For generations, an intercontinental route through Canada’s northern waters was one of the world’s most sought-after discoveries. The names of its explorers – Frobisher, Hudson, Vancouver – pepper the modern map, and the stories of their expeditions continue to be read around the world. Journalist Cameron Dueck follows in their wake, setting out in a small sailing yacht from Victoria to Halifax with the intention of retracing the journeys of his heroes, while also reporting from what he calls the “front line of climate change.”

The New Northwest Passage presents the challenges of sailing in the North, while also introducing the peoples that populate the region. Dueck refers to the canon of Arctic writing and the historical record to describe potential dangers he and his crew might face, but readers looking for an account of harrowing escapes from crushing ice floes will be disappointed. Dueck’s journey was clearly the adventure of a lifetime for the author, but for readers, the voyage offers little excitement other than some nasty recurring business with a backed-up sewage system, and a lot of interpersonal conflict aboard the ship.

Despite the author’s initial romantic ideas about the citizens of the North, and his expectation of discovering a traditional society, what he finds is a place that mirrors his home more closely than he ever imagined. The people he encounters run the gamut from grizzled sailors to enigmatic elders to modern urbanites, but they all share access to modern conveniences. Dueck illustrates how the rigours of climate and isolation are compounded by alcohol abuse, challenging seasonal work, and a rough frontier mentality, but also paints a picture of a place where, for better or worse, the promise of modernity is stronger than the pull of tradition.

Although he can locate only traces of the culture he expected to find, the society and landscape he details are fascinating. The New Northwest Passage appears as a snapshot of the North at a critical time. With mineral rights, political boundaries, and climate all contentious issues for the area’s future, Dueck presents an important portrait of a people and place in flux.