Abstracts
Abstract
We investigate and project the likely socio-economic effects on the community of Tuktoyaktuk from completion of the all-season Highway 10 (the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway) in Northwest Territories, Canada. Prior to the highway’s completion, Tuktoyaktuk was connected to the rest of Canada by air, winter road, and the Mackenzie River in summer. Our analysis is based on estimated relationships between community remoteness and quantifiable socio-economic metrics using the recently developed Index of Remoteness and associated agglomeration data from Statistics Canada (Alasia et al. 2017). Most notable among our results is a statistically strong relationship between agglomeration and both the mean and distribution of household and family incomes, implying that Highway 10 increases incomes across the income distribution. We find similar evidence suggesting increased rates of high school completion. We find no statistically significant relationship between agglomeration and employment participation rates. There is a positive relationship for some forms of crime but no relationship for violent or property crime rates.
Keywords:
- Remoteness,
- Agglomeration,
- Socio-Economic Outcomes,
- Infrastructure,
- Community Outcomes
Download the article in PDF to read it.
Download
Appendices
Acknowledgements
We thank Victoria Goodday for thoughts and comments on an early version of this draft, Sonya Saunders for her insights on Northwest Territories’ Infrastructure Development, and April Kargard for excellent research assistance. We also thank attendees at several workshops organized as part of the Canadian Northern Corridor Partnership Development Grant, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (grant #890-2017-0023) for funding this work. We also acknowledge support from PrairiesCan (formerly Western Economic Diversification) Grant File Number 000011411.
Bibliography
- Alasia, A., Bédard, F., Bélanger, J., Guimond, E. & Penne, C. (2017). Measuring remoteness and accessibility: A set of indices for Canadian communities. No. 18-001-X. 2017. Statistics Canada.
- Amnesty International (2016). Out of sight, out of mind: Gender, indigenous rights, and energy development in northeast British Columbia, Canada. London: Amnesty International Ltd.
- Angell, A.C. & Parkins, J.R. (2011). Resource development and aboriginal culture in the Canadian north, Polar Record, 47(1): 67–79.
- Atkin, D. & Donaldson, D. (2015). Who’s Getting Globalized? The Size and Implications of Intra-national Trade Costs. National Bureau of Economic Research (Working Paper Series).
- Banerjee, A., Duflo, E. & Qian, N. (2012). On the Road: Access to Transportation Infrastructure and Economic Growth in China. National Bureau of Economic Research (Working Paper Series).
- Berger, T.R. (1977). Northern frontier, northern homeland: The report of the MacKenzie Valley pipeline inquiry, 2 vols, Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services Canada.
- Berger, T.R. (1988). Northern Frontier, Northern Homeland: The Report of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry (Revised Edition). Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre.
- Bone, R.M. (1989). Country food consumption during the Norman Wells Project, 1982–1985, Polar Record, 25(154): 235–238.
- Campbell, K.M. (2007). What Was It They Lost? The Impact of Resource Development on Family Violence in a Northern Aboriginal Community, Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, 5(1): 57–80.
- Canadian Institute for Health Information (2020). National Health Expenditure Trends, Available at: https://www.cihi.ca/sites/default/files/document/nhex-trends-2020-narrative-report-en.pdf (Accessed: 22 October 2022).
- CBC Digital Archives (n.d.). 1979: Dempster Highway opens ‘road to resources’ across Arctic Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/1979-dempster-highway-opens-road-to-resources-across-arctic (Accessed: 14 March 2022).
- Dacks, G. (1981). A Choice of Futures: Politics in the Canadian North. Toronto: Methuen.
- Davidson, R. & MacKinnon, J.G. (1993). Estimation and inference in econometrics. New York: Oxford University Press.
- DesBrisay, D. (1994). The impact of major resource development projects on aboriginal communities: a review of the literature. Ottawa: Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Available at: https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2016/bcp-pco/Z1-1991-1-41-50-eng.pdf (Accessed: 21 October 2022).
- Donaldson, D. (2018). Railroads of the Raj: Estimating the Impact of Transportation Infrastructure, American Economic Review, 108(4–5): 899–934.
- Dunlop, B., Gessner, S., Herbert, T. & Parker, A. (2018). Report on the status of B.C. First Nations languages. Brentwood Bay, BC: First Peoples’ Cultural Council.
- Fellows, G.K. & Tombe, T. (2018). Opening Canada’s North: A Study of Trade Costs in the Territories, SPP Research Paper, 11:17.
- Francois, J. & Manchin, M. (2013). Institutions, Infrastructure, and Trade, World Development, 46: 165–175.
- Gibson, G. & Klinck, J. (2005). Canada’s resilient north: the impact of mining on aboriginal communities, Pimatisiwin: A Journal of Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health, 3(1): 116–139.
- Government of Northwest Territories (2010). Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk all-weather road economic analysis. Yellowknife: Department of Transportation. Available at: https://www.inf.gov.nt.ca/sites/inf/files/resources/ith_economic_analysis_0.pdf (Accessed: 18 October 2021).
- Government of Northwest Territories (2011). Environmental impact statement for construction of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway, NWT. Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk, Town of Inuvik. Available at: https://www.inf.gov.nt.ca/sites/inf/files/resources/ith_eis.pdf (Accessed: 14 October 2021).
- Government of Northwest Territories (2020). Tuktoyaktuk - Statistical Profile. Yellowknife: Bureau of Statistics. Available at: https://www.statsnwt.ca/community-data/infrastructure/Tuktoyaktuk.html (Accessed: 18 October 2021).
- Government of Northwest Territories (n.d.). Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway Project. Yellowknife: Department of Infrastructure. Available at: https://www.inf.gov.nt.ca/en/ITH (Accessed: 14 July 2022).
- Hori, Y., Gough, W.A., Butler, K. & Tsuji, L.J.S. (2017). Trends in the seasonal length and opening dates of a winter road in the western James Bay region, Ontario, Canada, Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 129(3): 1309–1320.
- Infrastructure Canada (2017). Backgrounder: History in the making: Completion of the Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway links Canada from coast to coast to coast. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/office-infrastructure/news/2017/11/backgrounder_historyinthemakingcompletionoftheinuviktuktoyaktukh.html (Accessed: 22 October 2022).
- Koch, K. (2022). The Territorial and Socio-Economic Characteristics of the Digital Divide in Canada, Canadian Journal of Regional Science, 45(2): 89–98.
- Kruse, J. (1991). Alaska Inupiat subsistence and wage employment patterns: understanding individual choice, Human Organization, 50(4): 317–326.
- Loring, P.A. & Gerlach, S.C. (2015). Searching for Progress on Food Security in the North American North: A Research Synthesis and Meta-analysis of the Peer-Reviewed Literature, Arctic, 68(3): 380–392.
- MacCharles, T. & Campion-Smith, B. (2011). Conservatives to flex majority muscle in new Parliament, Toronto Star, 3 June. Available at: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2011/06/03/conservatives_to_flex_majority_muscle_in_new_parliament.html (Accessed: 22 October 2022).
- Miltenberger, M. (2013). Bill 4 – Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), 2013-2014. Northwest Territories. Legislative Assembly Debates of the Legislative Assembly Hansard.17th Assembly. 4th Session. Available at: https://www.ntassembly.ca/sites/assembly/files/hn130311.pdf (Accessed: 15 October 2021).
- Mullan, D., Swindles, G., Patterson, T., Galloway, J., Macumber, A., Falck, H., Crossley, L., Chen, J. & Pisaric, M. (2017). Climate change and the long-term viability of the World’s busiest heavy haul ice road, Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 129(3): 1089–1108.
- Munzur, Alaz. 2021. Mackenzie Valley Gas Pipeline in Retrospect. The School of Public Policy Publications 14:33.
- Munzur, A. (2022). Existing and Pending Infrastructure Projects: Potential Compatibility with the Canadian Northern Corridor, The School of Public Policy Publications, 1:5.
- National Aboriginal Economic Development Board (2016). Recommendations on Northern Infrastructure to Support Economic Development. Available at: http://www.naedb-cndea.com/reports/recommendations-on-northern-infrastructure.pdf (Accessed: 14 October 2021).
- Natural Resources Canada [NRCan] (2020). Geographical Names Data – Canada. Available at: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/geography/download-geographical-names-data/9245 (Accessed: 30 August 2021).
- North Slave Métis Alliance (1999). Can’t Live Without Work–North Slave Metis Alliance Environomental, Social, Economic and Cultural Concerns: A Companion to the Comprehensive Study Report on the Diavik Diamonds Project.
- Oosterveer, T.M. & Kue Young, T. (2015). Primary health care accessibility challenges in remote indigenous communities in Canada’s North, International journal of circumpolar health, 74(1): 29576.
- Parlee, B.L. (2015). Avoiding the Resource Curse: Indigenous Communities and Canada’s Oil Sands, World Development, 74: 425–436.
- Pearce, T., Ford, J.D. & Fawcett, D. (2020). Climate Change and Implications for the Proposed Canadian Northern Corridor, The School of Public Policy Publications, 13:26.
- Richards, M. & Burnaby, B. (2008). Restoring aboriginal languages: Immersion and intensive language program models in Canada, in T. Williams Fortune and Tedick, D.J. (Eds) Pathways to multilingualism: Evolving perspectives on immersion education. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd., 221–241.
- Riddell, W.C. (2006). The impact of education on economic and social outcomes: An overview of recent advances in economics. Canadian Policy Research Networks.
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) (n.d.). Find a detachment. Available at: https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/detach/en/find/NT (Accessed: 21 October 2022).
- Sharplin, E., O’Neill, M. & Chapman, A. (2011). Coping strategies for adaptation to new teacher appointments: Intervention for retention, Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(1): 136–146.
- Smith, P. (2006). Community-based framework for measuring the success of indigenous people’s forest-based economic development in Canada, Managing the commons: indigenous rights, economic development and identity. Mexico City: Instituto de Ecologia.
- Standing Committee on Government Operations (2020). Report on Long-term Post-pandemic Recovery: Recommendations to the GNWT. Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly. Available at: https://www.ntassembly.ca/sites/assembly/files/2020-06-09_cr_2-192_scogo_report_on_long-term_post-pandemic_recovery_-_recommendations_to_the_gnwt.pdf (Accessed: 20 October 2022).
- Statistics Canada (2016). 2016 Census - Coastal Waters (polygons) Available at: https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/geo/index-eng.cfm (Accessed: 28 August 2021).
- Statistics Canada (2017a). Tuktoyaktuk, HAM [Census subdivision], Northwest Territories and Northwest Territories [Territory] (table). Census Profile. 2016. Available at: https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E (Accessed: 6 December 2020).
- Statistics Canada (2017b). Census in Brief: The Aboriginal languages of First Nations people, Métis and Inuit- Statistics Canada Census of Population, 2016. Available at: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/98-200-x/2016022/98-200-x2016022-eng.cfm (Accessed: 6 December 2020).
- Statistics Canada (2018). Aircraft movements, by class of operation and type of operation, airports without air traffic control towers, annual. Government of Canada. Available at: https://doi.org/10.25318/2310003201-ENG.
- Statistics Canada (2019a). Average domestic fares for Canada and ten major cities, annual. Government of Canada. Available at: https://doi.org/10.25318/2310023801-ENG.
- Statistics Canada (2019b). 2016 Census - Boundary Files. Provinces and Territories. Available at: https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/geo/bound-limit/bound-limit-2016-eng.cfm (Accessed: 30 August 2021).
- Statistics Canada (2020a). Inventory of publicly owned road assets, Infrastructure Canada. Government of Canada. Available at: https://doi.org/10.25318/3410017601-ENG.
- Statistics Canada (2020b). Road Network File, 2020. Available at: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/92-500-X2020001 (Accessed: 28 August 2021).
- Stewart, B. (2017). New Arctic coast highway opens up remote Tuktoyaktuk, CBC News, 23 October. Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/new-arctic-coast-highway-opens-up-remote-tuktoyaktuk-1.4363029 (Accessed: 12 July 2021).
- Town of Fort Smith (2017). Say Goodbye to Gravel! Hwy 5 Fully Paved! Available at: https://www.fortsmith.ca/news/say-goodbye-gravel-hwy-5-fully-paved (Accessed: 28 August 2021).
- Tsetta, S., Gibson, G., McDevitt, L. & Poltner, S. (2005). Telling a story of change the Dene way: Indicators for monitoring in diamond impacted communities, Pimatisiwin: A Journal of Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health, 3(1): 59–69.
- United States (US) Census Bureau (2018). Cartographic Boundary Files – National Boundaries Shapefile. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/geo/tiger/GENZ2018/shp/cb_2018_us_nation_5m.zip (Accessed: 28 August 2021).
- Van der Velden, R.K.W. & Wolbers, M.H.J. (2007). How Much Does Education Matter and Why?: The Effects of Education on Socio-economic Outcomes among School-leavers in the Netherlands, European Sociological Review, 23(1): 65–80.
- Young, T.K., Chatwood, S. & Marchildon, G.P. (2016). Healthcare in Canada’s North: Are We Getting Value for Money?, Healthcare Policy, 12(1): 59–70.
- Young, T.K., Chatwood, S., Ford, J., Healy, G., Jong, M., Lavoie, J. & White, M. (2016). Transforming Health Care in Remote Communities: report on an international conference, BMC Proceedings, 10(6): 6.
- Young, T.K. & Chatwood, S. (2017). Delivering more equitable primary health care in Northern Canada, CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, 189(45): E1377–E1378.
- Zurba, M. & Bullock, R. (2020). Bioenergy development and the implications for the social wellbeing of Indigenous peoples in Canada, Ambio, 49(1): 299–309.
10.7202/1092248ar