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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - What's currently a lot filled with trees and brush will become an industrial camp and truck stop by the end of the year under the guidance of three companies.

Nogha Enterprises Ltd., Landmark Logistics Ltd. and Sodexo are partnering in a $4 million project in Fort Simpson. Once completed, the site will include an industrial camp with a 56-person capacity, a kitchen and dining room, a convenience store, a gas bar and a parking lot for transport trucks.

The facility will be located across from K&K Expediting, on the other side of Highway 1 going to Wrigley.

"The truck stop seemed to be a good opportunity and the right location," said Leo Hardisty, president of Landmark Logistics, an aboriginal company based in Fort Simpson and Norman Wells.

Hardisty said the facility's location is perfect because it will capture all the industrial traffic that moves up the valley in the winter. The feasibility plan for the venture was based on the current level of business available, but the facility can be expanded if other projects such as the Mackenzie Gas Project move forward, he said.

In the summer when industrial traffic levels drop, the facility will still operate because the housing nearby provides clientele for the gas bar and convenience store, said Hardisty.

The store and gas bar will be the first sections to open with a target date of the end of September. The rest of the facility will be open by the end of December, he said.

All of the buildings will be modular designs that will be shipped north on trucks.

The management expertise for the business will come from Sodexo, a major camp and catering company.

Reaching this point in the project hasn't been easy, said Hardisty.

"We're dealing with all sorts of regulatory systems," he said.

Landmark Logistics applied to lease the land two and a half years ago. Since then the project has run into difficulties ranging from permitting to access agreements, said Hardisty.

"It's just a nightmare," he said.

Hardisty said the difficulties experienced with this project show aboriginal businesspeople have to start projects early to capitalize on future developments such as the pipeline, because the regulatory system isn't there to assist them.

Gilbert Cazon, interim general manager of Nogha Enterprises, said from speaking with different trucking companies the industrial camp and truck stop will be an important addition to the village.

"They've asked for a facility like this. They're really happy that it's here and will use it," said Cazon.

Cazon said the facility, which has a proposed name of Fort of the Forks, will create a number of benefits for the community.

The truck stop will keep transport trucks out of the village centre where there aren't any specially designed facilities for them. The business will also provide immediate employment to between 10 and 15 people, he said.

"We'll be training chefs, chambermaids and other people," said Cazon.

Nogha Enterprises will also be using the facility as a starting point for future ventures.

If businesses need camps or other facilities closer to their work sites, Nogha could provide them in the future, he said.