Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Published Monday, November 12, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - A snag in a routine permit renewal may spell the end of the Mackenzie River Bridge.

The Deh Cho Bridge Corporation - which has planned the construction of the bridge since 2003 - was recently informed by Transport Canada that the extension of its permit is being temporarily halted.

From left, Michael Vandell, Michael McLeod and Joe Handley at the bridge launching ceremony at Fort Providence earlier this year. - NNSL file photo

The holdup: Serious talks among several oil companies - including Husky Energy, Sunco Oil, and Symenco - about using the route under the bridge to transport large shipping containers from Asia to Fort McMurray.

"These are potentially new factors to navigation on the Mackenzie, and therefore have prompted the need for the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation to readvertise the project so that the public has the opportunity to identify any concerns," said Susan McLennan, a spokesperson for Transport Canada.

"The people building the bridge must go through the Navigable Water Protections Act process to assess whether it's going to have any impact on navigation before the work can proceed."

The project manager for the bridge corporation, Andrew Gamble, said the bridge as currently planned cannot accommodate shipping containers of that size, but that plans for the bridge are too far gone for reversal and that any changes would not be cost-effective.

"If we're set back to redesign, that's going to affect the price," said Gamble. "It's going to mean going through the whole permitting process again. We're going to lose the agreements we have (with Atcon, the New Brunswick contractor chosen for construction). We're going to lose the financing that's been lined up. There isn't going to be the appetite or support to start from the beginning."

Gamble, accompanied by the corporation's president, Michael Vandell, and a representative of the GNWT, met with the heads of several interested oil companies last week in Calgary to discuss solutions in which both the bridge and the shipping route could co-exist.

"I think they're sympathetic," said Gamble, "but they're also businessmen. These are multi-billion-dollar projects they're working on."

"I don't think we found the perfect answer," said Gamble of the meeting, "but we certainly talked about some options" - including having the containers go around the bridge, a solution the companies deemed too expensive, said Gamble.

Asked what will happen if the permit is not granted, Gamble said, "An orderly winding down," adding, "it would be a huge disappointment for the community of Fort Providence. I'm working for them. They did all the work required to convince people it was a sound proposal."

Gamble estimates $10 million has been spent on the permitting process so far.

The GNWT's transportation department, a supporter of the project, is remaining optimistic.

"We are aware of the circumstances, and we're putting together a presentation for the consultation process. But it would be premature to say anything beyond that," said Earl Blacklock, spokesperson for the GNWT.

"We support the Deh Cho Bridge project and don't feel any reason to feel that that support should change."

The deadline for comments ends Thursday, at which point Transport Canada will review them and decide if they have any bearing on whether the bridge project should continue.

As of late last week, Transport Canada had received only one letter, said McLennann. She could not say who sent the letter nor what it contained.

Not all communities are on board with the bridge.

"It is in my opinion, and of the opinion of the Chamber of Commerce in Fort Simpson, that (the bridge) is a waste of taxpayer's money," said Kirby Groat, chamber president. "The money that you would spend on that bridge would be far better spent on road infrastructure in the Northwest Territories."