By Leo Ryan, AJOT The high cost of building and maintaining transportation infrastructure in Canada’s vast North and Arctic coastal regions, means that investors must make hard choices and find ways of balancing competing interests, according to a recent report from the Conference Board of Canada. The report encompasses developments in northern Quebec and implies underlying opportunities and challenges for dimensional and project cargo shipments, in all of Canada’s North. “The long distances and harsh climate can make investments in transportation infrastructure difficult to justify, but better connections to and within the North are essential for both job growth and access to public services like health care and education,” says the report produced by the Conference Board’s Centre for the North, which works in collaboration with Aboriginal businesses, governments and communities. The report’s title: Northern Assets: Transportation Infrastructure in Remote Communities. “What happens in the North matters to Canada as a whole, and better road, rail, air and marine links are key to enabling Northern communities to achieve their full potential,” comments David Stewart-Patterson, VP of Public Policy. The report includes a detailed case study of the James Bay Port of Churchill, Manitoba. It suggests that Canada’s sole deepwater Arctic port could play a bigger role in shipping operations, but this would require substantial investments in transportation infrastructure in and around the community.