TORONTO – CIC Research Fellow Whitney Lackenbauer and CIC-Waterloo Region branch member Ken Coates won the $35,000 Donner Prize for their co-authored book, titled Arctic Front: Defending Canada in the Far North, published by Thomas Allen Publishers.

The book, which was chosen from 69 submissions and a shortlist of five, examines the history and future of the Arctic and argues for urgent political and environmental action to protect its resources and establish sovereignty. Dr. Lackenbauer is a member of the CIC Working Group on the Arctic and author of “Arctic Front, Arctic Homeland: Re-evaluating Canada’s Past Record and Future Prospects in the Circumpolar North,” a research paper published by the CIC in June 2008.

Arctic Front is “a very useful, topical and policy-relevant book,” said jury chairman Grant Reuber. “Unquestionably, this book deals with a subject of major public importance and interest. This is a substantial and accessible book that should be widely read by everyone interested in an insightful introduction to this subject.”

The prize will be shared by the four co-authors: Ken Coates, Whitney Lackenbauer, William Morrison and Reg Poelzer. The Donner Prize is awarded annually by the Donner Canadian Foundation for Canada’s best public policy books. The prize was established in 1998.