Dr. Harvey Lemelin's latest book, From Talk to Action: How Tourism is Changing the Polar Regions, discusses how polar tourism has become a global industry.

"The book is based on outcomes from the third International Polar Tourism Research Network Conference held in the small Inuit community of Nain, Nunatsiavut in 2012. We are particularly proud of these proceedings since they featured the voice of Nunatsiavut residents, consultants, graduate students, and academics," said Dr. Lemelin, the Lakehead University Research Chair in Parks and Protected Areas.

The book is of interest to anyone who wants to know more about the unique activities and experiences that are offered to tourists in the polar regions.

The 2012 conference was hosted by Lakehead University's Centre for Northern Studies and the Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management Program at the University of Northern British Columbia, in collaboration with the Nunatsiavut Government, Nunatsiavut Tourism, and Parks Canada.

Funding was provided by the Nunatsiavut Government, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Parks Canada, Air Labrador, the University of Northern British Columbia and the Centre for Northern Studies. By being held in Nain, Nunatsiavut, the conference provided various opportunities for researchers, civic leaders and agency personnel to explore the potential benefits and pitfalls associated with tourism.

Published Aug. 6, 2013, From Talk to Action: How Tourism is Changing the Polar Regions was edited by Dr. Harvey Lemelin, Lakehead's SSHRC Research Chair in Parks and Protected Areas, Dr. Patrick Maher, an Associate Professor at the University of Northern British Columbia and Lakehead Alumni, and Dr. Daniela Liggett, a Lecturer at Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury, New Zealand. The book draws on a range of international case studies ranging from Russia, Scandinavia, Iceland, the Canadian Arctic and the Antarctic. From Talk to Action: How Tourism is Changing the Polar Regions is the 26th book published by the Centre for Northern Studies.

Long before John Cena, Hullk Hogan or even "Whipper" Billy Watson, residents at the Lakehead went wild for wrestling. Nearly a century ago, when cable television, pay-per-view and even regular radio broadcasts were still stuff of science fiction, professional wrestling was already an enormously popular sport in the Thunder Bay area.

More than just simple entertainment, wrestling was deeply entwined with the culture and values of the region's early residents. Tracing sport's origins from the settlement period in the post-Confederation years to the height of the Great Depression, Rugged Game: Community, Culture and Wrestling at the Lakehead provides an in-depth, never-before-seen look at the earliest days of professional and amateur wrestling in Northwestern Ontario, when stars such as the "Canadian Panther" George Walker, "French Idol" Ernie Arthur and the "Ferocious Finn" Henry Karhunsaari captured the imagination of thousands of fans with their displays of technical wizardry and aggressive cunning on the mat.

An interview by Hatton about the book for radio can be heard by clicking here.

The Centre for Northern Studies (CNS) is pleased to announce the release of its latest book, Pulp Friction: Communities and Forest Industry in a Global Perspective. The work is edited by Ronald N. Harpelle and Michel S. Beaulieu.

William Lyon Mackenzie King once observed about Canada that, "if some countries have too much history, we have too much geography." This is true of Northern Ontario, where the boreal forest covers 40 million hectares and small towns are the norm. However, Northern Ontario's economy has been hard hit over the past several years, resulting in significant job losses in the forest industry and major economic and social shifts. While most studies of globalization focus on industrial cities in densely populated regions like Southern Ontario, Pulp Friction examines the impact of global forces on the industrial centres of the boreal forest region with a reflection on the new forest industries in the Global South. The friction generated by these shifts is the essence of this study.

The Centre for Northern Studies publishes original peer-reviewed, high-quality academic books in all areas relating to Northern Ontario, the Provincial Norths, the Territorial Norths, and the Circumpolar World. If you are interested in submitting a project for consideration, guidelines can be found at http://cns.lakeheadu.ca/publishing-with-cns-press/

Labouring Finns: Transnational Politics in Finland, Canada, and the United States is co-edited by Centre for Northern Studies members Drs Michel S. Beaulieu and Ronald N. Harpelle and history graduate student Jaimi Penney.

The book, published by the Institute of Migration in Turku, Finland, examines the role labouring Finnish men and women played in shaping the political and social culture of their communities. As the contributors to this volume demonstrate, Finnish workers in Finland and North America contributed significantly to the development of socialism in the political arenas in which they found themselves. In North America, the influence of Finns in the political process added an ethnic dimension to the ever-changing nature and character of socialism. Labouring Finns is a book about the role Finns played in interclass struggles at home and abroad.

The north2north student exchange program, organized by the University of the Arctic, allows students to study at other University of the Arctic institutions. The program operates in close collaboration with the Lakehead faculty exchange program to build mutual cooperation that can sustain and support student exchange.

The University of the Arctic is an international network of educational institutions dedicated to providing relevant and accessible postsecondary education to the people of the North. This means that your choice of exchange institutions will consist of universities in circumpolar countries such as Russia and Finland. At these institutions, you will have an opportunity to learn about another place and another culture, while learning about your region — the North.

To apply, students must complete both the Lakehead University Exchange Program Application form on the Lakehead University International webpage and the University of the Arctic application form found at the north2north webpage. Applications must be submitted to the Lakehead University International office by February 10, 2012.

You may also contact Anna Wease, International Student Advisor at agwease@lakeheadu.ca or Dr. Michel S. Beaulieu, north2north Site Coordinator at michel.beaulieu@lakeheadu.ca if you have any further questions.

Concerns over vanishing destinations such as the Great Barrier Reef, Antarctica, and the ice cap on Mt. Kilimanjaro have prompted some travel operators and tour agencies to recommend these destinations to consumers before they disappear. This travel trend has been reported as: 'disappearing tourism,' 'doom tourism,' and most commonly 'last chance tourism' where tourists explicitly seek vanishing landscapes or seascapes, and disappearing natural or social heritage.

Despite this increasing form of travel there has been little examination in the academic literature of last chance tourism phenomenon.

Last Chance Tourism: Adapting Tourism Opportunities in a Changing World, is a timely and multidisciplinary volume featuring contributions from leading scholars in the fields of leisure, tourism, anthropology, geography, and sociology. Edited by Dr. Harvey Lemelin, Lakehead's SSHRC Research Chair in Parks and Protected Areas, Dr. Jackie Dawson, Canada Research Chair at the University of Ottawa and a Lakehead alumna, and Dr. Emma J. Stewart, a Senior Lecturer in Parks and Tourism at Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand, the book draws on a range of international case studies that highlight this form of tourism in different regions, and in different contexts.

For the first time, global change and pressures of visitation on tourism destinations are empirically examined and evaluated. Last Chance Tourism develops a conceptual definition for "last chance tourism" and examines the ethics surrounding this type of travel. With chapter titles like Last Chance Birding: Twitching to See it First or Last? and Seeing it Off: Last Chance Tourism Opportunity Shagged by Rare Parrot!, the book provocatively discusses world venues that are in imminent danger of becoming spoiled or vanishing altogether.Last Chance Tourismexamines current trends, discusses escalating challenges, provides management strategies, and highlights future tourism and research opportunities.

"In the past, most of the discussion about tourism challenges have pertained to the physical aspects of climate change," says Lakehead professor Dr. Harvey Lemelin. "What we are trying to do in this book is highlight the physical as well as the various historical, social, and political dimensions of climate change. Unlike previous works, we also discuss the resiliency of some of these destinations, and the potential positive aspects brought about through these changes."

The book also features contributions from Lakehead faculty and graduate students including:Firsts and Lasts in Arctic Tourism: Last Chance Tourism and the Dialectic of Change by Dr. Margaret Johnston (Lakehead University), Dr. Arvid Viken (Tromso University), and Dr. Jackie Dawson (Ottawa University); and Last Chance Tourism? Public Sector Views of Marketing Endangered Tourism Destinations in North America by Dr. Daniel H. Olsen (Brandon University), Dr. Rhonda L. Koster (Lakehead University), and Nicki Youroukos (Lakehead University).

Last Chance Tourism: Adapting Tourism Opportunities in a Changing World
Edited by Harvey Lemelin, Jackie Dawson, Emma J. Stewart
Published November 28, 2011 by Routledge – 240 pages
Series: Contemporary Geographies of Leisure, Tourism and Mobility

Please visit the Routledge website for more details or to purchase the book:http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780203828939/

Two recent films by Centre for Northern Studies (CNS) member Ronald N. Harpelle have been selected for screening at the Northern Character Film Festival in Murmansk, Russia, November 14-18. The Northern Character Festival, a meeting of television and film professionals from across Northern Europe and the circumpolar world, will screen over 100 films at this year's festival.

Festival goers will see In Security, a documentary Harpelle directed in 2010, and the world premiere of Under the Red Star, a new feature-length docudrama directed by Kelly Saxberg about Finnish radicalism in Thunder Bay before the Second World War. Several Lakehead faculty members, students, and alumni are part of the cast of over 250 actors and extras. The film is a showcase for Lakehead's Northern Studies Resource Centre, where most of the documents used to write the script were found.

The Centre for Northern Studies (CNS) is pleased to announce a call for new members.

The CNS is a senate approved research centre comprised of faculty from various disciplines and programs who are active researchers in the field of northern studies. Established in the late 1980s by the Lakehead University Board of Governors, the CNS has directly contributed through its speaker series, grants, and publications to the university's international reputation as one of the main centres for northern studies in Canada.

Those interested in becoming a member need to submit a SSHRC or NSERC formatted CV and a cover letter outlining their publications and research grant success to Robbie Buffington, CB 4044 or by email at rbuffing@lakeheadu.ca. The deadline is 11 November at 4:30pm.

Membership decisions will be based on a successful research track record in light of the CNS Mission Statement:

i) identifying, acknowledging and advancing an understanding of the characteristics of the communities and environments of the north, and ii) sponsoring, encouraging and generally promoting research on topics of significance to Northwestern Ontario, and other northern regions in Canada and the circumpolar north. The geographic focus for Northern Studies includes Northwestern Ontario, northern Ontario, the provincial Norths, the territorial Norths, the circumpolar North and circumpolar areas of the southern hemisphere.

More information about the Centre for Northern Studies can be found at http://cns.lakeheadu.ca

(September 2, 2011 – Thunder Bay, ON) Dr. Chris Southcott, professor of sociology at Lakehead University, has been awarded a Leaders Opportunity Fund grant valued at $87,246 by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). This funding will offset research infrastructure costs to establish a new research network focused on investigating sustainable communities, cultures, and environments in the Circumpolar North.

Southcott's research project will conduct and mobilize research aimed at the sustainable development of Arctic natural resources in a manner that will improve the health and well-being of Canada's northern communities while focusing on the preservation of the region's unique environment.

"The Arctic remains one of Canada's last storehouses of natural resources," says Southcott. "For many Canadians, the Arctic represents opportunity and potential wealth. For those living there, however, the Arctic is home and is viewed and experienced quite differently."

Southcott's project plans include establishing regional social science laboratories at Lakehead University, as well as in the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Northern Quebec, and Labrador. Support from Lakehead's Centre for Northern Studies was also valuable in enabling this infrastructure project to become a reality.

"The potential exists for finding new ways to develop resources and build capacity in northern communities," says Southcott. "This infrastructure is essential to position Canada as a world leader in research that shows how natural resources can be developed in a manner that can promote both local sustainability and environmental protection."

"Dr. Southcott's work in the Arctic is a stellar example of how Lakehead University contributes to solving real-world issues that impact populations all around the world," says Lakehead University President Brian Stevenson.

This new CFI funding is related to Southcott's overall project: in February 2011, Southcott and his research team were awarded $2.5 million by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada's (SSHRC) Major Collaborative Research Initiatives (MCRI) program. Contributions from all sources well exceed $6 million.

Dr. Rui Wang, vice-president (research, economic development, and innovation), is extremely pleased with CFI's funding announcement. "Continued infrastructural support for Lakehead's research projects is a necessity for sustaining our research and innovation stride. This new CFI funding is testament to Lakehead's growing reputation as a highly regarded research-intensive institution. The impact of Dr. Southcott's research will not only benefit communities in the Canadian north, but also affect communities throughout the northern hemisphere."

"CFI investments provide vital infrastructure in communities across the country and create opportunities for leveraging the work being undertaken by our enterprising researchers," says Dr. Gilles G. Patry, CFI president and CEO. "Cutting-edge research facilities are magnets that attract the best talent from around the world, allowing them to work with business and train a new generation of Canadian researchers and innovators."

Yesterday, the CFI held a press conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba to announce its national funding. The CFI announced a total of $53,298,531 in new funds to support 207 projects at 42 institutions across Canada. The investment was approved by the CFI Board of Directors following a rigorous merit-review process.

For a complete list of the projects awarded, please visit www.innovation.ca.

- 30 -

Media: Drs. Wang and Southcott are available for interview. To arrange interview times, please contact Janine Chiasson, communications officer, at 807-343-8177 or commun@lakeheadu.ca; or Frances Harding, acting director of communications, at 807-343-8193 orfharding@lakeheadu.ca.

About Lakehead
Lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for a multidisciplinary teaching approach that emphasizes collaborative learning and independent critical thinking. Over 8,280 students and 2,000 faculty and staff learn and work at campuses located in Orillia, and Thunder Bay, Ontario, which is home to the west campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Lakehead University promotes innovative research that supports local and regional socio-economic needs. In Orillia, development continues on building a campus that meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) standards.

About the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
Created by the Government of Canada in 1997, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) strives to build our nations capacity to undertake world-class research and technology development to benefit Canadians through investments in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions.

(June 14, 2011 – Thunder Bay, ON) Two researchers associated with Lakehead's Centre for Northern Studies will attend the 7th International Congress of the Arctic Social Sciences(ICASS) Conference in Akureyri, Iceland, June 22 - 26, 2011, with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC).

Dr. Harvey Lemelin, Lakehead University Research Chair, and Lillian Trapper, Land Use Plan Coordinator for Lands & Resources with the Moose Cree First Nation, will present the results of a two-year participatory photography project conducted in cooperation with citizens of the Moose Cree and MoCreebec First Nations.

In an effort to understand better the impact of climate change on the distribution of culturally significant flora and fauna as well as Cree livelihood in the Canadian sub-Arctic, the project explored and documented changes using photo-history and Photovoice. Participatory photography is an excellent tool for community-based research; community members and researchers work together and engage in meaningful dialogue throughout the project.

"This presentation gives the Centre an excellent opportunity to showcase its commitment to First Nations in Northern Ontario," says Dr. Michel S. Beaulieu, Director of the Centre for Northern Studies. "The project also demonstrates the benefits of conducting participatory research with First Nations detailed in Chapter 9: Research Involving First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada in the revised Tri-Council Policy Statement on the Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans."

The Centre for Northern Studies will be well represented at the ICASS conference as other centre members make presentations on education in Nunavut, the social economy of the Canadian Arctic, wildlife management, and tourism resilience in the Canadian North.

- 30 -

Media: Dr. Lemelin and Lillian Trapper are available for media interview. To arrange interviews, please contact Janine Chiasson, Communications Officer, at 807-343-8177 orcommun@lakeheadu.ca.