Indigenous

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami unveiled a comprehensive poverty‑reduction plan on June 9 targeting Inuit in Nunavut, the NWT, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut, setting goals to raise incomes, increase employment, reduce food insecurity, expand Indigenous business participation, and provide a guaranteed livable income for children and seniors.

Greenland’s recent approval of the Tanbreez rare‑earth project and the US’s new deep‑sea mining permitting framework highlight how Arctic and oceanic mineral frontiers are now caught in a policy and environmental cross‑fire, with legal disputes over Greenland’s Kvanefjeld and Norway’s paused seabed plans underscoring the growing complexity for investors.

The Qikiqtarjuaq deep‑sea port in Nunavut will not start full construction in 2026 as funding gaps persist, despite AEDC’s bid for fast‑tracked federal support. Phase‑1 cost $350 M, with only $50 M secured, leaving $300 M needed from the Arctic Infrastructure Fund. Indigenous‑led project remains stalled.

Construction of the Qikiqtarjuaq deep‑sea port in Nunavut will not begin in 2026, as Arctic Economic Development Corporation faces financing gaps that keep the project on hold until federal funding decisions are made.

NTI has secured $6.8 million from the federal Youth Mental Health Fund to bolster Inuit youth programs and establish a Nunavut Youth Council, while distributing $18.7 million in housing funds that enable new transitional housing projects in Baker Lake, Gjoa Haven, Pangnirtung and Sanikiluaq.

Ahead of the June 15 North American Caribou Workshop in Yellowknife, 50 Canadians signed a petition urging the federal government to halt or modify the Liberal‑era major projects legislation that could threaten the Bathurst, Bluenose East and Beverly caribou herds, citing severe population declines and potential road impacts.

Materials for 95 of the 725 federally‑backed housing units have arrived, with Iqaluit receiving 46 stick‑built homes while modular units dominate in other communities, advancing the territory’s public housing plan.

The United States can expand its military presence in Greenland under the 1951 Defense Agreement, but Denmark and Greenland insist on maintaining sovereignty, while talks continue over access to rare‑earth minerals and missile‑defense assets.

NOAA’s four‑day workshop trained Arctic tribes in harmful‑algal‑bloom monitoring and toxin detection, giving them tools to protect local marine ecosystems.

A lease of 114,000 acres of public land in Wyoming for oil and gas could cost taxpayers $50 million, as highlighted by a TCS statement on similar Arctic Refuge lease sales.

Anchorage Daily News opinion piece argues that Alaska’s overnight transfer of 1.4 million acres to the state stripped Wiseman residents of legal firewood rights, violating the public‑trust clause and jeopardizing subsistence while opening the way for a 211‑mile haul road.

The Northwest Territories government released a set of best‑management practices for road construction that aim to reduce impacts on barren‑ground caribou, inviting public comments until July 15.

Federal leases to drill for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge sold last week are now facing immediate litigation over tribal rights, potentially delaying drilling.

After Typhoon Halong, 19 of Kipnuk’s 700 residents stayed to rebuild, while most voted to relocate to higher ground, illustrating the community’s resilience and long‑term relocation planning in a climate‑vulnerable Arctic region.

NWT premier RJ Simpson endorses free, prior and informed consent as the right approach for the Mackenzie Valley Highway, with Sahtu, Gwich’in, and Pehdzéh Kı̨ governments signing an MOU but the project remains unfunded.

The Federal Subsistence Board approved three wildlife special action requests for the Western Arctic Caribou herd, a decision that will shape subsistence rights and governance for Arctic communities.

Only two entities won nearly 690,000 acres of drilling rights in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge during Trump‑era auction, as major oil firms stayed out amid environmental concerns.

Greenland’s government rejected a proposal by the Naleraq party to register Inuit citizens, affecting Inuit governance and rights in the Arctic.

Donald Trump proposes auctioning almost 700,000 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas drilling, a move opposed by Tribal Nations.

Two companies won leases covering 72,000 acres in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a move critics call tepid yet opening door to potential drilling amid indigenous and environmental concerns.

Nunavut is negotiating Dene land‑claim agreements that may affect upcoming mining projects, including Hook Lake, as the territory prepares for devolution of decision‑making in 2027.

A new partnership combines Indigenous and Western knowledge to tackle flooding, erosion, and permafrost thaw in eight Arctic coastal communities.