of northern coastal communities, ice becomes the “highway” or the viable means of transportation for hunting, fishing, and simply going out on the land.
However, the quality and quantity of ice has fluctuated in recent years due to unpredictable weather. Summertime droughts have dried up brooks and other traditional water sources. Caribou now migrate further to find food and water, which in turn complicates hunting practices.
Dr. Harper emphasized the lack of health data currently available with regards to northern populations, specifically Inuit.
“We do community-based research. We ask people what are important research questions that they’re interested in having answered to help them make decisions in terms of healthcare or public health provision,” said Dr. Harper. “It’s just endless—it’s really hard to narrow it down to something that might be useful because there’s so much work that needs to be done.”
Dr. Harper connected her work in the Arctic to that with Indigenous populations in Uganda and Peru. In all three environments, research has proven that these Indigenous populations all experience food and water security issues, as well as heat-related illness and vector-borne disease in the warmer climates.
Dr. Ben Bradshaw’s research focuses on environmental governance and tailors a research program centered on the mining sector—understanding mine development, operation, and eventual abandonment in remote northern communities. His presentation revealed the predictable and surprising impacts on northern Indigenous communities who are asked to partner in mine development.
Dr. Bradshaw explained that contract law is now widely accepted as a means of bridging the gaps in the current regulatory system. Impact and benefit agreements (IBAs) consist of a contract between would-be mine developers and Indigenous communities.An IBA is not required by law, but have been the foremost practice in the last 15 years.
In the case of Baker Lake, Nunavut, the IBA between the community and Agnico-Eagle Mines has exhibited less food insecurity and more disposable income among the population. However, Dr. Bradshaw cautioned that there has been a wide range of views on the mining project. His research found a dichotomy of views on the two week on, two week off work schedule, as it both allows and denies people to spend more time on the land.
The last speaker of the evening was Dr. Merritt Turetsky, who holds a Canada Research Chair in integrative ecology. Dr. Turetsky has worked in the Arctic for two decades as an ecologist and environmental chemist. Her presentation focused on how thawing, permafrost, and increased fire activity influence northern ecosystems.
Dr. Turetsky also spoke about coastal erosion and slope failure, the effects of which can move entire communities further inland. Her research attempts to forecast the different types of ecological change taking place in the Arctic.
However, the changes taking place are difficult to understand, considering the Arctic terrain is so vast and varied, and most areas are difficult to travel to.
“Even with helicopters and float planes and all sorts of [transportation], we’re really limited in what we can simply access,” said Dr. Turetsky. “There’s a reason roads are where they are—in areas that are easy to build on. That’s not necessarily representative of the land.”
Wildfires happen not only because of climate change, but also due to human impacts on the landscape.However, the effects have been troubling, especially over the past couple wildfire seasons.
Dr. Turetsky cited her experience working with two emergency room doctors from Yellowknife who compiled data on stress-related emergency room visits before and after wildfires.
“What surprised me is that these two doctors said, ‘Oh no. This is not just because of the wildfire. We’re diagnosing these [cases] as post-traumatic stress disorder. We don’t think it’s really an artifact of the fire—we think the communities are starting to understand that climate change is really here,’” she told the audience.
As climate change and weather variability continue to reshape the Arctic landscape, it becomes difficult to make accurate predictions and provide adequate preparation for communities facing poor ice conditions or wildfires.
“Part of the issue is [that] climate change will bring a general shift in climate, but it’s also going to bring an exceptional amount of variation,” said Dr. Turetsky. “That variability, not just in temperature and hydrology, but also in disturbance regimes, is extremely unsettling, and it’s difficult to plan for. I think that’s in part what communities are reacting to—the unknown.”
The event closed with comments on the need to engage community members and foster long-term relationships between a research team or institution and a community, which would enable them to mobilize the information that has been gathered.
Photo courtesy of Pink-floyd88-a_-CC-BY-SA-2.5