Latest news with #PolarContinentalShelfProgram
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Research funding not keeping up with demand in Nunavut
Joël Bêty has been studying various bird species on Bylot Island, north of Pond Inlet, Nunavut, for more than 25 years — but this year is looking different from most. Usually, he and his team set up five camps stretched across about 500 square kilometres on Bylot Island. But increased logistical costs associated with the project will limit Bêty's work to two camps this season. His is one of several research projects in the territory to be affected by rising costs while funding remains stagnant. Bêty, a professor in the department of biology, chemistry and geography at the University of Quebec's Rimouski campus, relies on helicopters to access the remote sites, but he said higher fares have forced him to cut his travel in half. "I'll be covering a much smaller area for sampling, so that'll give me data that's not quite as good ... and it'll also cut into the longer term tracking we're trying to do over a large area," he said. "When we're trying to understand the impacts of climate change … it's really important to do that long-term tracking." Vital logistical support Dominique Berteaux is another professor in the same department who also carries out research on Bylot Island. His work focuses on various predator species, including lemmings. Like Bêty and Berteaux, many researchers who carry out their work in Nunavut rely on Natural Resources Canada's Polar Continental Shelf Program for support. Its Arctic logistics hub, set up in Resolute Bay, helps pair researchers with specialized equipment, helicopters and twin-engine aircraft. Berteaux said the program's funding to cover the costs of helicopter flying hours is about $50,000 less than it was in 2024. While he was able to cover the gap through other funding sources, he said he's concerned that those kinds of budget restraints will affect Arctic research overall. "There's lots of research in the North that can't happen without the support from the Polar Continental Shelf Program," he said. Both researchers agree that the program's funding hasn't kept up with inflation in recent years. In an email, Maria Ladouceur, a communications adviser with Natural Resources Canada, said the federal government allocated $49 million over five years to the program in its 2024 budget, and then "$10 million of ongoing funding after 2029-2030." "Despite consistent funding, demand for the services of [the Polar Continental Shelf Program] often exceeds available resources, particularly considering the reality that operating in the North is more costly than elsewhere," reads Ladouceur's email. "The [program] remains committed to delivering safe, effective and equitable services, while also addressing essentially operational requirements to ensure the long-term sustainability of its services." More projects, less funding A 2023 report by Canada's chief science adviser, Mona Nemer, says "northern research alone could increase eightfold by 2040, requiring significant growth in logistical capacity." Bêty is concerned that will result in less funds allocated to each project. "If you increase the competition between researchers, obviously there's going to be a smaller amount for each one," Bêty said. Philippe Archambault, science director for ArcticNet, said his organization already can't fund as many projects as it used to. Of the 72 proposals it received this year, only 22 received funding, about 31 per cent. According to Archambault, 10 years ago that number would have been closer to 43 per cent. In an effort to try and spread the funding to more projects, the organization is also more stringent on what it'll put money behind, he explained. The trend, he said, is due to stagnant funding over the past few years that doesn't take into account increased costs of carrying out the research. "The fuel, any airfare — so when you take the plane, it's more expensive," he said. "When you go and stay in a community … all these prices have increased. So all the equipment, everything increased." In 2019, ArcticNet received $32.5 million over five years from the federal government through its Networks of Centres of Excellence initiative. The organization will receive that same amount — this time from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada — over 2024-29. Negative effects on relations with Inuit communities Stagnant funding is also affecting how researchers engage Inuit communities, said Archambault. "Some projects decrease the number of days in the Arctic. They also sometimes decide not to do any type of consultation, or not as long as usual," he said. "So they go to the North, do the consultation and try to do the field work right away, which is not the right way of doing it with our Indigenous partners. "The lack of funding will definitely bring us back to some extent," he added. Archambault said funding needs to keep up with costs to ensure researchers can keep building relationships with communities and that they are involved in developing projects.
CBC
25-03-2025
- General
- CBC
TSB report on remote Labrador helicopter crash says pilot attempted to land on ice in low visibility
A helicopter pilot was trying to make a precautionary landing on a frozen lake in remote Labrador during bad winter weather when they crash landed in May 2024. That's the conclusion of a Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigation into a helicopter collision on Lewis Lake, about 50 kilometres southwest of Postville, on Labrador's north coast. The pilot — who was the only person travelling in the Custom Helicopters aircraft — had planned to fly from Happy Valley-Goose Bay in central Labrador, to Nunavut to participate in the Polar Continental Shelf Program's scientific research. The pilot arrived at the Goose Bay Airport on April 28, according to the TSB report, and for each of the next three days had planned to fly the 860-nautical-mile route, but each day felt the conditions weren't suitable. Finally, on May 2, he changed his mind and took to the air despite reduced visibility and cloud ceilings due to a light snowfall. The pilot flew toward Hopedale at a reduced speed after determining conditions would improve along the Labrador coast. Visibility decreased as the pilot headed toward Postville, so he made a 180-degree turn southwest. When visibility decreased once again after an attempt to head closer toward his destination, he made another 180-degree turn. WATCH | Video from May 2024 shows helicopter wreckage: A helicopter crashed upside down in a frozen lake — and the pilot survived 11 months ago Duration 0:23 A pilot was hoisted to safety after his helicopter crashed about 180 kilometres north of Goose Bay, N.L. on May 2. Video of the aftermath, posted by the Halifax Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, shows the helicopter upside down and the inside filled with snow. The pilot suffered minor injuries. That's when the pilot found himself near a frozen Lewis Lake, and tried to make a precautionary landing, the report said. "The poor visibility caused the pilot to misjudge his height above ground in the descent," the TSB report reads. "The helicopter struck the frozen surface of Lewis Lake [...] while travelling parallel to, and about 700 feet from, the north shoreline of the lake." The helicopter rolled upside down after hitting the ice. Safety and survival The helicopter pilot was operating a visual flight rules flight, meaning he depended primarily on eyesight and clear conditions for navigation. He also used navigation charts displayed on a tablet app. "The aircraft had a Sentry Plus portable automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast receiver on board that incorporated a global positioning system receiver and an attitude and heading reference system; however, the pilot did not turn it on or pair it to the tablet," the report said. According to Transport Canada, aircraft from the Manitoba-based Custom Helicopters are allowed to operate in some reduced-visibility conditions. Its procedures direct pilots not to fly over snow or ice-covered surfaces with "poor visual reference to the ground." The helicopter's landing gear skids, rotor assembly and tail boom were all heavily damaged on impact, and its windscreens and chin bubbles were shattered. The pilot was picked up by search and rescue crews around 3:30 p.m. on May 2, and changed from his wet clothes to dry clothes while taking shelter in the wreckage as he waited. He only had minor injuries. The TSB report said Custom Helicopters developed training scenarios for visual flight rules, and the board made recommendations to pilots heading on similar journeys. "Pilots are reminded to plan ahead, consider strategies to avoid adverse weather, and have alternate plans should such weather be encountered."
