Passing the Mic, Part 1 — the Canadian High Arctic Research Station

Explore: A Canadian Geographic podcast

"Indigenous People have the knowledge. And if we work together with scientists, we can come up with so much more than what only Inuit know or what scientists know. It's a great tool." - Jeannie Ehaloak, Polar Knowledge Canada, Cambridge Bay, Nunavut.

We're thrilled to bring you the first of three episodes from our December visit to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, where we visited with the Inuit community and spent time at the new Canadian High Arctic Research Station there. CHARS, as it's known, is an effort to move the centre of gravity for science and research in Canada a little further north, according to Chief Scientist David Hik. In this fascinating episode we'll explore this $250 million, state of the art facility that just opened in 2019. We'll talk to people involved on how this represents a new chance to blend traditional Inuit knowledge with science, in an effort to overcome some big issues, not least of which is the impact of climate change in the Arctic, where temperatures are rising at a rate 6 times faster than in southern Canada.

The opening music in this episode is performed by a Cambridge Bay group called Huqqullaarutit Unipkaangit, which means “Stories Told Through Drum-Dance Songs.”

If you enjoy this podcast and the stories we bring you, please consider donating to the 2nd Annual RCGS Polar Plunge, being held on March 6 in support of the RCGS and storytelling that makes Canada better known to Canadians and the world.