Trent Northern Studies Colloquium

Upcoming Colloquium: March 22, 2016

Trent University has a distinguished and thriving interest in researching Canada's North. For anyone who has been to the North it's a given the magic of the place has forever connected them to it. For anyone who would like to taste this spell—as well as to celebrate the ongoing work of Trent students in the northern regions of the provinces and in the territorial North—the best opportunity is the upcoming Northern Studies Colloquium. This is an event where caribou, polar bears and aboriginal issues will be the centre of student discussions and thinking, not the periphery.

Canada's interest in the North has ebbed and flowed for more than a century, but many argue the current flow may not be followed by an ebb. Indeed, for many years now, resource development has been intensifying in every corner of the North, leading to questions over sovereignty and ownership of resources like oil and natural gas in places like the Arctic Ocean, among others. This is coinciding with new pressures on some of the world's last great populations of iconic species, such as caribou and polar bears. As a result, political interest in the North is also becoming a bigger part of regular Canadian life. Most Canadians have never been to the North and know only the stereotypes and mythology surrounding the region, its people and its landscape. But in this new era it will become increasingly important for Canadians to learn more—to understand and contribute to decisions on issues such as resource development in the North, Arctic sovereignty, aboriginal self-government and land claims, and to understand the importance of the improvement of essential infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, housing and schools.