Feds commit $150 million for Polar Year

The federal government will spend $150 million over six years to help fund International Polar Year projects, deputy prime minister Anne McLellan announced this past Wednesday.

International Polar Year takes place from 2007-08 and is being touted as the largest ever international research program in both polar regions. The first Polar Years were held in 1882 and 1883, when 11 countries established 12 stations in the Arctic and two in the Antarctic to simultaneously observe weather and other phenomena.

The emphasis of research work held in the upcoming 24 months will fall on two areas: the effects of climate change, and the state of community health in northern areas. A call for proposals is expected later this fall. Thirty to 50 countries are expected to participate, with total expenditures valued at several billion dollars.

One spending priority for the announced funds will be to ensure that basic facilities and services are in place to accommodate the large influx of researchers expected to visit Canada’s north.

Arctic researchers have eagerly waited to hear how much federal cash they could be eligible to receive.