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YELLOWKNIFE — The federal government is moving to bolster security and sovereignty in Alberta’s north and across the Arctic with a sweeping plan that includes more than $40 billion in defence, infrastructure and economic development investments.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the initiative Thursday in Yellowknife, saying Ottawa will expand Canada’s military presence, strengthen transportation networks and support resource development across the northern regions.
The plan includes more than $35 billion in federal spending along with major infrastructure projects representing roughly $10 billion in additional investment.
A major portion of the funding will go toward expanding Canada’s military footprint in the Arctic. Ottawa says it will invest $32 billion to upgrade forward operating locations in Yellowknife, Inuvik and Iqaluit, as well as at 5 Wing Goose Bay in Labrador.
The upgrades will include improvements to airfields, new or repurposed hangars, expanded ammunition and fuel storage facilities, and additional buildings and equipment to support Canadian Armed Forces operations.
The federal government also plans to build two Northern Operational Support Hubs in Whitehorse and Resolute and two Northern Operational Support Nodes in Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet. The $2.67-billion network is intended to allow faster deployment and year-round operations across remote northern regions.
Additional funding of $294 million will go toward upgrades at Arctic airports, including improvements at Rankin Inlet and Inuvik to accommodate larger aircraft and improve year-round connectivity for both military and civilian travel.
Ottawa also plans to advance several major infrastructure projects aimed at improving transportation links and unlocking resource development across the North.
Among them is the proposed Mackenzie Valley Highway, an 800-kilometre road that would connect Yellowknife to Inuvik and provide year-round access to remote communities in the Mackenzie Valley.
The government is also referring the proposed Grays Bay Road and Port project and the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor to the Major Projects Office for further development. Those projects would link Nunavut to the national highway system through the Northwest Territories and provide Canada with an overland connection to a deepwater port on the Arctic Ocean.
Officials say the transportation corridor would support mining development in the region by linking copper, gold and zinc deposits to national road networks and shipping routes.
The government also confirmed plans to expand the Taltson hydroelectric system in the Northwest Territories by about 60 megawatts, which would double the territory’s hydroelectric capacity and supply power to about 70 per cent of residents.
The announcement also includes investments aimed at improving living conditions in northern communities, including funding for housing, food affordability, health programs and infrastructure projects developed in partnership with territorial governments and Indigenous communities.
Carney said the investments are meant to strengthen Canada’s control over its Arctic territory while building long-term economic opportunities in the North.
“After decades of limited and piecemeal investments in the North, Canada’s new government is acting with a scale of ambition worthy of this vast region and its peoples,” Carney said.
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