Our Approach

Canada’s North is a unique and sensitive landscape, facing unprecedented challenges.  Scientific knowledge is needed to understand and predict the effects of climate change on the physical and biological environment, ecosystems and human population of the North, as well as on all Canadians.

The launch of the International Polar Year in 2007 was a response to a widespread concern about the decline of research in the North.  It was at this time that the Foundation entered into the dialogue about our great North.  In response to this growing concern, the Foundation has adopted a goal of advancing northern science and research in Canada’s North as part of its mandate.

Goal: To position Canadian scientists to play a leadership role in local and international initiatives that will take place in the Arctic in years to come.

Strategies:

• Enabling Canadian scientists to work in and affect change in those regions most at risk.

• Facilitating scientific infrastructure and support.

• Granting scholarships for university students pursuing research in the North.

One way in which the Foundation is contributing to scientific endeavours and helping to cultivate Canada’s next generation of scientists is through The Garfield Weston Awards for Northern Research.  By offering research scholarships at the graduate level, the Foundation hopes to sustain and advance expertise in northern research, encourage training of the next generation of northern researchers and increase the amount of high-quality research being done in the North.

Other initiatives have included support for the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. Through a challenge grant the Foundation enabled Churchill to leverage matching funds needed for the renewal of this important centre for research in the North. Initial funding has led to their success at being named a key hub for northern research. The Foundation continues to be impressed by the sustainability of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre and its success in science and education.  Many researchers will be greeted in the Weston Family Welcome Centre as they embark on each field season.

The Foundation’s support for Wildlife Conservation Society – Canada is another example of how we are strengthening the science capacity and therefore our ability to contribute effectively to conservation outcomes in Canada’s North. The Foundation is funding conservation scientists, research associates and graduate fellows in Northern Ontario and the Yukon/Northern British Columbia.

A partnership with TELUS World of Science – Calgary is engaging the community in an exchange about research in Canada’s North through a series of Science Cafés.   Audience members dialogue with academic researchers and industry professionals in an informal setting, encouraging “plain talk” about the latest ideas and issues in science and technology.  The Foundation is pleased to bring a Northern focus to this successful program.