The Canadian Northern Corridor Research Program includes multiple studies, across several areas of expertise, to address the many facets of the corridor concept including financial, legal, geographical, socio-economic, environmental, regulatory, governance and policy dimensions. The purpose is to provide the information and analysis necessary to establish the feasibility of the Canadian Northern Corridor.
An approach to plan infrastructural investments to facilitate domestic trade
Osman Alp, and Meraj Ajam
INFOR: Information Systems and Operational Research
• February 2024
The volume of trade between two regions is shaped by the cost of trade, which is a function of infrastructural and political barriers. Governments can invest in the upgrade of their country’s logistics infrastructure to mitigate these barriers, decrease trade costs, and increase domestic trade volumes; but they need to decide which infrastructural project(s) to invest under limited budget. A bilevel, bicriteria optimization model is proposed to overcome this challenge. The inner model anticipates total trade flows among all regions of the country with a profit maximization lens of the transporters. The outer model selects the projects based on minimizing total investment costs and maximizing total trade flows. The novelty in this approach is in incorporating the implicit ‘trade barriers’ through a ‘trade cost model’ borrowed from the economics literature. The proposed framework is implemented in a case study originating from the Canadian Northern Corridor concept which aims to boost domestic trade between the provinces and the territories of Canada. The numerical study indicates that investments to upgrade and increase connectivity in the logistics infrastructure of western Canada should be prioritized over others.
The Canadian Northern Corridor Roundtable Program: Results and Lessons Learned
Katharina Koch, Emily Galley, Evgeniia (Jen) Sidorova, G. Kent Fellows and Robert Mansell
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 16 • Number 26 • August 2023
To analyze the feasibility, desirability and acceptability of a Canadian Northern Corridor, in addition to research studies spanning eight themes and a Community Engagement Program, our research includes roundtable discussions with stakeholders from federal, provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous governments; industry (transportation, energy, telecommunications, tourism, natural resources and Indigenous funding and financing); and social and environmental NGOs. The Stakeholder Engagement Program conducted as part of the CNC Research Program addresses three key questions: 1) what key gaps in infrastructure and infrastructure policy persist according to potential rights- and stakeholders? 2) What are the potential impacts, challenges and opportunities of the CNC according to those rights- and stakeholders? 3) Which factors and conditions would make corridor development acceptable or unacceptable for a given rights- or stakeholder? This report presents a thematic content analysis aggregating the qualitative data collected at seventeen virtual CNC roundtable engagement sessions, which took place from January 2022 until June 2022.
Implications of a Northern Corridor on Soft Infrastructure in the North and Near North
Julia Christensen
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 16 • Number 25 • August 2023
Disparities in health care, education and employment, housing and social welfare have long been documented in Northern Canada. These disparities have been linked to colonialism, ineffective social policy, uneven development and the high costs of service delivery and infrastructure in northern regions. This literature review aims to present a comprehensive understanding of existing research on the current state of soft infrastructure and its deficits in Canada’s North and near-North regions.
Canadian Competitiveness for Infrastructure Investment
Mukesh Khanal, Robert Mansell and G. Kent Fellows
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 16 • Number 24 • August 2023
This paper provides a broad overview of the infrastructure investment landscape in Canada and our reputation as a competitive destination for such investment. We compare the Canadian infrastructure investment environment and recent outcomes with those of a set of peer nations (G7 countries plus Australia).
The Northern Corridor, Food Insecurity and the Resource Curse for Indigenous Communities in Canada
Shirley Thompson, Stewart Hill, Annette Salles, Tanzim Ahmed, Ajarat Adegun, and Uche Nwankwo
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 16 • Number 20 • June 2023
Food insecurity rates for Canada’s Indigenous people are the worst among developed nations, demanding immediate action to prevent an impending health crisis. This research found that, rather than improving food security and providing benefits, trade corridors typically bring a resource curse to Indigenous communities, leading to worse food insecurity for impacted Indigenous communities in Canada.
Species and Areas Under Protection: Challenges and Opportunities for the Canadian Northern Corridor
Steven M. Vamosi
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 16 • Number 18 • June 2023
Given the potential magnitude of corridor development, there are many implications for the lands, waterways, and habitats with which a northern corridor could either intersect directly or affect indirectly through cascading effects. This study used literature searches focused on the intersection of biodiversity, conservation research, government policies and engagement with Indigenous knowledge systems. Given the diversity of topics and the amount of research available in some areas, this study highlights, rather than comprehensively treats, potential biodiversity challenges associated with the CNC.
A Review of Funding and Financing Models for Infrastructure Corridor Megaprojects, and Implications for the Canadian Northern Corridor
David Large and Ahmad Teymouri
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 15 • Number 47 • April 2023
The objectives of this research paper are to contribute to the SPP’s research program by conducting an examination of the financing and funding models employed in similar megaprojects elsewhere in the world, and to extract knowledge that would be useful to help complete the feasibility analysis.
The Usage of Indigenous Languages as a Tool for Meaningful Engagement with Northern Indigenous Governments and Communities
Jenanne Ferguson and Evgeniia (Jen) Sidorova
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 15 • Issue 46 • April 2023
Finding common ground among Indigenous peoples, governments and industry on engagement and consultation practices is imperative to the future of resource development and the Canadian economy, and ultimately to the reconciliation of the relationships between Indigenous Peoples and Canada. In this paper, we focus on language, stressing that languages are more than just tools. Rather, all communicative systems also hold both individual and cultural identities, histories and memory, and encode knowledge in specific ways.
Regulatory Alignment for Multi-Modal Infrastructure Corridors
Rowland J. Harrison
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 15 • Number 42 • March 2023
This paper reviews whether there are any existing models “for regulatory oversight and approval for multi-modal corridors and the subsequent placement of infrastructure within” that might be appropriate in developing the CNC. The paper concludes that existing models do not include certain of the elements of the CNC Concept as it has evolved to date, nor could any of the models be applied within the framework of Canada’s jurisdictional realities that would govern the CNC.
