Guardians of the Environment

These are the Canadians who watch over the Arctic and wrestle with the issue of control over freshwater.

The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation has a mission to protect Canada’s water and empower Canada’s North.

Based in Toronto, the foundation is a private, philanthropic body that undertakes research, leadership development, and public dialogue on freshwater protection and issues affecting the Arctic.

The foundation recently sponsored a series of articles in Canada’s History magazine that dealt with vital issues in environmental history.

The articles, authored by top experts in their fields, are now available online. They include:

Arctic Ambitions: Canada and other nations needed a mechanism to discuss the future of the North. They found it in the Arctic Council. By John English

A River Runs Through Us: The Columbia River Treaty is a model of international co-operation but it could soon expire. By Richard Kyle Paisley

Sentinels of Sovereignty: How the Canadian Rangers came to be the shadow army of the North. By P. Whitney Lackenbauer

Respecting Boundaries: For more than a century, the International Joint Commission has been quietly resolving disputes between Canada and the United States. By Nandor F. Dreisziger

See also a photo gallery about the Canadian Rangers.

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Columbia River Treaty

In 1944, Canada and the United States agreed to talk about sharing the conservation and management of the massive Columbia River system. Twenty years later, they implemented the Columbia River Treaty.

The Great Canadian Reindeer Project

The Inuvialuit of the Mackenzie Delta faced desperation. Caribou had dwindled. But Alaskan reindeer held the promise of plenty. And so, in 1929, a few men and a huge herd began the long and arduous trek east. It was more than they bargained for.

Tragic Passage

Thanks to climate change, Canadians are witnessing the last chapter in a centuries-old Artic saga—the opening of the Northwest Passage.

History Idol: John Rae

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