Ottawa announces locations for first three Arctic military hubs

Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, right, Minister of National Defence Bill Blair, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, and Yvonne Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, speak with reporters at a media roundtable in Iqaluit, Monday, May 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dustin Patar

OTTAWA — The federal government says Iqaluit, Inuvik and Yellowknife will be the sites for three planned northern operational support hubs.

Defence Minister Bill Blair is in Nunavut’s capital this morning to make the announcement.

The hubs are the cornerstone of the federal government’s Arctic security strategy, which committed more than $2 billion over 20 years to establishing the hubs to increase the military’s presence in the region.

While operational support hubs are not military bases, the Department of National Defence says they support military operations through communications and transport infrastructure and by providing secure storage for supplies.

Canada currently has operational support hubs in four locations around the world: Germany, Kuwait, Jamaica and Senegal.

The announcement is sure to be welcome news for Iqalummiut, as the military is promising improved infrastructure in the city to operate the hub — including better communications, water and power facilities.

Northern premiers have been lobbying Ottawa to tie infrastructure upgrades to military spending, both as a means of nation-building and to help push Canada toward its NATO spending target of two per cent of national GDP.

While plans for the hubs were announced nearly a year ago, federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre recently committed to building a military base in Iqaluit if he wins the next election.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2025.

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press