$1.5M awarded to projects in the Arctic

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This article was published 08/12/2016 (3259 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Three groups will split a prize of $1.5 million to run projects to help strengthen Canada’s north.

Qarmaapik House, the te(a)ch project, and SmartICE were selected on Thursday night as the Laureates of the fifth annual Arctic Inspiration Prize at ArcticNet’s 12th annual scientific meeting held in Winnipeg this week.

Qarmaapik House, which helps parents look after their children by using a prevention-based approach, is getting $700,000 to expand its program.

“This award is empowering us with important additional tools and resources to put in place healthier and a more predictable environment for our children and youth,” said Hilda Snowball, mayor of Kangiqsualujjuaq and the leader of the project team.

The te(a)ch project will get $400,000 to create an online infrastructure to teach students in Nunavut computer science, game design, engineering and programming.

“We look forward to supporting and boosting a computer science and game development community in Nunavut that will allow Nunavummiut to share their stories, ideas and creativity with the world,” said Ryan Oliver of Pinnguaq Association.

With a $400,000 award, SmartICE will be able to expand its system of integrating Inuit traditional knowledge with monitoring and communication to improve safety conditions across the Arctic for coastal sea-ice travel and shipping,

“All northern communities will potentially have access to our novel sea-ice information service,” said Trevor Bell, a geography professor at Memorial University in St. John’s.

“The prize money will help SmartICE establish a northern social enterprise to promote both entrepreneurship in our service delivery and positive social change in our communities.”

Olympian Clara Hughes and Andrea Brazeau from Nunavik hosted the awards ceremony and Gov. Gen. David Johnston spoke at the event held at the Centennial Concert Hall.

The conference, which was attended by about 800 scientists from across Canada who study the north, has featured the latest research on the Arctic including how fast glaciers are melting and the speed they are moving as well as finding that the number of days of open water to Churchill has increased by almost 40 days from 1980 to 2014.