Arctic Caucus schedules meeting in August

The Arctic Caucus, a forum for the sharing of information between Arctic jurisdictions, will hold its second annual meeting in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, from Aug. 17 to 19, the caucus has announced. Formed in 2009 and consisting of an informal group of legislators, the caucus enables lawmakers from Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories to discuss issues of mutual concern and identify areas for collaboration.

Actions identified during the caucus’s first meeting, held in Barrow, Alaska, in December 2010, include support for increased search and rescue capabilities across the region, the promotion of federal support for the Alaska-Canada highway and support for broadband infrastructure development.

The forum is part of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, an organization formed in 1991 to enable the U.S. states of Alaska, Washington and Idaho, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon, to collaborate on issues of mutual interest. All state and provincial legislators are members of the organization, with state governors and provincial premiers participating in the organization’s governance. Many private companies and business groups with interests in the Pacific Northwest have joined the organization.

—Alan Bailey