Northern Manitoba

Anderson Assuah, Nicole Breedon, Ryan Bullock, Wayne Kelly, Bryanne Lamoureux, Doug Ramsey

Introduction
Northern Manitoba is described as the region north of the 53rd parallel. Like many provinces, this represents a substantial portion of the land mass, but only a tiny portion of the population.¹ Primarily Canadian Shield, this part of the province is rich in natural resources and natural beauty. However, it poses many challenges for its inhabitants. These challenges include limited access to essential services, economic disparities, and environmental concerns. This chapter delves into these pressing issues, offering an overview of current trends and dynamics shaping Northern Manitoba.

The case study discussed in this chapter centers on the evolution and adaptability of Thompson, the northernmost city in the province and a significant hub in Northern Manitoba. It started as a mining town, but over the past 60 years, Thompson has evolved into a service centre hosting the region’s primary healthcare, government, and post-secondary education services. The case study explores the resilience and innovation demonstrated by the community in response to economic shifts, uncertainties, and demographic changes.

When discussing the future of Northern Manitoba, we focus on the challenges and opportunities that climate change will bring to the region, such as transportation and trade infrastructure, energy projects, and economic development. We also review increasing trends in co-management and local models for extractive industries and Indigenous ownership of infrastructure and how these intersect with Indigenous sovereignty and climate change.

Overview of Northern Manitoba
Defining “Remote” and “Northern” in Manitoba
The term “remote” varies greatly in definition. It is often explained or defined in relation to factors such as population, size of a settlement, distance from major service centres, and/or a settlement’s inability to access a year-round road.²,³,⁴ For example, a National Issues Report on climate change explained the term to mean settlements with less than 10,000 people, in which no inhabitant commutes to work in urban centres.⁴ In contrast, concerning healthcare provision and services in Manitoba, remote communities have been defined as not having year-round road access to the province’s highway system.⁵,⁶ Considered remote, the northern region of Manitoba consists of all geographic space north of the 53rd parallel (see Figure 1). This region has approximately 67% of Manitoba’s land area, but hosts only 7% of its population.¹

Location of Northern and Remote Communities in Manitoba  

Northern Manitoba is made up of non-Indigenous and First Nations communities. The former consists of two cities (Flin Flon and Thompson), seven towns (Churchill, Gillam, Grand Rapids, Leaf Rapids, Lynn Lake, Snow Lake, and The Pas), one local government district (Mystery Lake), and one rural municipality (Kelsey).⁷ Fifty designated communities also form an “unorganized territory of Northern Manitoba,” which are supported with municipal services by the Department of Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations.⁸ Of the 63 First Nations in Manitoba, 26 (41.3%) are located in Northern Manitoba.⁹ Northern Manitoba’s many communities are also home to Métis and Inuit Peoples.

Figure 1 Northern Manitoba. The image above depicts a map of Manitoba wherein Northern Manitoba is highlighted in brown, red, orange, light and dark green. Source (Look North: Northern Manitoba Interactive Map).

Remote communities are found in both the northern and southern regions of Manitoba – that is, above and below the 53rd parallel. In many cases, these 22 northern, remote communities are linked by ice roads or winter roads from mid-January to mid-March, dependent upon temperature fluctuations.¹⁰,¹¹ During other seasons, such as the summer, northern remote communities are typically connected to the south by air transportation. The overall ice road network in Manitoba is estimated to be around 2,381 kilometres long.¹² It provides essential goods and services to approximately 30,000 residents in these remote and primarily Indigenous communities.¹³

Demography of Northern and Remote Communities in Manitoba 

Overall, the population of Northern Manitoba is growing faster than the province as a whole. The region has grown from 78,829 to 95,989 over a 20 year period and, in the last 5 years, has outpaced the provincial average with a 5.8% growth compared to Manitoba’s 4.5%.¹⁴  The population of Northern Manitoba communities varies greatly, ranging from hosting as few as five people to over 13,000 people. The City of Thompson has a population of 13,035,¹⁵ and the only other city in Northern Manitoba, Flin Flon, has a population of 4,940.¹⁶ Compared to the 2016 Statistics Canada Population Census, both cities recorded a population decrease of -4.7% and -1%, respectively.  

Communities or settlements with the lowest populations in Northern Manitoba range from 0 inhabitants in National Mills¹⁷ (formerly a forest industry settlement) to 521 residents in Cross Lake (Incorporated Community of Cross Lake).¹⁸ The latter recorded a 17.6% growth in its population. Camperville, which used to have a population of 487 people, now hosts 90 people, representing a – 81.5% population change.¹⁹ 

Realities of Northern Manitoba 

As demonstrated, Northern Manitoba comprises a diverse population spread across a large land area. Communities with low population densities are generally connected to southern or more populous areas and their associated amenities through shared infrastructure, which is often seasonal. However, Northern Manitoba is rich in natural resources, culture, and amenities, offering economic diversification and developmental potential. This region requires sustainable infrastructure development through collaboration and coordination amongst all levels of government to build on the strengths and opportunities of the north, deliver services for all people who live there, and navigate the available economic opportunities. 

  Since the 1990s, provincial and municipal governments in Northern Manitoba have faced challenges prioritizing the digital and knowledge economy, whereby natural resources and amenities have been overlooked.²⁰ Ironically, while the digital economy has distracted from the economic resource-based opportunities in the north, broadband connectivity represents a critical tool for northern communities in Manitoba to address the challenges of distance and density.²¹ However, as with all extraction-based economies, the pendulum has recently swung back, making resource extraction a critical part of today’s economy. This is further exemplified by the ongoing digital technology boom, which has substantially increased demand for critical minerals in digital devices and batteries. Manitoba’s north is booming with possibilities again, as it contains 29 of the 31 designated critical minerals (e.g., lithium, graphite, nickel, and cobalt) required to support the technological industry.²² Currently, mining exploration in Manitoba has hit record new levels, with the provincial government designation $170 million to these efforts throughout 2022.²³ While these findings demonstrate the potential for a shift in opportunities in northern economic development, environmental concerns and reconciliation must be at the forefront of decision-making to support today’s digital economy more sustainably.²⁴ 

The Look North Action Plan and The Indigenous Economy Reports for Manitoba and Northern Manitoba both emphasize the importance of collaboration as a cornerstone for regional and community development.^1,25,27 This notion is further supported by the 2022 National Indigenous Economic Strategy for Canada, which identified economic reconciliation as an essential pillar in true reconciliation.²⁶ As of 2016, 73% of people living north of the 53rd parallel identified as Indigenous.²⁷ To ensure meaningful collaboration, all levels of government and Indigenous Peoples must accompany one another through the duration of all economic development projects, ensuring transparency and free, prior, and informed consent while designing and implementing each project.²⁵ 

Governance poses a significant challenge that shapes communities across rural, northern, and remote regions of the province. It also serves as a critical backdrop to the complexities of navigating the resource economy and embracing reconciliation in Northern Manitoba. A notable trend in rural, northern, and remote communities, both in Manitoba and across Canada, is reduced governance capacity.²⁸ Northern communities often struggle to influence the policy and decision-making that impacts them.²⁹ The reduced ability to provide direction for community development has historically been no different, as local Indigenous governments and municipalities have to navigate both provincial and federal agencies for support throughout the region.³⁰ Policy coordination must also be improved, as disproportionate investments currently hinder the region’s ability to deliver essential services. This disorganization hampers administrative functions and marginalizes the voices of those familiar with local nuances. Manitoba’s recent Look North Report and Action Plan recognizes this challenge and emphasizes the essential need to collaborate for reconciliation and economic success in Northern Manitoba.¹   

Building local capacity and coordinating policy at multiple levels of government will be a key component of successfully achieving the possibilities of Northern Manitoba based on the vision and direction of the people who live there. Regarding the region’s future, Northern Manitoba must balance the realities of climate change, reconciliation, and locally driven economic development, while infrastructure disparities loom large, and many communities feel left behind in the race for development. The region stands at a crossroads, which necessitates comprehensive strategies that honour its unique positionality and guide it toward a future marked by resilience and prosperity.  

A Case Study of Economic Diversification in Thompson, Manitoba  

The City of Thompson, Manitoba is a community in transition. Thompson originated as a company town, following the discovery of ore in 1956. Hitting its peak population of more than 20,000 by 1970, it could have been considered a traditional single-industry resource community.³¹  However, since the late 1990s, Thompson has diversified its economy and become a northern service hub. Thompson’s historical reliance on the mining industry is captured in population change data in Table 1 between 1996 and 2021. As noted in Table 1, Thompson saw an almost five percent decline in population between 2016 and 2021.³² This decline coincides with a 39% reduction in people employed in mining in that same time period.^36,37 

Table 1.  

Population Change from 1996-2021 in Thompson, Manitoba  

Year	Population	% Change
1996	14,385	–
2001	13,256	-7.8
2006	13,446	+1.4
2011	13,123	-2.4
2016	13,678	+4.2
2021	10,035	-4.7

Note. Population data from Statistics Canada census profiles.^{33,34,35,36,37,38} 

With close ties to the mining industry, Thompson has made efforts to diversify it’s economy for over 20 years. Initiatives include the development of the University College of the North (UCN) campus, efforts to promote economic growth through the tourism sector, and the facilitation of research on wolf populations and cold weather testing for automobiles and, more recently, the aerospace industry. Thompson has also undergone broad infrastructural expansions, becoming a service hub for Northern Manitoba. In addition to health, social and educational services, Thompson is a key road, rail, and air transportation hub. Most recently, construction began on the expansion of the terminal at the Thompson Regional Airport to expand services and address runway and infrastructure degradation due to thawing permafrost.^39,40 Acknowledgment about the role the airport plays as a service hub is described in the following quote from the Thompson Citizen: 

It wasn’t until special notice was taken by the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) seeing the essential services the airport provided for the whole North, including medical transportation, cargo freight, passenger transport for personal and business needs such as the local mine and Hydro. Even delivering goods to the 37 northern Manitoba communities, including 15 remote Indigenous communities that are only accessible by air and winter icy roads.³⁴ 

Thompson is a centre for post-secondary education and home to one of UCN’s two campuses, the other located in The Pas. UCN began as Keewatin Community College, first established in The Pas in the 1960s, with the Thompson campus opening in the 1980s. The college was chartered as a university in 2004. A new 90,000-square-foot campus facility opened in 2014. UCN has a total enrolment of approximately 1,900 students, of which, more than 400 study in Thompson.⁴¹ More than 70% of students studying through UCN are Indigenous.⁴² Since 1998, Thompson and The Pas have also had a partnership with the University of Manitoba’s College of Nursing, where 20 new students each year study in Thompson and The Pas.⁴³ 

The City of Thompson has developed an international reputation for the scientific research, education, and tourism of wolves. From a tourism perspective, this popularity can be traced to the mural painted on a 10-storey apartment building in Thompson, which is a recreation of famed wildlife artist, Robert Bateman’s, Wolf Sketch. Manitoba is home to 50 painted wolf sculptures, 35 of which are scattered throughout Thompson. Since 2009, Thompson has been the self-declared “Wolf Capital of the World.”⁴⁴ The Boreal Discovery Centre, in partnership with Spirit Way Inc. in Thompson, developed a habitat compound for gray wolf research to support the development of a world-class wolf research centre. 

Thompson has also become a hub for cold weather testing, first with automobiles in the 1980s³⁰ and more recently for the aerospace industry. Thompson has long promoted the fact that they have a prolonged winter, but one which is accessible to bring in vehicles and aircraft.⁴⁵ According to Manitoba Aerospace, a member-owned not-for-profit research corporation, “If it works here, it can work anywhere!”⁴⁶ Another research organization, MDS Aerotest, conducts ice testing in their Global Aerospace Centre for Icing and Environmental Research (GLACIER) facility. And a partner entity, EnviroTREC, a not-for-profit Environmental Test, Research and Education Center, is working on developing more sustainable avian fuels.⁴⁷ Cold weather testing continues to grow with the recent announcement that the Thompson Regional Airport had purchased the Ford Motor Vehicle Company’s cold weather testing facility.³⁶ The above infrastructure and business development initiatives illustrate the significance of climate change, government relations, and Indigenous reconciliation to the future of northern communities and Manitoba as a whole.   

The Future of Northern Manitoba  

Climate change is shaping Northern Manitoba’s future. Permafrost melt continues to impact key infrastructure, as it has the Churchill railway and the Thompson airport. The ice roads and the 30,000 people they connect will continue to face shorter seasonality.⁴⁸ Demand for low-emission electricity will pressure the development of new hydroelectric developments that will further impact northern communities. A changing climate also offers economic opportunities, including longer Arctic trade and shipping seasons in the Hudson Bay,⁴⁹ and the increasing digitalization of society requiring Manitoba’s critical minerals for new technologies.⁵⁰ 

Northern Manitoba’s history of external ownership and resource control is shifting towards place-based and local ownership. The Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway are owned by the Arctic Gateway Group, a coalition of First Nations and non-Indigenous Bayline communities local to the area.⁵¹ Forest Management License Area 2 is now managed by Nisokapawino Forestry Management Corporation, a partnership company equally owned by Canadian Kraft Paper and seven First Nations as Nekoté Limited Partnership. Implementing these practical models of local and shared ownership is strengthening strategic-level involvement and capacity-building initiatives for northern and rural Manitoba.⁵² In contrast to external control, local ownership is more likely to create local benefits. For communities like Thompson, local ownership means less “being at the mercy of” external shifts from resource economies.⁵³ It may also mean more direct care for residents through reinvestment in jobs and training, and improvements in community infrastructure.⁵⁴ As natural resource demands from southern and international interests continue to grow, place-based ownership better positions Northern Manitoba for locally beneficial social, economic, and environmental outcomes.⁵⁵ 

This shift is significant in a time of climate change, where bolstering local decision-making and collaborative institutions will support local adaptive capacity.⁵⁶ In the context of reconciliation, local ownership and co-management are part of reimagining different forms of resource management and power sharing in a colonial context.⁵⁷ While limitations exist, these models are closer to Indigenous self-determination and sovereignty. A continued push towards sovereignty means supporting Indigenous and northern communities for adaptation and the related challenges and opportunities that are to come.   

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Here’s your list with the spacing issues corrected:

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