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Senate Arctic committee calls report a ‘wake-up call’ in latest report

Jun 12, 2019 | 10:24 AM

OTTAWA — Canada’s Senate says it’s time the federal government stopped ignoring the Arctic.

In a new report, the Senate has issued what it says is a wake-up call for Ottawa to deal with problems that have been festering in the North for decades.

The report makes 30 recommendations.

It says the government needs to fund better educational opportunities and support new housing adapted to a changing Arctic climate.

It also says communities need better energy options than diesel generators and that research conducted in the North should be relevant to the needs of northerners.

But co-author Senator Dennis Patterson from Nunavut says he knows similar recommendations have been made before by other government committees.

He says the current government doesn’t seem to have the Arctic high on its agenda.

The Canadian Press