Ridiculous article.....
David Harries
...that disses the idea of revitalizing Churchill, while pretending Canada has meaningful military 'capacity' in the ARCTIC.
Pierre Polievre wants a Churchill base, but experts debate northern Manitoba town's military capacity
Town isn't far enough north to deal with Arctic needs, south enough to protect larger cities: prof
At the moment, there are eight staffed military sites in Canada’s Arctic, the largest of which is in Yellowknife. There are also facilities in Whitehorse, Iqaluit, Inuvik and a few other communities.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/pierre-polievre-churchill-military-base-9.7069738
1. Yellowknife, Whitehorse and Iqaluit and each 100s of km SOUTH of the ARCTIC Circle....with no road or rail systems heading towards the ARCTIC.....and none promised.
2. Canadian military 'staff' in sites NORTH of the Arctic Circle would all have seats on one standard school bus.
I write this admitting to not being up to date on how many CF soldiers, sailors and airforce members now serve at CFS Alert and ?CFS? Inuvik.
3. Churchill was 'far enough north' to 'deal with Arctic needs' in the 1970s and early 1980s when.....1) Canada had real military Arctic capabilities including significant infrastructure in Churchill and 2) the railway to Churchill was 'Canadian' and 3) northern and arctic national development was underway in several locations and 4) Nanasivik was an operational mine/port and 5) maritime ice conditions were much more challenging for longer every year, than those today and 5) technology effective in and appropriate for 'the north' that exists today had not even been imagined and 6)......
4. " far enough....south enough to protect larger cities". What does this mean?
-That if Churchill was close(r) to Winnipeg, it could protect Winnipeg?
-That military people and military systems located in one place will have missions based on how 'close' that place is to another...that might need (additional?) protection?
What does this geographic metric imply about, say Yellowknife's, potential for southern cities' "protection" ?
5. FYI: ‘We don’t have highways,’ Arctic premiers say amid sovereignty push
Story by Sean Boynton 30 Jan
N.W.T. Premier R.J. Simpson and Nunavut Premier John Main made the case for investing in the North while speaking to the House of Commons foreign affairs committee for their study of Canada's Arctic strategy. The study has gained further urgency after U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to take over Greenland, which Main reminded the committee is just 26 km away from Nunavut. As concerns grow about Trump eying Canada's Arctic as well, the premiers said further building out infrastructure in their territories' many remote and Indigenous communities will be key to reinforcing sovereignty.
6. Canada is still not capable of even CONVENING major MEETINGS on ARCTIC matters NORTH of the Arctic Circle.
a. https://treefrogcreative.ca/arctic-bioenergy-summit-heads-to-yellowknife-jan-26-28-2026/
b. https://ourarcticsummit.ca/ Hosted in Whitehorse, Yukon, February 23–25, 2026, the Summit will convene governments, Indigenous leaders, businesses, and partners from across the Arctic and beyond.
c.Ms. Anand, in a speech at the Nordic-Canadian Arctic Symposium in Ottawa on Wednesday, 28 Jan 2026 said the debate over the future of Greenland ......has underlined the fact the Arctic is now no longer a low-tension region.
DH
