Who benefits from the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor? It depends on who you ask

Prominent Northern leaders are promoting the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor as a “nation-building” project that will bring economic benefits to the two regions within it, but others are divided over how much good it will do.

Amid the decline in mining in the Northwest Territories, Tlichu Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty sees an opportunity to profit from a project crossing Tlichu lands. Along with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, the Tlichu Government signed a memorandum of understanding Will jointly lead the project on behalf of the NWT in November.

“In the (past) 25 years, the diamond mines came in and it was on their terms, and they told us what to do and how it would be prepared. Now it’s on our terms,” ​​Lafferty said.

The corridor is cited Potential project for fast-tracking by federal governmentThis will include construction of deep water poRT at Grays Bay in Nunavut, to accommodate naval vessels capable of loading and transporting material from future critical mineral mines in both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, as well as handling larger cargo vessels.

A 230-kilometre all-weather road will connect the port to Jericho Station in Nunavut, home to an inactive diamond mine, and from there to a winter road to Yellowknife.

Lafferty says he’s already in talks with key stakeholders in Ottawa and abroad. He also sees the project as a way to connect the remote communities of Gameti and Waketee, NWT, to the rest of the region by road.

The nearest community to Grays Bay is Kugluktuk, Nunavut, located approximately 200 kilometers from the proposed port. West Kitikmeet Resources Corporation, on behalf of Nunavut, is the proponent of the project.

CEO Brandon B.EL says Grays Bay was the location One of very few options had access to tidewater, which is important to accommodate larger ships, and there were no nearby Nunavut communities with that level of access. But he still believes villages in the Kitikmeet area will benefit.

“Large ocean-going vessels can come in, break down into smaller-sized barges, which will then go where they can be accepted or accommodated in Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay. So if you think about construction materials or seasonal re-supply, it’s access to communities that haven’t had to deal with tidewater in the past.”

Is this ‘nation-building’?

Amanda Dumond, manager of the Kugluktuk Hunters and Trappers Organization (HTO), isn’t sold on the benefits of the project.

Given the distance from the community, she worries that most jobs will be short-term, rotational work, which could be especially difficult for families.

“Look at the existing projects around the north, including some mineral exploration camps or even some existing mines, they can’t even be filled up to capacity,” he said.

Bell thinks differently about employment prospects for Nunavummiut, and sees Yellowknife as an analog.

“The Ekati, Diavik, Gaucho Que mines are obviously not in the city of Yellowknife. But the economic benefits to neighboring communities will be profound, if you will,” he said.

The project also has an Arctic security aspect. Bell says construction of the port will allow greater access for vessels such as Canadian Coast Guard ships and submarines, as well as aircraft access to the proposed airstrip.

However, Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout says there is a clear distinction between Bolstering Arctic security, and Arctic sovereignty, and she does not believe there has been too much emphasis on latter with this project.

“If this helps nation building, Nunavut’s children should not be going to school hungry, people should not be living in overcrowded housing conditions, students should not be going to schools that are deteriorating,” he said, adding that it was unclear what long-term employment opportunities the project would create.

Idalout sees a role for Nunavummiut in strengthening security in the region, but she says that can’t happen if residents are not living in healthy conditions. They are also concerned that, rather than staffing local Canadian rangers and search and rescue teams, most of the project’s resources will be imported from the south.

“We have unique knowledge about the environment that should be used to help protect the Arctic,” he said.

‘They want to demolish it, and why?’

The Grays Bay area has a history for Kugluktuk residents. Dumond explains that it is a traditional hunting, fishing and camping area, and is used for transportation to and from Cambridge Bay and Bathurst Inlet. She says that this is an untouched area where not even a cabin is visible.

“It’s just so pristine. It’s so beautiful. It’s so clean and it’s amazing. And my heart just breaks because… they want to tear it down, and for what?”

Additionally, Dumond says the all-season road passes through prime dolphin-union caribou habitat and will disrupt their migration route to Victoria Island. They are also concerned that the port could increase the risk of ice breaking and could be dangerous for those traveling to hunting grounds and other communities.

Bell admits there will be some impacts on the environment. He says West Kitikmeet Resources Corp. has been doing community consultation and baseline wildlife work for the past few summers, which will help them build mitigation measures into the design. They expect to submit an impact statement to the Nunavut Impact Review Board in the spring of 2026.

As for how the project will change the Tlichu lands, Grand Chief Lafferty says he knows it will have a lasting impact, but he believes community leaders like him should be tasked with ensuring that environmental stewardship is maintained.

“It’s a clear message that we’re open for business, but we’re doing it in a professional manner where we have to take care of our wildlife, our water, our environment,” he said.

no easy undertaking

BellL says the initial estimated cost of the project for the Nunavut side is $1 billion, but with construction not expected to begin until 2030, he expects that estimate to increase.

West Kitikmeet Resources Corp. plans to raise 25 percent of those funds in the private market. Bell says he does not expect funding for the project from the Nunavut government But he is pushing for the federal government to help fund the remaining 75 percent, given other infrastructure demands in the region.

Building this road will not be an easy task. Arlen Foster, head of regions operations at Stantec, says the engineering consultancy company is working with the NWT government and West Kitikmeet Resources. On preparation of corporation nEnvironmental assessment.

He says there are many logical considerations because the road will be built on permafrost and bedrockAnd there are challenges with shipping materials as well.but he sees All-Season Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway For example, construction is possible in the Arctic.

Foster believes national interest in the project could also draw attention to the need for infrastructure improvements in communities such as water treatment plants, community centers and sewage lagoons.

“As the federal government’s attention moves toward the North, we see impacts that can help bring other pieces of infrastructure that communities really need and have been asking for for a long time,” he said.