As sea ice diminishes in Arctic regions, shipping patterns are changing, and so are the risks to northern communities. While Inuit communities in Canada’s eastern Arctic are facing new risks and subsequent consequences of a spill, many in Canada’s north have had limited input into oil spill response planning (learn more).
Nuka Research planned, facilitated, and reported on the Arctic Shipping and Oil Spills Learning Exchange for Communities, with funding and support from WWF-Canada. The Learning Exchange connected Inuit leaders and community members from Nunavut and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) with leaders from British Columbia First Nations, the Government of Canada, and US Tribes. Participants engaged in a facilitated dialogue about community-based preparedness for Arctic shipping emergencies and oil spills. The workshop focused on peer-to-peer knowledge exchange and transferring lessons learned from communities with a range of past experiences. Gaps in planning, preparedness and equipment and best practices for community-based preparedness and response capacity were also identified. Real-time translation allowed Inuktitut speakers to communicate comfortably with English speakers.
The two-day event, held in Iqaluit during the fall of 2017, created new connections and helped to focus efforts to enhance marine spill response preparedness for all participants. A subsequent effort focused on piloting a community-based oil spill response plan in Resolute, NU.