Mystery Blast in CAN Arctic?

[The Bread Guy]

Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act.

Military probes mystery blast in Arctic
Ed Struzik, Canwest News Service, 7 Aug 08
Article link

The Canadian military is sending a long-range Aurora aircraft to investigate reports of a mysterious explosion along Canada's Northwest Passage that may have killed several whales.

The drama apparently began in the early-morning hours of July 31, when an Inuit hunting party at an outpost camp at Borden Peninsula on northeastern Baffin Island was alerted to the sound of an explosion, followed by a cloud of black smoke.

An Inuit member of the Canadian Rangers, a military reservist unit stationed in the far North, reported the incident, and said a hunter at the camp saw several dead whales on shore when he went over to investigate.

In a preliminary investigation, DND's Joint Task Force Northern headquarters determined there were no known vessels operating in the area, and it did not know of any activity that could have caused an explosion.

"At this point, we really have very little else to report," says Summer Halliday, a spokeswoman for the Joint Task Force in Yellowknife.

"But we will be sending an Aurora aircraft to do a flyover. The plane is currently up north in the Mackenzie Valley on a routine exercise supporting the RCMP's Operation Nunakput."

Parks Canada will also be on the scene with a boat that's being dispatched from Sirmilik National Park on Bylot Island.

(....)

"Until we hear from Parks Canada and the military, there's nothing we can confirm or deny," says Keith Pelley, a Fisheries and Oceans Canada official based in Nunavut.

"All we have is a report that an explosion occurred. It may be something or it could be nothing at all. Right now, we just don't know.".....

More on link

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Thank god we have Parks Canada to defend our borders, I see it clearly now, PC is a front for a quasi-military organization that has been quietly maintaining our coastal defences and fortifications in disguise. gee who would have thunk Canadians were so devious?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Thank god we have Parks Canada to defend our borders, I see it clearly now, PC is a front for a quasi-military organization that has been quietly maintaining our coastal defences and fortifications in disguise. gee who would have thunk Canadians were so devious?

On the reverse side of the coin, our Rangers seem to be doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing. Observing and reporting. Who'd have thunk, with such a vast territory and so few dedicated Rangers, we would have even known about this, but we do. I guess the system works after all eh?

 

[Colin Parkinson]

The Rangers are great, but we will soon need more assets up there if we want to have a say in the Arctic's future.

 

[Snafu-Bar]

A fleet of canoes,whale and seal boats isn't going to be enough for the Russian sub fleet.

I'm guessing the russians are going to try to push all the way to coast line in a bid to secure any offshore goodies they can get thier mittens on.

Hopefully Canada will have an easier time PEACEFULLY allocation thier claims to atleast OUR side of the Prime meridian back. This would atleast be a global split to the polar region allowing for multi-national claim to the area without having to fight over it.

A piece of the pie to the nations having a stake in the region- Canada,Greenland,US,Russia,Iceland and Norway should be the only ones making claim to any waters leading upto the pole as far as i see it.

 

[Sigger]

U.N. to decide Arctic borders
Article Link (With video)

May 29 - Five Arctic coastal nations have agreed to let the United Nations rule on conflicting territorial claims on the region's possibly energy-rich seabed.

The Arctic Ocean may hold up to a quarter of the world's undiscovered hydrocarbon reserves.

Ministers from Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States have been meeting in Greenland to discuss sovereignty over the Arctic Ocean seabed.

More on link

 

[Colin Parkinson]

As long as Russia gets most of what it wants, that approach will work, but don't be surprised if they use a little muscle here and there. The US is not that keen on our claims and may take a backseat if they feel it's in their interests to do so.

 

[Snafu-Bar]

Considering we already generously coughed up Alaska to the US, i don't think Canada needs to allocate anything else to anyone regarding our territories.

If anyone gets first dibs on anything up there, it should be to 1st nations people already living there. What they decide gets done with it should be taken into consideration above anyone elses greedy aspirations.

Otherwise it should be kept as IS, untouched and left to the natives that have lived there peacefully for eon's.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Didn't Russia sell Alaska to the U.S.?

 

[Michael OLeary]

Considering we already generously coughed up Alaska to the US, i don't think Canada needs to allocate anything else to anyone regarding our territories.

Huh?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_purchase

The Alaska Purchase (otherwise known as Seward's Folly or Seward's Icebox) by the United States from the Russian Empire occurred in 1867 at the behest of Secretary of State William Seward. The territory purchased was 586,412 square miles (1,518,800 km²) of the modern state of Alaska.

 

[Franko]

Didn't Russia sell Alaska to the U.S.?

Yes. Wanna clarify your statement Snafu-Bar?

Regards

 

[Haggis]

So, what about the explosion?

Errant satellite?
Meteor?
Subterrainean nuclear test?
Alien spacecraft?

C'mon, people... speculate!!!

 

[Snafu-Bar]

Read here, i'm sure some are shrugging thier shoulders but here's the link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Alaska

more one the deal posted here.

http://memory.loc.gov/intldl/mtfhtml/mfak/mfaksale.html

Always more to the story....


Cheers.

 

[dangerboy]

Both those links back up the claim that Russia sold Alaska to the USA.  Neither one say anything about Canada giving Alaska up.

 

[Franko]

So, what about the explosion?

Errant satellite?
Meteor?
Subterrainean nuclear test?
Alien spacecraft?

C'mon, people... speculate!!!

Me snapping like a rusty torsion bar because of the weather....      ;D

Regards

 

[RangerRay]

There was a boundary dispute between us and the US over the Alaskan Panhandle...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_boundary_dispute

But we had no claims on the rest of Alaska.

 

[Snafu-Bar]

The 2nd link gives a more detailed account on the brits desire to purchase the lands but due to less than favourable standing we lost out to the US, the brits did not try to fight for the land though they probably thought pretty damn long and hard about it.

But none the less Coughing it up meant not aquiring the land from the Russians initially.

That sufficient in explaning my less than "perfectly clear" use of terminology or do i need to make a public apology in triplicate?

;D

 

[Haggis]

Me snapping like a rusty torsion bar because of the weather....      ;D

Regards

I hear ya!  Three weeks of leave and only three consecutive dry days.  Then I got a flat on my bike.  I go back to work on Monday and the weather will be GREAT!!!

 

[Franko]

I hear ya!  Three weeks of leave and only three consecutive dry days.  Then I got a flat on my bike.  I go back to work on Monday and the weather will be GREAT!!!

As a matter of fact....they're calling for sun on Monday.     

Regards

 

[Michael OLeary]

The 2nd link gives a more detailed account on the brits desire to purchase the lands but due to less than favourable standing we lost out to the US, the brits did not try to fight for the land though they probably thought pretty damn long and hard about it.

But none the less Coughing it up meant not aquiring the land from the Russians initially.

That sufficient in explaning my less than "perfectly clear" use of terminology or do i need to make a public apology in triplicate?

;D

I'm not sure how you got all that out of the article.  A simple admission that you were initially mistaken would have been sufficient.