Photo: Northern research gets a financial boost from Ottawa

Université Laval in Quebec City is getting more than $7.5 million to fund Arctic research aboard the CCGS Amundsen, Canada’s only dedicated research icebreaker, according to a news release from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Ed Holder, the minister of state responsible for science and technology, made the announcement Jan. 23 on board the Amundsen, describing the contribution as part of a $25-million pot of money earmarked for operations and maintenance of nine national research facilities across the country. The ship’s facilities and equipment make it a huge draw for national and international scientists interested in Arctic ice, water, animals, plants weather and atmosphere and an ideal platform to study the changing climate.“The Amundsen serves as an invitation to researchers to come work in the Canadian Arctic,” said Louis Fortier, the Amundsen’s scientific director, in the release. “This funding will allow for new, high-calibre international collaborations to take place.” (PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)