To unpack how Canada can build a smart Arctic, Co-hosts Jessica Shadian, Mishal Khan, and Jaiden Stevens are joined by:

• Madeleine Redfern, COO, CanArctic Inuit Networks; CEO, SednaLink Marine Systems; Executive Director, Arctic360 Northern Branch

• Lyle Fabian, CEO, KatloTech Communications

• Captain Satinder Singh, Vice President Marine, PortsToronto

In this episode of Breaking the Ice, Arctic360 co-hosts co-hosts Jessica Shadian and Sofie Poggendorf speak with Inuuteq Holm Olsen, former Greenlandic Representative to the US and Canada, and Jacob Isbosethsen, Greenland’s current Representative to both countries, about Greenland’s evolving role in international affairs and what may be on the horizon for Greenland-Canada diplomatic cooperation.

We spoke with Glenn Cowan, CEO, One9; Kevin Reed, President and COO, Defence, Security & Resilience Bank; Dr. Jackie Dawson, University of Ottawa /Researcher in Residence, Office of the Chief Science Advisor, Government of Canada; and Patrick Schneider-Sikorsky, Partner, NATO Innovation Fund to find out.

Co-hosts Jessica Shadian, President & CEO of Arctic360, Sofie Poggendorf, and Alexandra Paul were fortunate and grateful to be joined by the EU Ambassador to Canada, Geneviève Tuts; German Ambassador to Canada Matthias Lüttenberg; and UK High Commissioner to Canada, Robert Tinline.

As we do each summer, we’re bringing together the brightest minds from the North, working in the North, or on the North, from across the circumpolar world and beyond. Our theme for 2025, “The Summer of Arctic Security, Infrastructure & Innovation,” gives us the extraordinary opportunity to Discuss both the issues we know best and the big issues on the table when it comes to Canada’s North and the Arctic region at large.

🎙️This year’s co-hosts are:

Jaiden Stevens – Carleton University Journalism student from Norman Wells, specializing in Northern storytelling, media, and community voices

Asma Awan – Munk School MGA student and civil servant with expertise in policy innovation

Mishal Khan – Munk School MGA candidate with experience in global development and SDGs

Alexandra Paul – Master of International Security (Sciences Po Paris), specializing in global risk analysis and environment and sustainability

Sofie Poggendorf – Dual MGA candidate (Hertie & Munk), with a background in climate and Indigenous community research

📡Follow Arctic360 on social media to stay up-to-date on the latest podcast episodes and Arctic360 content.

🔗You can find us on all streaming platforms, LinkedIn, and Twitter, or you can visit our website at arctic360.org.

#BreakingTheIce #Arctic360 #ArcticSecurity #SmartInfrastructure #ArcticInnovation #CircumpolarNorth #InfrastructureDevelopment #ArcticResearch #ColdWeatherTech #ArcticPolicy

Both are prominent figures in Arctic research and policy. Despite their different backgrounds, Treadwell and Dawson share a common passion: advocating for an Arctic strategy that truly taps into the immense opportunities this region offers for Canada. With their extensive expertise and unique perspectives, they stand out as leading voices in the crucial conversations surrounding Arctic maritime defense and security.

We looked at Canada’s need to develop an effective Arctic strategy, the increased need to focus on Canadian Arctic security and sovereignty, and the role of infrastructure, education, and innovation to address Canada’s Arctic needs and unlock its potential.

Sean and Erin both come to this discussion through long-term careers focused on Canada’s North. Erin O’Toole’s early military service first turned his attention to Canada’s North which later influenced his strong advocacy for Arctic infrastructure, investment, partnerships, and policies during his time as a Canadian political MP.

Through his tenure (including as former CEO) at Agnico, Sean Boyd spent ample time in the North and developed strong partnerships with Inuit communities and leaders through Agnico’s mining projects in the region. His experiences eventually fuelled his national advocacy on the need for a Canadian Arctic strategy to build multi-purpose and multi-sector social, economic, and defence infrastructure that includes enabling private-public partnerships.

Each week, they will discuss, argue, contemplate, and share news, politics, and stories of the week from in and around the Arctic. So grab your coffee or spirits (its always apero time somewhere!), and join us where talking Arctic comes to life!

Listen to this episode for more information about what to expect this summer.

Today we’re pleased to welcome Whit Sheard to Breaking the Ice. Whit is the Senior Director of Shipping Emissions at Ocean Conservancy and the lead for Ocean Conservancy’s International Arctic Program. Together, we discuss the origins and aims of the pledge, Ocean Conservancy’s collaboration with Nike, and the possible implications of the pledge.

But is it possible to build a SMART port in the Arctic? SMART ports use innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence, automation, blockchain, and more, to help in the docking of ships, unloading of goods, and other key port functions.

Today on Breaking the Ice, we’re speaking to Dr. Natalie Gupta on this important subject. Natalie has worked independently through her own consultancy firm Port Processes Ltd., advising ports around the world.

This has made life even more difficult for northern residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many have struggled to access online healthcare, schooling, and other services.

Today on Breaking the Ice, we’re talking to Madeleine Redfern from CanArctic Inuit Networks about their plan to build a fibre-optic SMART cable to Nunavut. This would finally bring internet speeds comparable to what is available in southern Canada north.

In addition to her position as COO at CanArctic Inuit Networks, Madeleine is also the former mayor of Iqaluit and the Executive Director of Arctic360’s Northern Branch, among many other roles.

But where is the north’s place in this plan?

To answer that question, we were pleased to welcome Andrew Ghattas to Breaking the Ice. Andrew is the director of the Critical Minerals Task Force at Natural Resources Canada.

What does this mean for Canadian firms looking to trade more with their Arctic neighbours, and for Greenlandic ones looking abroad? And what are the implications for Indigenous-owned businesses?

Today on Breaking the Ice, our co-hosts sit down with four individuals at the heart of these questions: Christian Keldsen, Managing Director of the Greenland Business Association; Louise Lynge Berthelsen, a clothing design entrepreneur; Madeleine Redfern, co-founder of the Inuit Business Council; and Helene Scherling Olsen, a Senior Trade Advisor with the Danish Trade Council in Toronto.

Today on Breaking the Ice, we’re speaking to a representative of the government-owned Swedish Space Corporation, or SSC, which facilitates this process in the Arctic. In 2010, the SSC established a Satellite Station Facility in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, as part of their “Kinuvik” concept. This is a partnership between Kiruna, Sweden, and Inuvik Canada, to establish a wide-ranging zone of satellite connectivity coverage across the Arctic region.

We’re pleased to welcome Dan White to our show today. Dan is an engineer who now runs the Americas business unit at the Swedish Space Corporation.

Today on Breaking the Ice, we’re speaking to a team of talented researchers at Yukon University who are working to change this dependence. Northern Energy Innovation looks at how to better integrate renewable energy into northern energy grids. They also work on other projects, including new ways of storing energy for periods of high demand.

Dr. Michael Ross is Northern Energy Innovation’s NSERC Industrial Research Chair. Dr. Ross has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from McGill University. He previously worked with Hydro-Québec on their northern energy project before making his way north to work at Yukon University.

Dr. Ross was also joined by James Tlen, a research assistant at Northern Energy Innovation. James grew up in the Yukon, and has experienced the problems with energy in the north first hand.

Meet Michael Martinez, who is a 21-year-old Yup’ik college student currently studying at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He has developed a new way of using microbes in rare earth metal mining to reduce environmental damage and avoid toxic byproducts. He has now created his own biotechnology company called Arctic Biotech Oath to build on this work. In 2020, he won the High North Young Entrepreneur Award from the High North Dialogue Conference in Norway.

Michael was also joined by Dr. Brandon Briggs, who is an Associate Professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage and works with Michael on the Arctic Biotech Oath project.

In our first episode, we're speaking with two youths - one from the north and one who moved there - who are already involved in the sciences. Nicholas Flowers is an 18-year-old from Hopedale, Nunatsiavut (in Newfoundland and Labrador). Last year, he won the STEAM Horizon Award, which recognizes innovative Canadian youth who promote positive changes throughout their community. Nicholas spoke about how Indigenous knowledge is critical in informing how we do STEM and innovation technology research.

Ayesha Ahmad is a 21-year-old who moved to Whitehorse, Yukon, two years ago. She is not from the north, but rather, saw it as a place with an enormous potential for science and innovation and decided to move there on her own initiative. Ayesha spoke about her impressive work that looks at how to safely manage mine tailings in northern conditions.

Today on Breaking the Ice, Dr. Jessica Shadian, Elliott Simpson, and Ayoe Kristiansen discuss this with two people keenly aware of the risks of continuing down this path of ‘business as usual,’ Leona Alleslev - MP for Aurora, Oak Ridges, and Richmond hill, and Vittus Qujaukitsoq – former Minister for Finance and Nordic Cooperation.

But what is diplomacy's role in all this? And how can the diplomatic ties shared between Canada and Greenland improve the economic, and human outlook in the North American Arctic?

Today on Breaking the Ice, Dr. Jessica Shadian, Elliott Simpson, and Ayoe Kristiansen sit down with two people intimately involved in the day to day matters of diplomacy between Canada and Greenland. Simeon McKay - Counsellor for Political and Public Affairs at the Embassy of Canada to the Kingdom of Denmark - and Inuuteq Holm Olsen, Minister Plenipotentiary and Head of Greenland’s representation at the Danish Embassy in Washington, DC.

Unfortunately, Canada is not taking full advantage of this potential. But other countries are. Norway, in collaboration with Finland, has established a research centre based around a test track on public roads in its far north. At this facility, it tests how Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems might function in northern environments.

In this episode of Breaking the Ice, host Connor Oke speaks to Tomas Levin, who is a Senior Principal Engineer at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, to learn more about the E8 Borealis Test Track.

Our co-hosts Connor Oke and Rebecca Rogers sit down with Stig Hansen, the project manager for a new student housing complex in Svalbard, Norway, and Julian Leland Bell, a mechanical engineer who specializes in robotics, manufacturing, and mechanical design. In 2017, he worked on a project at MIT to construct houses using 3D printing techniques.

Our cohosts were pleased to welcome Hans Hinrichsen, General Manager of the Greenland School of Minerals and Petroleum. His school, based out of Sisimiut, Greenland, takes an innovative approach to mining focused on hands-on learning and practical experience in the industry. And from Canada, we spoke to Paul Gruner, President & CEO of Det’on Cho Management LP. Serving the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Det'on Cho Management LP employs 600-700 people working in 15 companies and is heavily involved in services for the mining sector.

To make sense of this ban and what heavy fuel oil is, our co-hosts Paris Molokwu-Ogwuda Jr. and Rebecca Rogers sat down with a panel of guests: Andrew Dumbrille, Lead Specialist in Marine Shipping and Conservation at the World Wildlife Fund; Dr. Sian Prior, Lead Adviser to the Clean Arctic Alliance; and Michael Kingston, an Irish maritime lawyer and the Managing Director of Michael Kingston Associates.

Our hosts Paris Molokwu-Ogwuda Jr. and Rebecca Rogers speak to Clint Davis, President and CEO of Nunasi Corporation, and Debbie Atuk, President and CEO at Kootznoowoo, Inc., to learn more.

Listen to this episode for more information about what to expect this summer.