Wilfrid Laurier University and Northwest Territories extend research partnership another decade

Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., and the Northwest Territories government have signed a new 10-year partnership agreement for research and training opportunities.

Laurier president and vice-chancellor Deborah MacLatchy says the university and territory first teamed up 10 years ago and that collaboration "has resulted in more benefits than any of us envisioned."

"Together, we have broken new ground in research important to Canada and the planet, trained many students and research associates and built state-of-the-art infrastructure that will facilitate research for years to come. Continuing our partnership will enable us to deepen our understanding of the challenges facing Canada's North," MacLatchy said in a release.

Research office, living labs opened

In the past 10 years, the partnership has seen a research office opened in Yellowknife, a network of "living laboratories" through the Changing Arctic Network project and studies into several topics including the impact of climate change on water resources and the legacy of pollutants from mining activity.

As well, more than 280 undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral fellows have undergone training in the N.W.T. under the partnership and Laurier students and northern high school students work together on field courses and "on-the-land camp experiences."

Robert McLeod, the minister of environment and natural resources in the N.W.T., said the partnership between the government and Laurier is a "a prime example of how researchers and the public service can work together to advance research priorities that respond directly to the needs, concerns and questions of northerners."