Changing Tides: Economic Development in Canada’s Northern Marine Waters

Canada’s Northern marine waters are a challenging environment for the pursuit of economic development projects. Nevertheless, oil and gas development, fishing, tourism, and the shipping associated with these and other forms of economic activity are expected to increase over the decades to come. The pace of this increase will hinge on developments surrounding climate change, commodity prices, emergency response and search and rescue capacity, and the availability and quality of Northern infrastructure.

Changing Tides: Economic Development in Canada’s Northern Seas discusses the trends surrounding economic development in Northern marine waters as well as the associated risks and benefits for the stakeholders involved, including industry, public sector organizations, Northern communities, and the surrounding environment. The risks will need to be mitigated and the benefits enhanced if equitable, sustainable development is to be achieved. The report concludes with a series of recommendations that target this objective.