The Canadian Arctic vs. the Russian Arctic

An interesting blurb from a recent Globe and Mail piece on Arctic infrastructure chronicling a first cargo ship traversing the Northwest passage:

Canada’s Arctic search-and-rescue capabilities are desperately poor. Our long-range helicopters are based in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Labrador: each aircraft would take more than a day to fly the 2,500 kilometers to the Northwest Passage, stopping to refuel along the way. ... As a point of comparison, Russia has several search-and-rescue stations in the Arctic and is building ten more – each with its own ships and aircraft.

... Canada lacks a single port along the Northwest Passage in which a vessel could seek refuge in the event of mechanical problems or a serious storm. Russia has sixteen deep-water ports along its Arctic coastline.

The article also discusses the crash of a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter in the Arctic a while back. The crew survived the crash but ended up freezing to death as there was nothing more than an icebreaker available to come to the rescue. Canada has the longest coastline of any country on the planet, but the supporting infrastructure doesn't necessarily seem to be there. Compare as well, the US Coast Guard's equipment (e.g. 210 aircraft) versus the Canadian Coast Guard's equipment (49 aircraft). Perhaps the Arctic environment would be one in which lots of UAVs would be a good strategy?