PCSP maintains a base at Resolute Bay on Cornwallis Island, bordering Barrow Strait and the Northwest Passage.

The Base in Resolute Bay

The Hamlet of Resolute Bay is a relatively new community, dating back to 1947 when a weather station and later a military airfield were built to open the North to travel and research. Inuit first arrived in 1953, with a second group following in 1955. The community today is divided between an Inuit settlement of about 125 people and a largely non-native community at the airport. PCSP's base is located about eight kilometres from the settlement, so that aircraft may taxi directly from the runway to the PCSP complex.

The facilities at the base are summarized below:

The on-site Logistics Manager is responsible for operations at the base. This person is aware of field parties arriving at and departing from the base and what equipment is to be issued to each project.TheManager also assigns accommodation and working space at the base. He/she is in charge of scheduling all aircraft, realizing that in coordinating field camp moves, not all requests can be satisfied at one time due to such factors as weather and research priorities. PCSP's Logistics Managers report to the Director of PCSP.

The base is fairly self-contained. Resolute has three main buildings:

1. the main living accommodation housing sleeping areas, washing and restroom facilities, reading rooms, a recreation area, a dining room, kitchen, and staff quarters

2. the working facility, with garage, stores, storage areas, dry labs, work areas, a helicopter shop, a darkroom, and the base office

3. the old accommodation building, still used for sleeping and equipped with laundry and shower facilities

Each sleeping room has two beds, a desk or table, and a clothes closet. The bed has a mattress and pillow with a pillow cover. You must bring your own sleeping bag; sheets and blankets are not provided. You will need a sleeping bag in the field, and in addition, you cannot travel on a PCSP aircraft without one. This is for safety reasons in case you are forced down.

There are washers and dryers at the base. The washing and showering facilities are complete. Bring your own towel and washcloth and all your personal toiletries as they may not be available at the settlements.

There are also work and laboratory areas at the base. At Resolute, the work and lab areas are located in the working accommodation. There are six dry labs in Resolute. Laboratory areas should be requested when you initially request PCSP support. Lab areas can be set up with balances or minor lab equipment which the scientist must supply. Work areas for repair or maintenance of equipment are usually available on short notice.

The garage at the base is equipped for servicing such equipment as snowmobiles, ATVs, generators, vehicles, etc. There is a drill press at each base. A forklift is available to load and unload aircraft at Resolute. There are trucks for local support which are issued only upon request to the Logistics Manager.

The PCSP mechanic does not loan tools - please bring your own.The garage area may be used for repairs to equipment; arrangements should be made with the mechanic for the use of floor or bench space, and you must observe all safety notices.