November 04, 2025 | Category: News Releases

WESTAC Forum Heads North to Examine Turning Northern Potential into National Purpose

Yellowknife, NT—For the first time in its history, the Western Transportation Advisory Council (WESTAC) convened its members in Canada’s North, marking a pivotal moment in the national conversation about the future of the Arctic. Opening the Forum, the Honourable Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors, emphasized the need for collaboration between provinces to drive Canada’s economic growth.

Against the backdrop of Yellowknife’s shifting landscape, WESTAC’s Fall Member Forum, themed True North, Strong and Free, gathered leaders from government, industry, labour and academia to confront the defining question: How will Canada turn northern potential into national purpose?

This Forum brought national decision-makers face-to-face with the realities of northern development. Long-standing ambitions for resource development, Arctic sovereignty, and connectivity have reached a tipping point. Canada’s North, once viewed as remote, is now central to national strategy—economically, environmentally, and geopolitically.

Participants engaged in sessions on:

• Nation-building Infrastructure: How transportation corridors, ports, and digital connectivity can unlock opportunity and strengthen resilience.
• Climate Change and Permafrost Risk: Understanding how a warming Arctic is reshaping construction, security, and community life.
• Arctic Security and Global Competition: Addressing emerging threats and the need for a credible Canadian presence in the circumpolar world.
• Economic Transition & Indigenous Partnerships: Exploring northern-led development that honours Indigenous rights, knowledge, and long-term stewardship.

Speakers reinforced a central theme: the future of the North is a national responsibility. Building capacity in the region requires sustained investment, cross-jurisdictional collaboration, and enduring partnerships with Indigenous communities. Infrastructure is not simply a list of projects—it is a statement of sovereignty, climate readiness, and shared prosperity.

“In Alberta, there is a need to advance the development of Northern economic corridors and build a network that will benefit generations of Canadians to come. With the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Alberta and the Northwest Territories, we’re taking important steps toward advancing Northern economic corridors and strengthening Canada’s trade future," noted Minister Dreeshen.

As the Forum concluded, one message resonated clearly: Canada must no longer talk about the North—it must act with the North. The choices made today in infrastructure, security, climate adaptation, and partnership will define Canada’s role in the Arctic.

WESTAC members left Yellowknife with a deeper understanding of both the responsibility and opportunity before them: to ensure the North is not treated as a frontier, but as a foundation of national purpose.

Click here for the Forum program.

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For media inquiries:
Sarah Myers
Manager, Communications
smyers@westac.com