The Geography of the Canadian North

As the Arctic region takes its place in the global economy, the interplay between resources, the environment and the people of the Canadian North has gained importance. This study traces the impact of resource exploitation and hydroelectric projects on the native people of the area.

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The Canadian North is no longer seen as merely a frozen wasteland or a vast frontier wilderness ripe for development. As Arctic and Subarctic take their place in the global economy, the interplay between resource development, the environment, and the peoples of the North has caused dramatic change. This book examines the dominant images of the North, as frontier and as homeland, and traces the impact of northern resource exploitation and mega-projects such as Quebec Hydro's massive James Bay development. Native people, drawn into the wage economy, shift from living on the land to settlements; there is major immigration of southern Canadians, and growth of regional centres and resource towns. The hidden costs of northern development are degradation of the environment and threatened Native culture. Aboriginal land-claims negotiations are pressing, and there is both imminent and actual damage to the sensitive northern environment.