Voice concerns about road
Public meeting held in Rae-Edzo

Kirsten Larsen
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 01/99) - Residents of Rae-Edzo were able to publicly voice their concerns and give support for the preliminary environmental study being conducted in the Slave geological province as part of the road to resources concept.

The public meeting, held in Rae Jan. 28 by the GNWT consultants involved in the environmental study for the project, attracted approximately 20 residents of Rae-Edzo. It is the second in a series of meetings to be held with other communities in the Slave area which utilize the lands. The first meeting was in Yellowknife last week.

"The main purpose of the meetings is to get comments from people about what kind of issues should be looked at in terms of the environment for the preliminary environment scoping study," said Masood Hassan, director of transportation planning for the project.

The study and public consultation, as well as feasibility consultation and study, will help determine if the road to resources will be a possibility worth pursuing. The GNWT has allocated $1.3 million to investigate the possibility of building a road which could run either from Rae or Yellowknife to the resource-rich area in the Barren Lands. During the meeting on Thursday, several residents of Rae-Edzo expressed their desire to have the road originate from Rae.

"It was fairly unanimous support for the road to originate in Rae, but also that it would provide access to the communities," said Nick Lawson, environmental consultant for Furguson, Simek, Clark which is conducting the environmental study for the GNWT. "There was the assumption that if built from Rae that it would naturally link up the communities. It was also mentioned that it was important to link the existing hydro plants on the Snake river system and any potential future hydro."

The protection of the caribou in the area was also brought up as a concern. The elders as well as younger residents brought up the importance of determining how the road would impact the caribou and ensuring it would not disrupt the movement of the herds.

In general, the environmental study was of significant importance to the residents. It was expressed that the Dogrib claim was progressing and that once settled the Dogrib would have some say in the use of the land and the development of it.