UPEI professor joining Arctic sovereignty operation

Frostbite, trench foot, snow blindness and wild animal attacks aren't things Peter McKenna usually has to worry about while he's at work.

But they are on the list of things the UPEI professor might encounter when he heads to the Arctic as an observer in the Operation Nanook 11 sovereignty exercise.

McKenna said before he could go on the trip, he had to sign a waiver acknowledging the risks involved, which included falling through ice, hypothermia, dehydration and geographic disorientation.

"I'm mildly concerned but I think that I'm in capable hands when it comes to the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence," he said.

Operation Nanook 11 is a government exercise to reinforce Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic by establishing a land, sea and air presence in an area that's expected to become more accessible due to climate change.

It's an issue that's expected to become more pressing as melting ice opens the Northwest Passage and other countries start to challenge Canada's sovereignty in order to gain access to the shipping lane and valuable natural resources.

McKenna will spend Aug. 8-11 observing survivor training, which includes bear awareness, tactical air support exercises, Canadian Rangers training, tactical unmanned aerial drone use and several other exercises.

The operation will also involve discussions with local officials, including the Joint Task Force North deputy commander and a visit to the Canadian Coast Guard centre in Iqaluit.

Although the military will get him to Resolute Bay, Nunavut, where most of the operation will take place, McKenna has to pay to get himself to Trenton, Ont.

McKenna, who teaches about foreign relations, said the trip is a great opportunity for UPEI and he is taking a notebook and camera with him so he can bring back his experiences to his students.

"I want to take in as much as I can of the north," he said.

He also said it's important to do field research and he couldn't pass up the opportunity.

"I'll probably never get to do this again."

Temperatures in the area where McKenna will visit will likely be around 3 C to 7 C and because of how remote the area is, he said he doesn't know what to expect during his trip.

"This isn't going to be the Howard Johnson's of the north."

McKenna said he hopes to talk to scientists and other people with an interest in the north while he is there and asked if the military wanted anything from him in return for letting him go as an observer.

"They said no."

Instead his role is just to take everything in, he said.

"To be a sort of sponge."

McKenna said he has taken trips to warmer locations for his work, such as Cuba, and has never been anywhere near the Arctic, which he has heard will take at least six hours of flying to reach.

"Maps of Canada don't do it justice."

The operation he will observe is an important part of Canada's attempts to exert its sovereignty and while McKenna said there is a need for diplomacy, Canada also needs to show it's not afraid to display its flag in the north.

"Canada doesn't want to be left behind."

rross@theguardian.pe.ca