Capital fears missing out on road to riches
Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
NNSL (Jul 29/98) - A David and Goliath battle is shaping up on the road to riches.
The challenger, Rae-Edzo, weighs in at a modest 1,662 people. Its opponent, the capital and the Northwest Territories' only city, has a population of 17,275.
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Though the battle over the routing of the road has started, the decision on where the road will go, or even if it will be built, is far from made, said Masood Hassan, director of transportation planning for the NWT Department of Transportation.
"Construction of the road is not about to start," said Hassan.
"There is already a winter road. The answer to the question of what higher standard, if any, will be needed won't be answered until the end of the study."
Three studies being done on the project, known as the Slave Province Corridor are: a needs and feasibility study; a preliminary engineering study; and an environmental impact study.
Before the end of the fiscal year, the department hopes to complete a cost-benefit analysis and explore financing options.
The Slave Province studies take up the lion's share of the $2 million the GNWT earmarked for road studies this year. The other two projects being studied are extensions of the Dempster and Mackenzie Valley highways.
"We are looking at a whole swath of area, starting from Rae-Edzo all the way to the end of the Ingraham Trail," said Hassan of the start of the Slave Province corridor.
"The location will depend on which location will serve the largest number of users, while still being cost effective and technically feasible from an engineering point of view."
The fact that it is still in the early planning stages is doing little to dampen lobbying efforts from both Rae-Edzo or Yellowknife.
"When it's just lines on paper, it's easy to change," said Yellowknife Mayor Dave Lovell. "Once they've built the first 20 miles it will be hard to change as if they had built 500."
Enlisting the support of mining companies will be critical to getting any road built.
"The government does not have the money to build this road," said Hassan. "The road, if it is to be constructed, will demand financial commitment from the mining companies that stand to benefit from it."
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Both are battling to be the southern starting point for a road to mining resources in the Barren Lands and, possibly, on to the Arctic coast.
Calling the road, "The biggest thing to hit the territories since division," Yellowknife Mayor Dave Lovell said the road is critical to the long term economic health of Yellowknife.
"Our future is not the two gold mines that sit here now," said Lovell. "Our future is in transportation."
Lovell predicts that over the next 20 years roads will surpass aircraft as the prime movers of goods and people in the North.
"We can't depend on the fact that we have a good airport to maintain our status as the transportation hub," said Lovell.
"If we're going to continue to be the transport centre, we're going to have to get the road connections," said Lovell. "And that means shipping through Yellowknife up to the Arctic coast."
Rae-Edzo also sees the road as an opportunity, but one to break from the status quo instead of preserve it.
"Smaller communities should have the right and opportunity to improve their lot in life," said Rae-Edzo Mayor Dan Marion.
The road and the economic opportunities it would bring would provide much needed infrastructure, such as an airport, for the small community, Marion said.
Yellowknife businesses would benefit from both the construction of the road and any infrastructure it would give rise to, said Marion, since they are the only ones around with the expertise and capital to get involved in such a project.
"To me, having a super mega city surrounded by small communities is not good for the NWT," said Marion.
An advisory committee has been formed of representatives of groups with an interest in the road. The group met for the first time last week to discuss terms of reference for two studies just tendered.
The committee includes representatives of the city and Treaty 11 and Treaty 8 Dene, the North Slave Metis Alliance as well as various NWT associations, including Ecology North.
Though Rae-Edzo may have equal representation on the advisory committee, the lobbying odds are definitely stacked against it.
Yellowknife has three MLAs to Rae's one, including one cabinet minister. The city is home to both the NWT and city chambers of commerce, NWT Construction Association, NWT Chamber of Mines, as well as a host of expeditors and transport companies.
Goliath's sling in this battle is the Dogrib Treaty 11 land claim. Much of the road will pass over Dogrib territory. Without Treaty 11 consent, the road will not be built. Headquarters for Treaty 11 is Rae.
