'Really cool jobs coming'
Chief scientist enthusiastic about construction of Canadian High Arctic Research Station
Miranda Scotland
Northern News Services
Published Monday, March 17, 2014
IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY
Explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson saw the Arctic not as an inhospitable wasteland, but as a place of great abundance and beauty.
He gave lectures on his adventures in hopes of convincing others of his view.
Today, he has a least one believer in Martin Raillard, recently hired chief scientist of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) in Cambridge Bay.
As a preteen growing up in Switzerland, Raillard was captivated by Stefansson's account of his travels and it fuelled his desire to someday explore the area himself.
So it seems fitting that Raillard's interview for the position with the Canadian High Arctic Research Station landed smack dab on the 100th anniversary of the 1913 Canadian Arctic Expedition led by Stefansson.
"His vision really convinced me and I believe it's true that the Arctic is an incredibly beautiful place and living there and working there is a fantastic opportunity," said Raillard in a telephone interview from Ottawa, where he is living until the station is built.
"In the start-up phase there is a lot of work that needs to be done out of Ottawa with the government agencies up here."
Raillard is no stranger to Canada's North. He spent 12 years living in Whitehorse and Inuvik, where his younger daughter was born. He has also been involved with a number of research projects in the Arctic. And he's made sure to have his own adventures along the way, including a 1,000-km snowmobile trip to Alaska from Inuvik and back.
Raillard's job at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station has already begun, even though they haven't yet broken ground on the facility, which is set to open in 2017.
He is tasked with liaising with Northerners to determine what type of research would be most useful to communities in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, northern Quebec and Labrador.
He is working to set up stakeholder needs workshops, working groups and a management committee that will review proposals to ensure the work will fit Northerners' needs.
Regular meetings are also underway with the Cambridge Bay CHARS Steering Committee.
"CHARS is here to serve the North," said Raillard.
Once the station opens, Raillard will manage a team of up to 50 people, supervise research and carry out his own projects.
Raillard wants to focus on research that promotes sustainable development up North.
"We have to know, where are the sensitivities that we have to be careful about?" he said.
For students who have a similar passion for science, there will be lots of opportunities at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station, added Raillard.
He encourages high school students to look into the science courses offered at Arctic College. CHARS will be offering positions
to summer students and entry level jobs for people without training, he said.
"There are some really cool jobs coming ... You're going to be doing field work with snowmobiles, with boats, with helicopters; collecting samples; working with scientists. These are some really interesting and fun jobs, so get the training for it," Raillard said.
Construction on CHARS is expected to begin this summer.
