Understanding Adaptive Management and Resilience of Coastal Communities in the Hudson Bay Inland Sea Region

The report evaluates five key regional and federal policies in the Hudson Bay Inland Sea region to determine their ability to support climate adaptation for transportation and ICT infrastructure. While the analyzed policies generally score high on planned and autonomous adaptability—particularly regarding permafrost instability and shipping routes—they lack comprehensive support for emergency response and formal review mechanisms. The analysis emphasizes that remote communities are highly dependent on air and sea infrastructure, making their resilience critical for community well-being.

• The Hudson Bay region's transportation infrastructure is heavily reliant on small airports, with minimal road or rail networks, making the resilience of air infrastructure essential for community well-being and industry growth.
• Communities in the Hudson Bay region face significant ICT limitations, primarily relying on satellite services with connection speeds (1,500 kbps download / 384 kbps upload) well below the CRTC standard of 5,000 Kbps download / 1,000 kbps upload.
• Climate change vulnerabilities for the region include permafrost instability affecting road, rail, and runway foundations, shorter winter road seasons, and threats to ICT infrastructure from flooding and forest fires.
• An analysis of five selected policies—the Federal Northern Transportation Adaptation Initiative, Northern Manitoba All Weather Roads Program, Ontario Far North Act, Growth Plan for Northern Ontario, and Nunavut Transportation Strategy—indicates they are generally flexible and responsive to both anticipated and unanticipated climate changes.
• Of 85 identified adaptation actions, those related to emergency response were not addressed by any of the analyzed policies, as these programs focus on infrastructure rather than emergency response.
• The Federal Northern Transportation Adaptation Initiative was the only policy to score in the 'green area' for both planned and autonomous adaptability, while the other four policies contributed marginally.
• The Manitoba Winter Roads Program and the Nunavut Transportation Strategy are specifically vulnerable to climate stressors due to projected cost increases resulting from weather variability.
• The adaptability of all reviewed policies could be improved by implementing formal adaptive review processes to detect emerging issues and trigger adjustments.
• The Ontario Far North Act could enhance adaptation by explicitly requiring land-use applications to consider climate change within the act itself.
• Future resilient transport systems in the region must integrate energy conservation measures and increased efficiency as part of adaptation policies.

APA

Gerrard, P. (2016). Understanding Adaptive Management and Resilience of Coastal Communities in the Hudson Bay Inland Sea Region. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/adaptive-management-resilience-coastal-communities-hudson-bay-region.pdf

Chicago

Gerrard, Pauline. Understanding Adaptive Management and Resilience of Coastal Communities in the Hudson Bay Inland Sea Region. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2016. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/adaptive-management-resilience-coastal-communities-hudson-bay-region.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gerrard |first1=Pauline |title=Understanding Adaptive Management and Resilience of Coastal Communities in the Hudson Bay Inland Sea Region |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2016 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/adaptive-management-resilience-coastal-communities-hudson-bay-region.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gerrard2016understanding, author = {Gerrard, Pauline}, title = {{Understanding Adaptive Management and Resilience of Coastal Communities in the Hudson Bay Inland Sea Region}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2016}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/adaptive-management-resilience-coastal-communities-hudson-bay-region.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }