

Ports, Pipelines, and Policy: Insights from Heather Exner-Pirot
15 snips May 20, 2025
Heather Exner-Pirot, a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, dives into the complexities of Arctic infrastructure and resource development with a focus on security challenges and climate policy. She discusses the potential for new Arctic export corridors and critiques Canada’s greenwashing regulations. Heather also advocates for reforms to the Impact Assessment Act to speed up project development. Finally, she highlights the transformative potential of micro reactors in remote locations and emphasizes the importance of Indigenous equity in major projects.
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Heather's Arctic Career Start
- Heather Exner-Pirot started focusing on Arctic issues during her master's by joining the University Arctic consortium at U of S.
- She researched Arctic politics during the commodity boom, realizing the 'scramble for the Arctic' was overstated as development is very challenging.
True Arctic Security Concerns
- Canada's real Arctic security issue is monitoring and deterring hypersonic missile threats via modernizing NORAD.
- Ground military conflict in the Arctic is unlikely due to harsh logistics and climate conditions.
Arctic Shipping Challenges
- Melting Arctic sea ice creates unpredictable, younger ice that complicates shipping rather than easing it.
- Northern shipping is costlier and insurance is less willing to cover it due to instability and ice flows.