Trenton, Ontario, 3-5 November 2023
Community representatives at the Nunavik SAR Roundtable 2022 suggested an exchange between the Joint Rescue Coordination Centres (JRCC) and Nunavimmiut responders could strengthen relationships and improve SAR operations in the region. They also wanted an opportunity to discuss SAR best practices with responders from other parts of the Arctic.
Working with Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Trenton, the roundtable’s academic partners arranged Arctic SAR Exchange 2023, which brought Northern responders from Nunavik, Nunavut, and the NWT to Canadian Armed Forces Base Trenton to learn how the JRCC functions, discuss operational level challenges, and strengthen collaboration. The exchange led to:
- Better knowledge about different roles and responsibilities within the SAR system.
- Greater understanding of how local / traditional knowledge can enhance the support provided by the JRCCs.
- Concrete steps to improve how JRCCs, RCAF personnel, Northern governments, and community responders work together during SAR operations.
- The sharing of lessons and best practices between community responders from across the North.
Responders also had the opportunity to learn about SmartICE – a social enterprise that provides communities with the situational awareness required to plan for safe on-ice travel and boating routes – and its use in SAR prevention and response.
Participants from the Nunavut SAR Roundtable included community responders Angulalik Pedersen, Savanna Moore, Bobby Klengenberg, Daniel Kablutisiak, Kaviq Kaluraq, Valerie Qaunaq, and Andrew Arreak, as well as Nunavut Emergency Management personnel Blaine Heffernan and Tony Comella.
