The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) will invest a total of $5,475,000 towards five geoscience projects over the next four years in Nunavut. The Government of Nunavut’s Department of Economic Development and Transportation and partners will contribute $2,870,000 for a total project value of $8,345,000. The projects will be managed by the Canada–Nunavut Geoscience Office (CNGO).
Geoscience is important for Nunavut as it provides valuable information and data to support economic development in the territory. This funding will be used to upgrade and, in some cases complete, mapped areas having limited or no geoscience data. It will modernize the geoscience internet portal which will help Nunavut’s competitiveness in the exploration market. This investment will also identify new sources of gravel for industrial use, increase the capacity for municipal planning and identify carving stone deposits for the arts industry.
1. Mineral Deposit Studies
CanNor Total - $3,055,000
Detailed information about new mineral deposits and more information about currently uncharted areas will support future exploration plans. Mining companies will have better tools to make exploration decisions, find new deposits, or expand existing discoveries. The areas of focus are Hope Bay and Elu Belts, NE Slave Geologic Province; Central Baffin Island; Borden Basin, NE Baffin; Izok Lake, Thelon Basin; and the Hall Peninsula..
2. Data Dissemination
CanNor Total - $90,000
Work will include upgrades and maintenance to the existing website at nunavutgeoscience.ca. Improvements will provide more up to date and accessible information for users, including three new tabs for Oil and Gas, Tri-Territorial Maps and Community Geoscience.
3. Aggregate Studies and Industrial Minerals
CanNor Total - $760,000
This project is intended to locate, map and describe potential aggregate resources in selected communities. Aggregate material is used in the construction of roads, erosion control, playgrounds, and airport runways, among other things. The areas of focus are the surrounding areas of Repulse Bay and Gjoa Haven.
4. Protecting Investments in Infrastructure
CanNor Total - $795,000
Construction of new infrastructure is considered and assessed based on current and future geological conditions that are influenced by climate change. This project will focus on Iqaluit, because it is growing and most of the major developments in municipal infrastructure will occur in this city. It will also look at the communities of Clyde River and Pond Inlet. This will involve the creation of a landscape-hazard mapping project, which will reveal areas of concern and risk for development in these communities. Work will involve surface mapping, permafrost coring and analysis and geophysical surveys.
The project will be a diverse partnership including GN Environment, GN Community and Government Services, the Canadian Institute of Planners, Natural Resources Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and university-based researchers.
5. Cultural Geoscience
CanNor Funding - $775,000
Samples of stone that could be used by artists in carving will be identified and collected at sites determined by the Government of Nunavut. An analysis of the quality of the stone and potential quantities will be conducted for future reference. The field program team will consist of local carvers, a master carver, coordinator and geologist evaluating selected sites, region-by-region, in four successive seasons. .
Federal investment for these projects is made possible through CanNor ’s Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development (SINED) program which focuses on long-term economic growth, economic diversification and capacity building in all three territories.
