A multimillion dollar problem

Margaret Kelly's home in Fort Good Hope is falling apart, with inch-wide gaps between the door and the floor. (Alex Brockman/CBC) Post image on Pinterest: Margaret Kelly's home in Fort Good Hope is falling apart, with inch-wide gaps between the door and the floor. (Alex Brockman/CBC)

Margaret Kelly's home in Fort Good Hope is falling apart, with inch-wide gaps between the door and the floor. (Alex Brockman/CBC)

Across Canada's North, thawing permafrost, wetter summers and warmer winters are drastically affecting vital infrastructure, like roads, airports, buildings and cemeteries.

In 2008, a series of landslides and washouts caused $5 million in damages in Pangnirtung, Nunavut. In 2015, officials in Ross River, Yukon, had to close the school after the thawing ground underneath made the building unsafe.

In Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., several homes have been relocated and parts of the community are at risk of falling into the Arctic Ocean.

Estimates suggest costs related to permafrost degradation could cost the Northwest Territories hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a recent climate change report from the Council of Canadian Academies, funded by the federal government.

"When the permafrost degrades entirely, landscapes can collapse, ecosystems can change," said Steve Kokelj, a permafrost scientist for the N.W.T. government.

Steve Kokelj hopes to create an N.W.T.-wide map of changing permafrost, a first of its kind. (Chantal Dubuc/CBC) Post image on Pinterest: Steve Kokelj hopes to create an N.W.T.-wide map of changing permafrost, a first of its kind. (Chantal Dubuc/CBC)

Steve Kokelj hopes to create an N.W.T.-wide map of changing permafrost, a first of its kind. (Chantal Dubuc/CBC)

"We need to understand where the permafrost contains the most ice," explained Kokelj. "That's important to see how our ecosystems are going to change, how water quality is going to change and where our communities or our infrastructure have the potential to be threatened."



Kokelj is spearheading a two-year project to create the first territory-wide map of changing permafrost conditions. This summer, researchers are testing their methods to see if the project can produce quality data. Though it is still in its early stages, Kokelj is optimistic it will succeed.

"The territorial environment is changing so quickly because of permafrost thaw."

The goal is to capture a snapshot of the territory's changing permafrost conditions, which can be shared with people living in communities like Fort Good Hope to help them adapt to further changes, Kokelj said.

"The territorial environment is changing so quickly because of permafrost thaw," he said. "It's really important to understand where those hotspots are, and where those drivers of change are.

"It's going to give us something to take to different communities … to start a discussion about what [community members'] observations are and where we can put more efforts on the ground."

For now, much of the knowledge lies with people like Wilfred Jackson, a self-described "bushman" who spent most of the past 80 summers hunting, trapping and setting nets all along the Mackenzie River.

Jackson knows where many of the landslides are and, on a recent trip, he pointed them out from the backseat of his riverboat. He manoeuvred around shoals and eddies until he reached a place where a recent landslide revealed an underground creek.

"The permafrost is thawing out quite a bit here," he said. "When the heavy rain comes down, all the roots start breaking away and the land slides down."

Jackson remembers a huge thunderstorm about four or five summers ago that caused dozens of landslides near one of his cabins.

"I just saw landslides, one after the other — all the way down the river it was like that," he said. "Every time there's a big storm, that's what happens. It's because the permafrost melts so much."

Wilfred Jackson steers his boat on the Mackenzie River. He's spent most of the past 80 summers on the river and knows how it's been changing. (Alex Brockman/CBC) Post image on Pinterest: Wilfred Jackson steers his boat on the Mackenzie River. He's spent most of the past 80 summers on the river and knows how it's been changing. (Alex Brockman/CBC)

Wilfred Jackson steers his boat on the Mackenzie River. He's spent most of the past 80 summers on the river and knows how it's been changing. (Alex Brockman/CBC)

Kokelj hopes Jackson and others who know the land and river can help validate some of the results from the mapping project, filling in gaps and pointing out things the mappers may have missed.

This new research may be able to help people like the T'seleies and the Kellys learn more about what's happening underneath them.

But in the meantime, the people living along the Mackenzie have few options open to them. It's difficult to get insurance, they say they can't afford to move their homes and governments aren't offering to pay for it.

Margaret Kelly, at least, is ready to move on. She's tired of fighting what she sees as a losing battle, and hopes to get out of her home as soon as possible.

"We're getting old," she said. "I don't think we'll be here long. Our boys can take care of this. I don't care if it burns down. I've had enough."

Margaret and Edward Kelly have lived in their home in Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., for 30 years. It's falling apart, and they blame the permafrost shifting beneath their feet. (Alex Brockman/CBC) Post image on Pinterest: Margaret and Edward Kelly have lived in their home in Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., for 30 years. It's falling apart, and they blame the permafrost shifting beneath their feet. (Alex Brockman/CBC)

Margaret and Edward Kelly have lived in their home in Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., for 30 years. It's falling apart, and they blame the permafrost shifting beneath their feet. (Alex Brockman/CBC)

This story is part of the CBC series Footprint examining climate change issues and solutions in communities across Canada. For more stories, visit: cbc.ca/Footprint.