People living in Canada's North have to improve their reliability as workers if they want to take full advantage of job opportunities in the region, a longtime Arctic researcher says.

Chris Burn, a geography professor who holds an NSERC Northern Research Chair at Carleton University in Ottawa, said the North needs more "human capacity" in sectors such as mining and tourism.

But he said officials in various sectors have complained that people in some northern communities are not always reliable employees.

"In some positions, you find people saying, 'We can't get local, reliable assistance.' And that's a big problem," Burn told CBC News during a recent conference on Arctic issues in Ottawa.

"We got people around but they're not sufficiently reliable. And as a result of that, the employers phone up Saskatchewan, or they phone up people in Ontario, and say, 'Would you like to come up here and work?' "

Burn has specialized in permafrost since 1982, studying the effects of climate change on the Arctic frozen ground. He has divided his research time between sites in central Yukon and the Mackenzie Delta area in the Northwest Territories.

Burn said it's true that people living in northern communities need more access to training and work experience, but he added that people also have to do their part.

"One of the things they need to make sure is that people, for example, show up every morning," he said.

Act like an adult

"They need to make sure that people, if they say they're going to be available for three or four weeks, that they will actually work three or four weeks."

His view was shared by Iqaluit Mayor Elisapee Sheutiapik, who said everyone should act like an adult in the workplace.

"I hope people aren't slacking because there's too much work to do, too many challenges," she said.

"Whether you're a supervisor or not, you may be one day because there's always room for advancement. And really, you got to practise and set examples."

Burn said that by setting and meeting standards for reliability in the workplace, northerners will ensure they get the jobs they deserve from companies and groups coming north.

"It's not always going to possible to expect that people from outside who come presenting opportunities can lay out the red carpet so that everyone will be able to do exactly what they want," he said.

"The people coming from outside will have terms and conditions and in order to take advantage of those opportunities, sometimes people have to adjust their schedules themselves."