The Centre for the North

Building an Equitable Canada

Canada’s North is rich in culture, resources, and natural beauty, but lags behind its Southern counterparts in critical social and economic areas. Closing these gaps would benefit the North and Canada as a whole. The Centre for the North is Canada’s only cross-sector, collaborative research initiative dedicated to addressing the policy gaps, systemic barriers, and structural challenges affecting Northern socioeconomic development and reconciliation.

Why Become a Funder?

Create more impact through a collective research initiative.  

Funding members can help shape the future of Canada by ensuring independent, evidence-based research on Northern socioeconomic development is created and delivered to government, business, and civil society decision-makers. Pooling funding dollars helps your money go further, enabling Conference Board researchers and economists to create more robust and impactful research. 

Become a Funder

Our Objectives

Inform decision-making for public, Indigenous, private, and not-for-profit organizations that have a vested interest in Northern socio-economic development.

Provide a framework that supports collective action to address Northern Canada’s most pressing challenges.

Ensure the development of solutions, practices, and policies that are driven by Northerners, for Northerners.

Contribute to reconciliation based on the contexts, needs, and interests of Northern and remote Indigenous communities.

Testimonial

Christopher Cornish

Lands and Economic Development, Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

The Centre for the North’s research model has allowed us to more efficiently and effectively leverage our resources and strengthen the evidence-based research we need for practical and informed decision-making and policy development. The Members’ meetings are an invaluable network for learning first-hand from other governments, Indigenous partners, and industry about their experiences, and having frank and open discussions about the complex challenges and opportunities facing Northerners.

Latest Releases and Events

Edge of a forested lake just after sunset

Indigenous Ownership: Overcoming Obstacles and Forging Partnerships

Indigenous & Northern Communities September 29, 2022

Indigenous ownership is rising across Canada’s $540 billion major project landscape, with the potential to unlock new investment and advance economic reconciliation. Driving this trend are Indigenous communities seeking stable, long-term revenues and greater decision-making power over projects impacting their territories. Industry is also awakening to the strengths and increased certainty Indigenous co-owners can bring to their operations.

Impact paper • 25-min read

Mother with child in lap with dish of berries in a greenhouse

Cool Ideas: Hyperlocal Food Systems to Address Northern Food Insecurity

Indigenous & Northern Communities March 28, 2022

This series aims to raise awareness about emerging opportunities in a thoughtful and creative manner, while weighing the costs and benefits of new systems against their risks and challenges. Promising new technologies could address long-standing, pivotal objectives that Northerners have identified as priorities; they can also be disruptive and carry unintended consequences.

Impact paper • 32-min read

Indigenous & Northern Communities March 11, 2022

The economy in the North is growing—and with it, the need for skilled labour. There are clear benefits to using fly-in, fly-out workers, but the practice also brings a number of important social challenges. The economic boom in Canada’s North is tied to the development of world-class mines and large oil and gas reserves as well as its thriving tourism industry, among other sectors.

Impact paper • 47-min read

See All Research

Members Only

This section is currently underdevelopment. In the meantime, please visit this page to access all members-only content.

If you’re not a member and would like to become one, please contact us.