Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
have to be brought into the region. Some countries, such as Canada, provide subsi-
dies to reduce the prices on many perishable, nutritious foods for people in the far
north, although they are still more expensive than in the south, as seen by the Nutri-
tion North website in Canada (NNC).
All modern settlements in these climates also incur
increased maintenance costs
that need specialised trucks to clear snow and add gravel or salt to roads to reduce
the effect of the snow and ice from impeding movement on roads as well as other
pathways, and even reducing snow accumulation on roofs. Places to dump the snow
in winter and remove the gravel placed on roads in winter must also be found. This
can also be a problem because the additives to roads make the dumps a pollution
hazard. At the end of winter they also have to remove the gravel and other products
that were placed on the snowy, icy roads to increase vehicle traction in winter,
whilst the increased corrosion on cars due to the use of gravel or salt is another cost,
although this falls on the vehicle owner, not the municipality. All these problems
mean that settlements with winter conditions need to keep a stock of specialized
equipment, and the personnel to maintain them, to clear roads, while airlines need
de-icing equipment and vehicles to clear runways. Places that only occasionally
have snow rarely invest in enough equipment and suffer accordingly in their peri-
odic winter episodes.
It has already been noted that many areas of the north have also to counter-
act the additional problems caused by
permafrost,
areas of permanently frozen
ground. Utility lines, such as water, power and sewage, will heat the soil, causing
the frost to melt and the utilities to sink and buckle. Hence utilities must be above
ground and insulated, adding to the infra-structure costs of the settlements. Paved
surfaces are also affected by the freeze and thaw, meaning they have to replaced
earlier than in southern settlements. Finally, there is little doubt that people in win-
ter cities face
greater medical costs
. Some are due the effect of the conditions,
in which colds easily turn into pneumonia unless precautions are taken, or when
prolonged exposure to the cold results in frostbite; others are the result of more
people falling on ice and breaking limbs, or from more accidents as a result of cars
skidding on ice.
In general, therefore, the economic costs of life in the settlements that experience
long winter conditions are much greater, though few accurate comparative accounts
have been made to quantify the differences. Yet these economic costs have been
reduced by the decisions of some national governments to provide tax rebates for
people who live in northern settlements, often, like Canada, on a sliding scale that
increases with the isolation and severity of winter conditions, or by bigger grants
to municipal and other governments in these northern climes. These advantages are
justified by the need to maintain the population in northern settlements, either on
equity grounds within the state, or to ensure territorial control by a permanent popu-
lation. In addition, of course, most companies and governments pay higher wages in
isolated settlements in the north, in part because of the recognition of greater living
costs, but also to ensure they continue to maintain or increase their workforce.
