Hall Beach, Nunavut - Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan

Problem Context

Hall Beach, located in Nunavut, is an arctic community of approximately 650 people and is one of the few permanently populated communities north of the Arctic Circle. Climate change threatens the community’s traditional way of life based on hunting, fishing, and Inuit crafts. Infrastructure in the community built and designed based on past climactic data may not be suited to future conditions that will include changes to permafrost, shore lines from erosion and the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. Given the size of the community and their location, adaptation remains the only real option in the face of climate change.

In line with the intent of the government of Nunavut to promote adaptation to climate change in the Arctic, Christine Callihoo of Hemmera, Dan Ohlson of Compass Resource Management, the Canadian Institute of Planners, and Natural Resource Canada partnered with the Climate Change Coordinator for the Department of the Environment of the Government of Nunavut to create a plan for adaptation.

The overall objective of the project was to produce a Climate Change Adaptation Action plan with the community of Hall Beach. The intent was to assist decision-making at the local level through policy options, capacity building and the identification of resources.