Location

Location in Canada’s Arctic

Resolute, Nunavut is the first choice for the first Innunguaq city. The Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resolute,_Nunavut gives a brief overview of the history and current status. In short, “Resolute or Resolute Bay is a small Inuit hamlet on Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, Canada. It is situated at the northern end of Resolute Bay and the Northwest Passage and is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region.”

The main criterion for this choice is Resolute’s location on the Northwest Passage. As our climate continues to warm, this will increasingly become a navigable waterway, likely hosting large volumes of commercial and military traffic. A permanent civilian and military presence in this area is essential to enforce maritime law and claims of sovereignty.

In 2007 the then-current federal government announced that a deep-sea naval facility was to be built at Nanisivik, 370 km to the southeast of Resolute. Since the proposed naval facility at Nanisivik is behind schedule and far over budget, and in any case has been downgraded from the initial intent, it is proposed that the Resolute site incorporate the announced intentions of the Nanisivik facility. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/tendering-process-begins-for-arctic-naval-facility-1.1408047

The proposed Army training facility at Resolute Bay has likewise been scaled back from the original plan. Under this Proposal, the Resolute Bay training facility would become the core of development efforts for the City of Resolute. http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/news/article.page?doc=canadian-armed-forces-arctic-training-centre/hkdons6l