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Arctic Sovereignty  –  Canadian Forces  –  Northern Presence  –  Baffin Island  –  August 2007 Canada  Announces  Deepwater  Port  at  Nanisivik  on  Baffin  Island &  Army  Base  at  Resolute  —  Key  Points  on  North–West  Passage Canadian Initiatives in the Race to Assert Sovereignty and Control over Northern Sea Lanes Prime Minister Stephen Harper  announces a new  deepwater port  and a  northern army  training base On 10 August 2007,  Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that the Canadian Forces would develop a new  deepwater  port at  Nanisivik,  on  Baffin  Island  and a  northern  army  training  base at  Resolute. Both of  these bases are located  at strategic points along the Northwest Passage. This is a sea lane that Canada claims as an  interior  waterway,  but which other  nations  –  the US,  Japan, and the members of the  EU  –  regard as  an  international  sea  route  available  for  use  by  any  sea-going  nation. The economic  implications  of  this  dispute  are  obvious.  Global  warming  has  resulted  in  this  water way   becoming   navigable  for  longer  and  longer  periods  each  year.  Instead  of   travelling  through the Panama or  Suez  Canals,  ships could  travel  along  the edge  of  the Arctic  Ocean.  The  time,  cost, and  distance of  sailing  from  Europe  to  Asia  would  be  significantly  reduced.   If   Canada  can  make the case  that  the  Northwest  Passage  is  an  internal  waterway,  all  ships  travelling  this  route  would be  required  to pay  transit  fees  similar  to  those paid  for  passage  through  Panama  and  Suez  Canals  –  currently  those  fees  fall  into  the  range of  $ 2  to 4  billion  per  year. Choice  of  Nanisivik  based  on  existing  facilities  left  over  from  lead  and  zinc  mining  operations Nanisivik was the site of a large mining operation with a huge dock for loading ore. The mining infrastructure (including the ore sheds, visible at left, loading belts, gantry, etc.) has now been removed as part of site clean-up. [1] This leaves DND with a “blank canvas” in Nanisivik, as it were.  A small town site had been prepared for mine workers during operations. Now, the old worker housing, cafeteria, and community centre are also gone. What the federal government inherits in Nanisivik  is an existing deep-water port  with an airfield. Nanisivik’s Existing Terminal  and  Iqaluit’s  Planned Port  Compared  —  How Deep is Deep for Ports Iqaluit was seen as leading contender for a new deep-water port. [2] Critics noted  that  the Nunavut capital  is not directly on the Northwest Passage. True but Nanisivik has another advantage.  A ship tied up at the Nanisivik dock has 50 feet [20 m] of water portside. The planned port at Iqaluit could only match this depth by dredging the surrounding mudflats. As a military base, Nanisivik does not need to be close to a major population centre but it does benefit from existing infrastructure – potable water lines running in utilidors, large fuel storage tanks (visible at right), etc. Despite the closure of the mine, these systems remain in use today – replenishing icebreakers, the vital “sealift” (coastal re-supply) ships, and  ice-hardened cruiseliners. Supplying Naval Operations in the High Arctic – Logistical Difficulties and a New Pressure on Locals Existing facilities at Nanisivik will be able to refuel and reprovision the planned  CF fleet of  6-to-8 Arctic/ Offshore Patrol Ships (A/OPS) intended for this new base. And  the current experience shows that  there will be no insurmountable technical hurdles faced with shipping fuel or other supplies to Nanisivik. How the supplies will be sent north is another matter. Northern communities rely on semi-annual “sealifts” of fuel and goods  (everything else must be brought in by air ).  The Canadian Forces will be competing for space on these re-supply ships and  tankers.  Such a large government contract will be welcomed by the shipping companies. The short-term losers will be Northern communities who rely on the “sealifts”. This will make the North a less appealing place to live for civilians which, in turn, will damage Canadian claims in the Arctic.  Inadvertently, a Naval presence may actually weaken  those claims it was meant to bolster. Like the locals,  one alternative for the military  is to fly in its supplies. Just inland from Nanisivik dock is a gravel airstrip (YSR / CYSR). This runway is 6400 feet (1950 m) and is currently used by smaller airliners. The airfield is long enough to accommodate the new CC-177 strategic transport aircraft. However, the existing gravel runway won’t support a fully-loaded CC-177. This puts DND in the position of either paying to strengthen the runway of this civilian airfield, or operating partially loaded airlifters on their 4000 mile (6460 km) return flight from Trenton in the south. Other options are equally unappealing.  One would be to stage through the paved runway at Iqaluit allowing the CC-177s to fly in and out of Nanisivik with minimal fuel. [3]  Another option would be to use the older CC-130 Hercules. Despite the difficulties,  Nanisivik offers multiple advantages.  The dock and other facilities already exist. Nanisivik is fairly close to Resolute Bay,  the location of  the CF’s planned  Arctic Warfare training base. And Nanisivik is on Strathcona Sound which leads directly onto the Northwest Passage. As Clare Kines said in his article, Of Ships and Sovereignty, “...Nanisivik is the smart choice if you’re needing a base for Arctic Patrol vessels. The only problem is the new scheme... is the wrong approach to sovereignty”. The real answer, Mr. Kines says,  lies in the people of the North –  living on the land establishes sovereignty far more dramatically than a modest military presence. Were the government to “make the Arctic a better place to live”, Canadian sovereignty in the North would be assured. The  lessons learned  from the  Danes in Greenland  is that sovereignty is as much about  inhabiting  the North as it is about  defending  the North.  It would behoove the Federal Government  to use any routine military  flights  required  by the  Department of  National Defence  to also  be seen  as an opportunity  to sustain those civilian communities that already exist in the Canadian Arctic.    [1]   Mining operations began in 1975 under CanZinco, a subsidiary of Breakwater Resources. The site           clean up was done by Wolfden.  Mining equipment dismantled at  Nanisivik was to be transported           further south to Wolfden’s High Lake mining operation. The Nanisivik dock has not been affected.           For an excellent photo tour of  Nanisivik (taken by Vincent K. Chan in June 2005), see Arctic Circle.    [2]   For a discussion of  the proposed Iqaluit deepwater port,  see:  CASR’s  article,  Breaking the Ice.    [3]   This may seem to be an awkward compromise,  but flying distance from Iqaluit to Nanisivik is only           750 miles (1200 km).  Such a staged route  would allow the CC-177s to carry much less fuel, thereby           reducing  their overall weight and allowing a corresponding increase in the payload (cargo weight).           Thus, even heavily loaded with supplies, at this much-reduced total weight, these new CF airlifters           should cause minimal damage to the packed gravel airstrip near Nanisivik.