The Government of Canada is celebrating an important milestone in the High Arctic: the expansion of Natural Resources Canada’s Polar Continental Shelf Program (PCSP) facility in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, is now underway. The expansion, scheduled to be completed by March 31, 2011, will see the addition of modern laboratories and upgraded living quarters designed to significantly boost the capacity of the facility, which supports field research throughout Canada’s Arctic. Modules for the new construction, built in Matane, Quebec, have arrived in Resolute and will be assembled on site. Funding for the $11-million project comes from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada’s Arctic Research Infrastructure Fund, which received $85 million under Canada’s Economic Action Plan to maintain and upgrade key Arctic research facilities.
“Our Government is building on over 50 years of experience in Arctic research and exploration,” said the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources. “This is essential if we’re to improve our knowledge of the region and better position us to ensure that the limitless potential of the North is realized — for the benefit of not just Northern communities, but all Canadians.” Read More