“A Great Investment in Our Communities”: Strengthening Nunavut’s Whole-of-Society Search and Rescue Capabilities

Peter Kikkert,P Whitney Lackenbauer

doi:10.14430/arctic73099

Abstract

Community-based organizations along with territorial, provincial, and federal agencies are responsible for search and rescue (SAR) in the Canadian Arctic. In delivering response capabilities at all hours of the day and for 365 days a year, the community-based organizations face a wide array of challenges. Using the data collected through the Kitikmeot Search and Rescue Project and the Kitikmeot Roundtable on SAR, coupled with academic and non-government organization literature, this article explores the major challenges facing community SAR organizations in Nunavut and builds a case for how targeted investment can best bolster community-based capabilities. We suggest novel, practical, and holistic solutions that have been proposed by or co-devised with community partners, are rooted in the unique context of Nunavut’s communities, and are reflective of a community resilience-building approach. One set of recommendations involves strengthening current programming, including the expansion of Nunavut Emergency Management’s inReach program, continued support for the enlargement of the CCGA, streamlining the process to activate Canadian Ranger patrols, and encouraging greater cooperation in the provision of training by federal and territorial agencies. We also propose new approaches, including a whole-of-society preventative SAR program centred on educational and youth programming, the adoption of a SAR equipment usage rate model, and the launch of a Community Public Safety Officer program in Nunavut. Finally, to justify greater investment at the community level, we argue that policymakers must change how they conceptualize community-based SAR capabilities in Nunavut. An effective SAR system is about more than the ability to respond to emergency events. It is a critical enabler to broader objectives and goals prioritized in the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework and other federal, territorial, and Inuit strategies.

Highlights

In the Canadian Arctic, community-based Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) teams, Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA) units, Marine SAR Societies, Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) members, and the Canadian Rangers play essential roles in search and rescue (SAR)
Using data collected through the Kitikmeot Search and Rescue Project and a literature review on search and rescue operations in Canada’s North, we suggest how federal, territorial, and municipal partners, Inuit associations, and private industry might strengthen whole-of-society SAR capabilities in Nunavut
The empirical evidence gathering for the Kitikmeot Search and Rescue Project began with a comprehensive review, synthesis, and analysis of academic, media, and government sources discussing search and rescue in Canada’s North

Summary

Introduction

In the Canadian Arctic, community-based Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) teams, Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA) units, Marine SAR Societies, Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) members, and the Canadian Rangers play essential roles in search and rescue (SAR) These community-based groups constitute the regional foundation of Canada’s Arctic SAR system, given the distances involved, the paucity of federal and territorial resources in the region, and their intimate knowledge of local geography, sea and ice conditions, potential challenges and risks, and their fellow community members. They face the daunting task of providing response capabilities at all hours of the day and 365 days a year in an austere and changing environment.

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Conclusion