ABSTRACT
Many Arctic nations, including Canada, are highly dependent on resource extraction as a means of development; many mining, petroleum and hydro projects are promoted in the north as a pathway to improved well-being. Well-being, as measured by conventional social and health indicators, varies across the circumpolar Arctic. The Arctic is large, resource development projects are complex and communities are diverse. Traditional social norms, “rules” or Indigenous legal orders have long been recognized as key to the stability and security of Indigenous communities including those in the Arctic. Human security in the Arctic is concerned with the intersection of power and governance and the social, economic political and environmental factors that contribute to the well-being of Arctic peoples. Values, beliefs and social norms of individual social groups and the society at large affect the ways in which individuals perceive and respond to the benefits and dis-benefits of resource development.
