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I'm guessing what will happen is that various companies will propose building ports in the Canadian north, and Alaska. Then there will be debates about levels o

by troymc 13y ago

I'm guessing what will happen is that various companies will propose building ports in the Canadian north, and Alaska. Then there will be debates about levels of investment and ownership and preventing oil spills and so on. Similar debates have happened with respect to developing Canada's oil and potash resources (in the interior). I don't see the need for the military to get involved.

grecy 13y ago
> arious companies will propose building ports in the Canadian north, and Alaska. I don't think so, because those ports won't be ice-free, and will therefore be of little use. Valdez (the end of the AK pipeline) is the most northerly year-round ice-free port, and it's not North at all, by AK/Northern Canada standards (I have to drive many hours South to get there...)
- troymc 13y ago
  Canada already has an arctic port that's iced-in for much of the year: the Port of Churchill on Hudson Bay. Tourists go there to see polar bears. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Churchill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Churchill
otoburb 13y ago
As far as I understand no foreign countries laid claim to Canada's oil and potash resources in the interior. The difference for the Canadian North is that we have a few countries disputing our territorial claims[1] such as Denmark (via Greenland), Russia and the US. Thankfully these disputes are contained within diplomatic channels. My point is not that we must go to war, but that if we expect other countries to obey our laws typically the best way of enforcement is an actual show of force via patrols. Ironically, as I read about the Canadian Coast Guard, it is one of the few coast guard services that has a strictly civilian mandate with no military nor law-enforcement responsibilities[3]. [1] http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/jul/11/climatechange.climatechange http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/jul/11/climatech... [2] http://opencanada.org/features/the-think-tank/comments/2013-a-decisive-year-for-canadian-arctic-ambitions/ http://opencanada.org/features/the-think-tank/comments/2013-... [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Coast_Guard#Civilian_role http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Coast_Guard#Civilian_r...

by troymc 13y ago

grecy 13y ago

> arious companies will propose building ports in the Canadian north, and Alaska. I don't think so, because those ports won't be ice-free, and will therefore be of little use. Valdez (the end of the AK pipeline) is the most northerly year-round ice-free port, and it's not North at all, by AK/Northern Canada standards (I have to drive many hours South to get there...)

troymc 13y ago
Canada already has an arctic port that's iced-in for much of the year: the Port of Churchill on Hudson Bay. Tourists go there to see polar bears. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Churchill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Churchill

otoburb 13y ago

As far as I understand no foreign countries laid claim to Canada's oil and potash resources in the interior. The difference for the Canadian North is that we have a few countries disputing our territorial claims[1] such as Denmark (via Greenland), Russia and the US. Thankfully these disputes are contained within diplomatic channels. My point is not that we must go to war, but that if we expect other countries to obey our laws typically the best way of enforcement is an actual show of force via patrols. Ironically, as I read about the Canadian Coast Guard, it is one of the few coast guard services that has a strictly civilian mandate with no military nor law-enforcement responsibilities[3]. [1] http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/jul/11/climatechange.climatechange http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/jul/11/climatech... [2] http://opencanada.org/features/the-think-tank/comments/2013-a-decisive-year-for-canadian-arctic-ambitions/ http://opencanada.org/features/the-think-tank/comments/2013-... [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Coast_Guard#Civilian_role http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Coast_Guard#Civilian_r...