| Summary: | Background: The impacts of climate change are more pronounced in high latitude regions of the world, which includes the Canadian arctic and subarctic. Warming events are triggering widespread ecological and social impacts – resulting in increased challenges to those who call these regions home. It is predicted that Canadian Aboriginal Peoples (First Nations, Inuit, and Metis) living in remote and isolated arctic and subarctic communities are likely to be those most impacted by climate change. With a history of social and environmental marginalization, this region has experienced a loss in adaptive capacity. The increased occurrence of extreme weather events and unpredictable travel conditions are creating hazardous travel conditions, severely impacting the ability for people to partake in traditional subsistence pursuits, as well as everyday activities. Despite these challenges, warming surface air temperatures in the subarctic have introduced the potential for local sustainable food production, under ambient conditions. High rates of food insecurity in subarctic First Nations communities have been well documented within the academic literature. The easing of harsh winter weather and the warming of summer temperatures presents the opportunity to address food security concerns through the production of local foods. Objectives: The overall objective of this dissertation was to develop a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with climate change in relation to First Nations in the Canadian subarctic, while fostering increased adaptive capacity in these northern communities. The objective of Study I was to work with the community of Fort Albany First Nations to develop a real-time, decision-support tool to help reduce the degree of exposure of James Bay Cree to hazardous bush travel conditions. The objective of Study II was to seize the opportunity to grow vegetables under ambient conditions in subarctic Ontario in a more sustainable manner. Study III builds upon Study II and examined ...
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