INSTITUT NORDIQUE DU QUÉBEC (INQ) AT A GLANCE
As we kick off a new year, Institut nordique du Québec (INQ) continues to fulfil its mission and has a host of activities and announcements in the works, including the following:
- INQ research programming
- A forum on the research needs of Indigenous Peoples
- A reflection on INQ membership
- A seminar at Acfas on May 8
- A Science Day in the spring
- Overhaul of our website
- A tool for pooling infrastructure
- A portal devoted to northern studies
Published three times a year, the INQ newsletter is a showcase for news related to INQ’s mission, and as such, we urge you to forward us any announcements you think could be of interest to INQ’s partners so we can share them with our readers and enhance the newsletter content. We also invite you to visit our website regularly.
On behalf of the team at INQ, I hope you enjoy the newsletter!
Brigitte Bigué, Project Director
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INQ rolls out its vision of scientific research with three research chairs
INQ’s scientific component took shape with the Québec City launch on November 1, 2016, of three research chairs associated with the Institute. The chairs were created with a view to addressing the need to develop knowledge about the North, and cover wide-ranging areas of research, including renewable energy production, wildlife conservation, food security, and sustainable northern development. Consult the descriptions of the research chairs for more information.
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Appointment of a science and innovation director at INQ
To assist in implementing its research strategy, INQ has also announced the appointment of Louis Fortier to the position of science and innovation director. Founder of Québec-Océan, scientific director of ArcticNet, world-renowned oceanographer, and professor of biology at Université Laval, Louis Fortier will put his wealth of expertise to work for INQ. Read the media coverage of the event on the INQ website.
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Left to right : Robert Sauvé, CEO, Société du Plan Nord; Claude Arbour, Acting Rector, INRS; Jasmin Raymond, Chairholder, Northern Geothermal Potential Research Chair, INRS; Louis Fortier, Science and Innovation Director, INQ; Denis Brière, Rector, Université Laval; Thierry Rodon, Chairholder, Northern Sustainable Development Research Chair; Rosie Goldstein, Vice Principal, Research and Innovation, McGill University, and Murray Humphries, Chairholder, McGill Chair in Northern Research – Wildlife Conservation and Traditional Food Security. Photo: Marc Robitaille
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Working groups
In recent months the various INQ working groups have continued their concerted efforts to define the main priorities in northern research.
Working Group on Infrastructure
The working group is continuing to fulfil its mission, with the compilation of various types of infrastructure and the creation of a search tool slated to go online in spring 2017.
Working Group on Research Priorities
The working group is drafting a document summarizing the workshops that were held last spring. Its members are also in the process of organizing an INQ Science Day that will take place in spring 2017.
First Peoples Working Group
The First Peoples Working Group has held several meetings and discussions since last fall. A Forum on the Research Needs of First Peoples was held March 7 and 8, 2017, in Val d’Or, at the First Peoples’ Pavilion at Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT). The invitation-only forum brought together some 50 people, including representatives of six Indigenous nations (Inuit, Cree, Naskapi, Innu, Atikamekw, and Anishinaabe) as well as researchers from several universities. Consult the event program.
Working Group on Sustainable Development
The Working Group on Sustainable Development is currently drafting a framework and guidelines to bring INQ’s research more in line with the United Nations’ sustainable development objectives. The next step consists of evaluating how consistent the UN objectives are with the R&D objectives of the First Nations in Northern Québec. An interactive workshop is planned as part of the Forum on the Research Needs of First Peoples.
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Still to come
The INQ website architecture and design are being overhauled to make more information available on a user-friendly platform.
A Northern Studies portal is also in the works, with a view to gathering together relevant, interdisciplinary documentary resources on northern studies. The content will be developed and updated by the Université Laval Library (Northern Studies librarian), in cooperation with libraries at the founding universities (McGill and INRS). The portal will be accessible via the INQ website.
A section on courses and training related to the North and the Arctic was added recently. We plan to create a list of available options shortly. In the meantime, any course that is brought to our attention will be posted there.
Spring 2017 will also be a time to reflect on INQ membership.
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QUÉBEC CITY HOSTS ARCTIC CIRCLE FORUM
December 11 to 13, 2016, in Québec City
From December 11 to 13, 2016, the Government of Québec and Arctic Circle held a major forum on Arctic and northern development at the Québec City Convention Centre under the theme “Sustainable Development in Northern Regions: an Integrated and Partnership-based Approach.” The forum attracted representatives from governments, academia, northern communities (including Indigenous nations), and from the world of business. The event was an opportunity for speakers and attendees to share knowledge and best practices, and to promote the sustainable development of the Arctic and northern regions. INQ had a booth at the event. Consult the forum program and photos.
Consult our Press Room to see some of the extensive media coverage the event generated.
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Left to right: Christine Barnard, Coordinator, Centre for Northern Studies; Brigitte Bigué, Project Director, Institut nordique du Québec; and Joanie Couture, Research professional, Institut nordique du Québec, in front of the INQ booth at the Arctic Circle Forum in Québec City. Photo: Marc Robitaille
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New phase for Institut nordique du Québec: Minister Pierre Arcand confirms financial contribution from Société du Plan Nord
On December 13, 2016, at a side event during the Arctic Circle Forum in Québec City, Pierre Arcand, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Minister responsible for the Plan Nord and Minister responsible for the Côte-Nord region, announced $10.8 million in funding from Société du Plan Nord to develop a business dossier that will include plans and specifications for the construction of INQ’s scientific complex. Read the press release (in French).
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Left to right: Pierre Arcand, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Minister responsible for the Plan Nord; Éric Bauce, Executive and Development Vice Rector, Université Laval; Robert Sauvé, CEO, Société du Plan Nord; Régis Labeaume, Mayor of Québec City; Louis Fortier, Science and Innovation Director, INQ; Edwin Bourget, one of the INQ project instigators and former Vice Rector, Research and Creation, Université Laval; Denis Brière, Rector, Université Laval; and Claude Arbour, Acting Rector, INRS. Photo: Marc Robitaille
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12TH ARCTICNET SCIENTIFIC MEETING (ASM2016)
December 5 to 9, 2016, in Winnipeg
Over 700 Arctic researchers, students, Indigenous leaders, policymakers, residents of the North, and private sector representatives gathered in Winnipeg for the annual ArcticNet Scientific Meeting (ASM2016) to reflect on the changes underway in Canada’s Arctic. ASM2016 is one of the biggest conferences on multisectoral Arctic research to be held in Canada in 2016. Dozens of eminent researchers specializing in the Arctic presented their work during 50 theme-based sessions dealing with fundamental and applied research and aimed at supporting the sustainable development of Arctic communities. INQ had a booth at the event.
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INQ PRESENTATION AT ARCTIC FRONTIERS
January 21 to 26, 2017, in Tromsø, Norway
INQ and Sentinel North co-presented a talk at Arctic Frontiers 2017 in Tromsø. Arctic Frontiers is an international conference on sustainable development in the Arctic. The 2017 edition focused on the gaps in our knowledge about the Arctic Ocean and the role these will play in the future.
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INQ PRESENTATION AT THE FLETCHER ARCTIC CONFERENCE
February 17 and 18, 2017, Fletcher School, Tufts University, MA
The annual Fletcher Arctic Conference, held at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy since 2012, is a forum for discussing the impacts of sustainable development in the Arctic. The event program included nine sessions dealing with environmental, legal, and diplomacy issues. René Therrien gave a presentation on INQ as part of a session on Québec’s Plan Nord and northern diplomacy.
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MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE (MOOC) – NORTHERN QUEBEC: CHALLENGES, TERRITORIES, AND CULTURES
Course offered February 13 to April 10, 2017
A MOOC is a free, non-credit distance-learning university course. Created at INQ’s initiative, the MOOC entitled Northern Quebec: Challenges, Territories, and Cultures is offered for the Winter 2017 semester. The course is designed for anyone with an interest in Northern Québec who wishes to learn about the area and its history, communities, and challenges. It will introduce students to the social and political issues of Northern Québec—the ancestral homeland of a number of Indigenous nations—and offer a better understanding of northern cultures, the region’s role in the collective imagination, different visions of northern development, and the region’s social and political evolution.
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UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
- Institut nordique du Québec seminar at Acfas, May 8, 2017, McGill University
- Workshop: Future Arctic – Arctic Bryophytes and Lichens, May 24 to 26, 2017, Forêt Montmorency
- INQ Science Day, June 6, 2017 (announcement forthcoming)
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