The diversity and vastness of Canada's landscapes offer a unique challenge when it comes to search and rescue (SAR) operations, and regular improvements are key to saving people when they are in distress.
Today, Anthony Housefather, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience announced $1,361,900 in funding to St. Francis Xavier University for their three-year project entitled Closing the Gaps: Addressing Critical Challenges in Arctic Ground Search and Rescue.
Public Safety Canada will fund the initiative through the Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund (SAR NIF), which annually provides funding for projects that will improve Canada's search and rescue system.
Ground search and rescue (GSAR) operations on the land, ice and inland waters of the Arctic are often difficult and complex given the region's vast size and cold climate. The difficulties are compounded by systemic challenges faced by SAR responders.
With this new funding, St. Francis Xavier University, along with other researchers from Dalhousie and Memorial Universities will work with government and community search and rescue responders from Nunavut and the Nunavik region to improve ground search and rescue prevention, preparedness and response by addressing some of the core challenges identified through previous research.
