In the North, few industries shine brighter than the arts. From Tlingit masks carved in the Yukon to hip-hop CDs cut in the NWT to children’s books penned in Nunavut, the creative output of Canada’s territories is dazzling. The stats are stunning, too. Of all Canada’s regions, Nunavut has the highest percentage of artists. Indeed, according to a 2006 study, Cape Dorset – the birthplace of contemporary Inuit art – is the nation’s most creative town, with nearly one in four residents making a living off art. In the Yukon, meanwhile, the number of arts-workers has doubled in the past decade, and that territory’s music industry alone has grown to almost $9 million in value annually.

By Graham Chandler
Northern nations like Canada are scurrying to stake their claims to sovereignty of the Arctic. Vast riches are at stake.