Even though the ice in the Arctic is shrinking and it looks like very soon we will be seeing our first ice free summer in the region, there is still the matter of Arctic winters when it comes to transporting goods up North. Ice roads are used in the colder months for delivering and moving cargo, but even at the best of times this is a dangerous route. more »

In an effort to help some of the more than 1,400 families that are currently on a waiting list for public housing in Nunavut get the shelter that they need, an Ottawa company has taught Nunavut officials how to assemble an energy-efficient house in just five day. more »

In a bid to strengthen both its presence and sovereignty in the Arctic, Canada has agreed to join with Russia and Norway to provide shipping and weather alerts in the region.

The agreement between the countries is part of the new maritime safety initiative that is being lead by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) along with the International Maritime Organization and International Hydrographic Organization. more »

According to the Canadian Helicopter Income Fund, it has lost the $10.3 million contract that would see the company provide maintenance to the U.S. air force in the Arctic because a Canadian competitor submitted a lower bid. When word of the lost contract got out, the Montreal based company’s units dropped drastically, seeing a fall of more that 16.5% ($1.63) on the Toronto Stock Exchange yesterday, closing at $8.14. more »

An advisory committee in Alaska would like the state to revise its regulations stipulating how animal meat is salvaged. The reason for the requested rewrite is that “commonsense” hunting practices are currently in conflict with Alaska state law. more »

In a last minute push to get the Obama administration to impose a moratorium on oil and gas development in the Arctic similar to the one already imposed on major commercial fishing in the area, almost 300,000 signatures have been gathered in support of the moratorium. The signatures were revealed outside the Department of the Interior on the last day for public comment on the issue. more »

University of Calgary graduate student Casey Hubert and a team of scientists have discovered a heat loving bacteria in a very unusual place – Arctic Ocean sediments off the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. These bacterial spores could provide an opportunity for scientists to trace seepages of liquids from hot sub-seafloor areas. This could possibly lead to previously undiscovered offshore petroleum reservoirs. more »

Two German merchant ships have sailed their way through the previously impassable Northeast Passage. The ships, Beluga Fraternity and Beluga Foresight, sailed from Asia bound for the Netherlands, traveling through northern Siberia. The shipping industry is looking at this trip as mapping out a possible new trade route, while environmentalists say that it is yet another sign of global warming. more »