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University of Calgary · Veterinary Medicine

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Evidenced by Indigenous and Western Science: An Arctic Nation Building Project Threatens Caribou and Inuit Harvesting Rights — bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) — 2026-04-21 — Cohort author: Susan Kutz. First, this bioRxiv preprint analyzes how Canada’s mineral-security push intersects with Indigenous rights in Nunavut’s Grays Bay Road and Port project, using a density analysis of caribou harvesting data that blends Indigenous and Western knowledge. Second, it identifies three consistently used harvesting hotspots, with the strongest hotspot lying directly in the GBRP route, signaling significant and unmitigable risks to caribou conservation and Inuit food security. Third, the work advocates for decision-making that aligns cross-legislation responsibilities and land-claims agreements, urging reviews rooted in Indigenous governance and cross-jurisdictional accountability. By the numbers bioRxiv: 1 work.

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Publications this week

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bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)

Evidenced by Indigenous and Western Science: An Arctic Nation Building Project Threatens Caribou and Inuit Harvesting Rights · doi/link

UCVM authors Susan Kutz

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Abstract Canada’s ambition for mineral security and its responsibilities to protect at-risk species and uphold Indigenous rights clash in the case of the Grays Bay Road and Port (GBRP) in Nunavut, an infrastructure project intended to unlock critical mineral deposits. We compiled Indigenous and Western science through a density analysis of caribou harvesting data near the proposed project site. We identified three consistently used harvesting hotspots, with the most significant hotspot lying directly in the path of the proposed GBRP project. These results indicate that the GBRP project will have significant and unmitigable negative effects on caribou conservation, food security, and Inuit harvesting rights. Prime Minister Carney claims that middle power countries must act consistently in this era of geopolitical rupture; this commitment must transfer to natural resource development reviews so that decision-making may be consistent and rooted in cross-legislation responsibilities and values, including the land claims agreements between Indigenous groups and the Government of Canada.
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