INUVIK - Plans to build a highway linking Tuktoyaktuk to Inuvik year-round met with some opposition from Inuvik residents at a public meeting last week, further driving a wedge between the two communities.

Douglas Esagok, a representative of the Inuvik Hunters and Trappers Committee, said at a public meeting in Inuvik Nov. 10 that the potential negatives of the proposed Inuvik-Tuk all-weather road far outweigh the positives. - Katie May/NNSL photo

Although the project is still undergoing an environmental assessment and an exact route for the proposed $200-million all-weather road hasn't yet been chosen, the earliest it could be built is 2014 as long as the federal government agrees to pay for it, pending the assessment results.

If it goes ahead, about 65 per cent of the highway would be on Inuvialuit land - the remainder on crown land - so the Inuvialuit Land Administration (ILA) held a meeting in Inuvik Nov. 10 seeking beneficiaries' opinions for a report to the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation board at the end of the month. They're scheduled to talk to residents in Tuktoyaktuk today, where dissent for the road has been unheard of as most residents look forward to the highway's promises of construction jobs, a lower cost of living and increased tourism with constant access to Canada's third coast.

Not so in Inuvik. Of the 40 people who attended the meeting at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex, most of the proponents - including Tuktoyaktuk Mayor Merven Gruben - sat on one side of the room while opponents sat on the other.

Douglas Esagok, representing the Inuvik Hunters and Trappers Committee, was a key voice of opposition, making it clear that not all Northerners support the all-weather road. He argued the potential environmental damage the road could cause far outweighs its benefits.

"I don't want that road to go through because I want to see caribou for my children," he said. "I'm worried that after the road goes in, we might never see caribou there again."

"Sometimes you have to think about your way of life more than the dollar," Esagok added.

"You won't hear those comments in Tuk. The time to do it is now," Gruben interjected, pointing out that caribou herds still cross the Dempster Highway as an example of wildlife and infrastructure co-existing.

Proponents are considering three potential routes for the highway. The least expensive option would run alongside Husky Lakes, a culturally significant area where many people have private cabins. The second proposed route, considered as a compromise, would stay at least one km away from Husky Lakes. The third option - the "upland route" is far from Husky Lakes on extremely hilly terrain. At 137 km long, it would be shorter than the others and the most expensive to build and maintain.

Inuvik resident Jimmy Kalinek was one of several in favour of the upland route, arguing the others were too close to Husky Lakes and would eventually fall victim to shoreline erosion.

"People go out there to get away from town, to relax and be peaceful and that was the main concern, that the road was too close to Husky Lakes," Kalinek said. "The upland route's going to cost a lot of money, but it will probably last longer."

No matter the chosen route, the road "would benefit everybody," according to elder Richard Dick, who started his own wildlife

monitoring company.

"We need the jobs, or else more people will end up on welfare," he said.

The meeting took place at the same time as Inuvik's mosque grand opening celebration, and ILA representatives heeded people's suggestions to consider holding an Inuvik-Tuk joint meeting at a later date so more people could share their opinions.

"Everybody has an opinion on this issue because it would affect everyone, so they should be out voicing their opinions," said Inuvik resident Corey Wainman.

The Inuvialuit Environmental Impact Review Board is expected to finish its assessment of the project early next year. About 20 km of the road are already complete, linking Tuk to the community's gravel source.

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