The federal government will set aside a $175 million fund to protect the Arctic Ocean.

Provisions of the fund include establishing low-impact shipping corridors with Indigenous communities and creating a new aerial surveillance complex based in Iqaluit.

The fund will be allocated out of the Liberal government’s $1.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan, Minister of Transportation Marc Garneau has announced.

According to a release from the federal government, the plan is the “largest investment ever made to protect Canada’s coasts and waterways.”

CBC reported that the fund will be spent over a period of five years. About $95 million will be used to fund safety equipment, marine infrastructure, and training on Arctic coastal communities – all to improve the safety and efficiency of resupply operations.

Some $29.9 million will be used to establish an “Arctic National Aerial Surveillance Program Complex” in Iqaluit. The facility will be used to boost surveillance capabilities over the increasing number of ships in the region. A statement added that the complex will “further improve spill prevention.”

Another $17 million will be used to create an office of incident management with the help of Transport Canada, while $13.4 million will be allocated to the expansion of Transport Canada’s Community Participation Funding Program. The program will provide up to $50,000 to eligible Indigenous groups, non-profits, and communities that could contribute their knowledge towards enhancing marine transportation in the country.

On top of the fund’s announcement, the federal government announced an expansion of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary in the Arctic.


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