High North News - English

While housing prices are falling across large parts of the country, new figures from Real Estate Norway show an unusal price surge in several municipalities in Northern Norway.

Hammerfest recorded the strongest growth in the entire country during the third quarter of 2026, with an increase of 4.5 percent, followed by Tromsø and Narvik.

Looking at the last four quarters combined, Narvik stands out with the hghest price growth in the nation at a staggering 14 percent. Tromsø (11.4 percent) and Hammerfest (10.5 percent) have also experienced exceptionally strong growth over the past year.

Henning Lauridsen, CEO of Eiendom Norge, points to major industrial investments and hew developments as the primary driver behind the northern municipalitiea setting themselves apart. Among other projects, he highlights Equinor’s gas investments in Hammerfest and Nscale’s data center in Narvik as key market drivers.

Local authorities and tourism operatora in South Iceland are pushing back against plans to introduce a nature and infrastructure fee for tourists visiting the popular Golden Circle, according to the Icelandic national broadcaster RUV.

Ingunn Jónsdóttir, Managing Director of the Association of South Iceland Municipalities (SASS), criticizes the fact that the fee targets just three specific sites in South Iceland rather than applying to all state-owned tourist destination across the country.

The local community considers it unfair that these destinations are being taxed more heavily simply because of their success in attracting visitors, and they are calling for dialogue with the government to find a solution that works for the entire industry.

Finland’s Minister of Defence, Antti Häkkänen, has decided to usse a new decree from the Ministry of Defence regarding the use of Defence Forces vehicles.

”With the new decree, we are promoting military mobility in the changed security environment. With the reform, we will ensure that the operating conditions of the Defence Forces, traffic safety and military mobility, which is central to Finland's defence, form a functional whole,” Häkkänen said in a press release from the Ministry.

According to Yle, the reform will make it easier for Norwegian and Swedish military vehicles to enter Finland without special control measures at the border.

The same practice will also be introduced in ports and airports.

King Haakon VIII of Norway will visit the city of Narvik in Northern Norway on Tuesday, October 13.

This is the first official municipal visit for Norway's new king.

After the visit to Narvik, King Haakon will visit the Norwegian Armed Forces in Finnmark on October 13 and 14. There, he will visit several units in the Finnmark Brigade, which was established in 2025.

"In 1940, some of the fiercest fighting on Norwegian soil took place precisely in Narvik, and the city is once again an important hub for Norwegian and Allied preparedness. Narvik is the most important shipping port for mineral resources in Norway and Scandinavia. The port is also one of four Nordic ports for receiving Allied reinforcements. In addition, Narvik is the terminus of the Ofot Line, which ensures a train connection to Kiruna in Sweden," states the press release about the visit to Narvik.

Total defence, democracy, and how we together build safe and strong local communities will be a natural framework for the King's visit to Narvik, it further reads.

The US Navy commissioned its newest destroyer, the USS Ted Stevens, into active service during a formal ceremony in Whittier, Alaska, on October 3.

That is reported by U.S. Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and the US Department of War.

The ship and its commissioning location honor the legacy of the late Sen. Ted Stevens, a decorated combat aviator and lifelong champion for the state of Alaska and the nation's armed forces, the press release states.

Selecting the strategic deep-water port of Whittier highlights Alaska's enduring maritime significance and the historic partnership between the state and the Navy.

"From the Pacific campaigns of World War II to modern Arctic maritime operations, the Navy and Alaska share a deep commitment to homeland defense. The commissioning in Whittier emphasizes the Navy's persistent operational presence in high-latitude environments to deter northern flank aggression and safeguard critical maritime routes," it further reads.

Following post-commissioning operations, the USS Ted Stevens will transit to its permanent home port in Norfolk, Virginia, fully prepared to deploy worldwide.

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) has appointed Navarana Beveridge as its new chief executive officer, Nunatsiaq reports.

The organisation represents Inuit in the Canadian territory of Nunavut and works to ensure that the rights and benefits outlined in the Nunavut Agreement are upheld.

Beverdige will take up the position on October 13, succeeding Kilikvak Kabloona, who left the role in June this year.

Beveridge was born and raised in Greenland and has worked for 17 years at the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, most recently as senior director of strategic planning.

In 2021, she was appointed honorary consul in Nunavut by the Kingdom of Denmark.

The shrimp stock and quotas for shrimp fishing have fallen significantly in the waters around Greenland, reports Greenland's broadcasting company KNR.

At Royal Greenland's factory in Sisimiut, the number of shrimp has dropped so sharply that the workforce has been reduced by nearly 50 people.

Last year, the company had 137 employees, today, that figure has fallen to between 90 and 95.

In March, factory manager Hans Lars Olsen said that operations had gone from 17 hours a day, six days a week, to 12 hours a day, four days a week.

Working hours have now been forther reduced to 10 hours a day.

Today, the norwegian government will present next year's national budget.

In 2026, the Sámi Parliament received over 800 million Noregian kroner for the first time. Now the Sámi Parliament has decided that it needs an additional 767,5 million kroner, meaning a total of more than 1,5 billion kroner from the state in 2027, according to NRK.

This demand follows the historic report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commision. The Sámi Parliament is calling on the state to take responsibility for closing the gap between the formal rights of the Sámi people and what is actually implemented in practice.

Because the Sámi Parliament is an elected body, it is recuested that the funda not earmarked, so the Sámi community itself can decide what it needs most.

Among other things, they want to use the money for nred museum buildings, a Sámi language Commisioner, and efforts to rebuild in the aftermath of the Norwegiansation policy.

A series of internal Department of National Defence documents suggest Canadian troops were ill-prepared and occasionally ill-equipped for the harsh conditions they faced last winter during a major training exercise with American forces in Alaska.

This according to CBC.

The evaluation reports, obtained by CBC News, show the military has a lot to learn and a long way to go to rebuild its capability to defend the Arctic.

The training involved over 400 members of the 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment (3RCR) which was folded into a much larger U.S. Army brigade during Exercise Global Response in February at the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center, north of Fairbanks, Alaska.

The Carney government has committed to an almost year-round presence in the Far North and the reports indicate, among other things, that troops will need to learn to rely less on technology and more on basic skills in order to fight and survive, according to defence experts.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) will travel to Iceland on October 5. There, Rubio is set to meet with Icelandic politicians in Reykjavík to discuss cooperation on the economy and security.

The Secretary will then travel to Greece to lead the US delegation at the sixth US-Greece Strategic Dialogue, aiming to strengthen the partnership on key administration priorities, including defense cooperation as well as regional and energy security.

Afterwards, Rubio will travel to Lisbon to meet with Portuguese representatives and promote cooperation in the fields of defense, the economy, and technology.

John Gunnar Broks, from Honningsvåg and Alta in Finnmark, Northern Norway, has been nominated for the "Gullklypa" (Golden thongs) environmental award. Gullklypa recognizes efforts to combat littering. This year’s winner will be announced as early as the end of October, according to Hold Norge Rent (Keep Norway Clean), a Norwegian non-profit organization dedicated to fighting litter.

The five finalists for the 2025 Gullklypa award are:

Silje Østby Thune (Larvik)

• Patrick Dahle Bjørsvik (Flatanger, Kvaløyseter)

• Norwegian Diving Clubs, represented by the Norwegian Diving Federation (nationwide)

• John Gunnar Broks (Honningsvåg and Alta)

• Christopher McDade (Stavanger)

Hold Norge Rent presents this award annually. The honor pays tribute to a dedicated individual or organization that has made an extraordinary effort to combat littering over the past year. The five finalists were selected based on the following criteria:

• Continuous and systematic cleanup efforts over time

• Volume of waste removed

• Collaboration in the fight against litter

• Serving as a source of inspiration

• Contribution to national cleanup drives

• Knowledge regarding littering

The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) has registered growing interest from state threat actors in Norway's coastal and maritime areas.

"We are seeing very significant interest in the Arctic and the High North from a number of countries. This mainly concerns Russia, but also China," Jon Fitje Hoffmann, director at PST, tild the norwegian broadcaster NRK.

According to Hoffmann, Russia is seeking to map Norwegian ports, communications cables, ans the thousands of kilometres of oil and gas pipelines on the seabed.

He said this could be part of general intelligence gathering, but could also serve as preparation for potential acts of sabotage.

PST is now urging the public to report unusual activity, including incidents that fall outside the normal pattern and people or vessels behaving suspiciously.

PST also advises individuals and businesses to be alert to unexplained friend requests on social media.

The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) has initiated legal proceedings against the Icelandic authorities.

In a press release, ESA states that it is reffering Iceland to the EFTA Court because, in ESA's assessment, Icelandic law has failed to adequately meet the country's obligations.

The case concerns Protocol 35 of the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement, which requires Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein to ensure that EEA rules implemented in national law prevail over other conflicting national provisions.

ESA finds that Iceland has not established the legal safeguards necessary to ensure that individuals and companies can fully exercise their EEA rights.

ESA first raised concerns in 2012 and initiated infringement proceedings in 2017.

Since then, two different governments have announced legislative changes, and proposals have repeatedly been submitted to parliament, yet no legislation has been adopted.

It is now up to the EFTA Court to rule on the matter.

The parliamentary election of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nation (CAFN) was scheduled to take place on october 22 in Yukon.

CBC Canada now reports that the election has been postponed.

According to the broadcaster, the postponement is due to the mass resignation of members of the elction board. It is unclear why the board members are stepping down, or how long it will take to appoint a new board.

Yukon First Nation consist of a total of 14 Indigenous communities with roots stretching back 12,000 years in Canada's Yukon territory.

CAFN is a self-governing Indigenous community with more than 1,200 residents in the region.

The incumbent chief, Barbara Joe, is running for re-election, alongside Shadelle Chambers, executive director of family preservation Service.

Voters will also elect six council members.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recommends a total mackerel catch of just under 352,000 tonnes next year. This is a 102% increase from last year, when the advice was just over 174,000 tonnes. The reason is that the mackerel spawning stock is now above the precautionary limit.

This is reported by RUV.

There has however been considerable disagreement over mackerel, which is one of the shared stocks in the North Atlantic claimed by several countries. In addition to Iceland, the coastal states fishing for mackerel are the Faroe Islands, Norway, the United Kingdom, Greenland and the European Union.

The states have struggled to agree on how the quota should be divided, and their combined catches are generally well above the scientific advice.

The Finnmark Conservative Party of Northern Norway is presenting six key demands regarding the government’s 2027 state budget, aimed at reducing costs and strengthening local communities and the business sector. The Finnmark county board also prioritizes the reopening of the Sydvaranger mine.

"We have no trains, trams, or subways serving Finnmark. Cars, planes, and boats are essential for daily life. The government must make it cheaper to live, work, and run a business here," says Bård Bredal-Olsen of the Finnmark Conservative Party, according to a press release.

The Finnmark Conservative Party is making six demands of the government:

• Strengthen the Finnmark tax scheme and measures to support settlement and recruitment.

• Permanently abolish the road usage tax to reduce transport costs for individuals and businesses.

• Grant a permanent exemption from the CO₂ tax on marine diesel for fishing and hunting vessels, ferries and high-speed passenger boats in public scheduled service, ambulance and emergency response vessels, and maritime operations already subject to emissions quota obligations.

• Abolish the air passenger tax and strengthen the FOT (public service obligation) route network. Air travel is essential public transport in Finnmark.

• Strengthen the Norwegian State Housing Bank’s regional support measures so that more people can build and own homes in areas with weak housing markets.

• Prioritize the expansion of power generation and grid infrastructure to facilitate new jobs and business development.

“These demands are a top priority for the county board. They are about ensuring people can afford to stay, enabling us to recruit the workforce we need, and allowing businesses to grow,” says Bredal-Olsen.

The Finnmark Conservative Party also calls for priority to be given to the following projects:

• Strømmen Bridge in Sør-Varanger.

• Funding and commencement of the Rv. 94 project (Saragammen–Rypefjord to Hammerfest), which is already prioritized in the National Transport Plan.

• Avalanche protection and upgrades for county roads that serve as the sole connection to local communities.

• A new emergency preparedness and multi-purpose quay in Alta.

• Extension of the runway at Alta Airport, where Alta Municipality has already carried out part of the necessary land reclamation work.

• Breakwater construction at the Hallvika industrial area in Måsøy.

• Commencement of the ready-to-build pedestrian path along the E45 from Øvre Alta to the Skillemo industrial area.

• A new bridge over the Transfarelva river on the E6.

• An emergency preparedness facility in Sør-Varanger.

Furthermore, the county branch aims to establish Finnmark as a national hub for the development, testing, and production of drone technology, and to consider the county as a pilot area for new regional and industrial policy measures.

On 1 October, a new report on Nordic competitiveness, "Competitiveness in a Nordic Perspective", will be launched.

The analysis by Copenhagen Economics, commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers, explores the key drivers, challenges and future opportunities for Nordic competitiveness, and how the Nordic countries measure up in Europe and globally.

The Nordic economies have long remained close to the global productivity frontier, while combining strong institutions, high labour-market participation, social cohesion and ambitious climate policies. But the Nordic model is facing new challenges in maintaining its competitive position.

The report launch is accompanied by a conference in Copenhagen, bringing together Nordic ministers, senior executives, experts and key decision-makers to discuss the findings and the future of Nordic competitiveness.

On Monday morning, NRK reported that the Norwegian government will establish the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) North in Tromsø and allocate NOK 20 million for its establishment.

An additional location will also be established on Andøya. FFI already has two locations in Eastern Norway.

The funding will be used, among other things, for premises, a managing director and the first employees. The goal is to build a research environment with around 40 security-cleared researchers in Tromsø. The institute is scheduled to be fully established by 2036.

Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik (Labour) says the initiative will strengthen Norway’s defence capabilities.

“Now we are building up the Armed Forces and strengthening Norway’s defence capabilities. Research that makes our Armed Forces even stronger is an important part of this,” Sandvik says.

Sweden’s Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson is giving up her attempt to form a new government, Swedish Yle reports.

She was given the task after the left-green opposition won the parliamentary election by a narrow margin.

The decision comes after the Left Party (Vänsterpartiet) announced that it would support the Moderate Party’s candidate, Andreas Norlén, for the position of Speaker of the Riksdag.

Government negotiations were expected to be challenging, as both the Left Party and the Centre Party (Centerpartiet) have said that they cannot sit in the same government.

Andersson says that the Left Party’s support for Norlén has created a new political constellation in the Riksdag. She therefore believes that there are no longer sufficient conditions for the government negotiations to succeed.

Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar rejects in an interview with Expressen that the party has entered into an alliance with the Moderate Party.

The Social Democrats have not yet announced whom the party will nominate as Speaker. Norlén is therefore the only candidate at the moment.

The task of forming a new government will now be given to someone else.

Canada has signed a non-binding agreement with the Swedish defence and technology company Saab to purchase six GlobalEye surveillance aircraft, reports Forsvarets forum.

The aircraft will be built in Canada ans used mainly for surveillance in the Arctic. The agreement also includes the purchase of GlobalEye systems and training.

Canada had been in talks with several U.S. companies about similar agreements, but ultimately chose Saab as its supplier.