A Sustainable Approach to Support Management Scenarios Related to Infrastructure Construction and Site Remediation in Cold Regions

In the coming years, the northern regions of Canada and Quebec will be subjected to two significant pressures. On one hand, global warming, already underway, will be felt more significantly in these regions than further south. Furthermore, mining activities included in the Quebec government's "Plan Nord" will become increased. The combination of these two factors creates a major stress on roads, railways, ports and airports in these regions. Although the methods of design and construction on permafrost have improved over time, there remains a source of uncertainty with respect to changes in environmental conditions. Today, the new development perspectives in northern regions represent technical and social adaptation challenges for engineering firms. To better assess all the risks related to the construction and maintenance of infrastructures in cold regions communities, it is necessary to use decision making tools, which are based on the body of knowledge for preventing, where possible, major environmental impacts that could have significant financial and social repercussions. Certain approaches for scenario-base analysis; the multicriteria analysis (Multicriteria Decision Analysis or MCDA) can provide a solid basis for defining the cost-benefits for some construction or maintenance work and also provide the best alternative. Long term sustainable development must also be done with regards to often underestimated human factors. This conference will put into context the use of these tools, based on various northern Canadian projects such These tools form a cornerstone for developing a framework for sustainable management in northern regions.