Serving communities and clients in Northern Canada brings opportunities and personal satisfaction

I often get asked what a consulting career is like in Northern Canada. Well, it’s unique and wonderful! There are opportunities and life experiences here that cannot be found anywhere else.

Working and living in the North means being in an environment with extreme natural conditions. We face bitter cold, winters with complete darkness, and summers with all-day sun. We also experience extraordinary landscapes and northern lights, adventure, wilderness, a welcoming culture, and a true sense of belonging - all of this is what draws people to the North!

Working in the North gives us the opportunity to work on diverse and challenging projects that have a real impact on the environment and the people living in these remote areas. We have a lot to learn from people in the North, and their ways of life and priorities.

Every project is different and this is particularly true in the North.

Conditions change depending on the size of the community, the local environment, and the community’s needs. We don't just serve our clients; we also build strong relationships with the communities.

Our projects range from a residential fuel tank spill, where you need to work with the homeowners and the community to educate them and remediate the spill response and impacts, to navigating regulatory processes and engaging with the community. We also participate in design and construction of vital infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, water, and wastewater treatment plants, and airports.

Climate change is a current crisis, especially in the North. Permafrost is melting. Winter ice road conditions are problematic, and wildfires and floods affect the ability to ship freight by air or sea. There is a lot of pressure in a fast-changing and unpredictable environment.

Working in consulting takes a mix of applied science, problem solving skills, and the love of working with people.

This career enables you to expand your skills and always work through logistics and solutions with the end goal of serving our clients better. Being client focused, we need to be able to bring all of the services the company has to offer, which means thinking on your feet and knowing when and where to pull in additional resources and expertise into these communities.

Environmental consulting has changed in the past 20 years. We used to play a more reactive role; we were often called in for support after an environmental incident.

Now, we are proactively consulted to advise, to work with the regulators, to participate on design teams, and to coordinate with communities.

Some of our exciting and diverse environmental projects include the Inuvik Airport runway extension, the Hay River Channel dredging program, Yukon airports and aerodromes environmental risk inventories and remediation planning, the City of Yellowknife Water Licence and wetland delineation studies, and Northwest Territories caribou habitat compensation plans.

To learn more about our environmental science work in the Canadian North and career opportunities, contact Rebekka at lindskoogr@ae.ca. Also, hear more from Rebekka in our AE Live podcast.

About the Author: Rebekka Lindskoog, R.P. Bio. is a Senior Environmental Scientist with more than 25 years of experience as an environmental professional. She has worked extensively in the North for nearly 15 years. Rebekka has managed more than 350 projects, many of them being Northern multi-year projects requiring coordinated multi-disciplinary project teams.