RANKIN INLET
A long-discussed project was put back on the front burner by Manitoba's senior cabinet minister this past month.
Rankin Inlet economic development officer Evan Morrison checks out the latest piece of news concerning a winter road linking the Kivalliq to Manitoba this past week in Rankin Inlet. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo |
Regional Minister for Manitoba Vic Toews spoke to the virtues of a winter road linking Churchill, Man., to Rankin Inlet while addressing a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce breakfast recently.
The cost of constructing a winter road to Rankin is estimated to be in the neighbourhood of $25 million, with an additional $12 million needed annually for maintenance costs.
In noting many allweather roads in Manitoba began as winter roads, Toews told the chamber a winter road to Rankin would be a boon for Churchill and create a large number of yearround jobs.
While Rankin economic development officer Evan Morrison has no doubt the road to Manitoba would be a boon to Churchill, the explosion of economic growth he sees in the deal for Rankin has his attention.
Morrison said the benefits of having such a winter road are too numerous to contemplate.
He said roads are the most expensive infrastructure to build in the Kivalliq, and a winter road would help many regional infrastructure businesses, while the addition of hydro lines along the road would also make an incredible impact on the economy.
"Just the thought of people being able to drive to Nunavut, and what that would mean for us here, is just insane, and I mean that in the best possible way," said Morrison.
"The economic impacts would be huge, especially where Rankin is situated.
"A good winter road would also be such a boost to our territory's tourism industry, with people all of a sudden being able to drive up here to see our communities.
"The infrastructure that would have to be built in the communities to handle that aspect alone is off the map."
Morrison said as terrific as a road to Manitoba would be, it's probably not going to happen in the immediate future.
He said there always seems to be discussions going on about it - whether it's a winter or an all-weather road - and every now and then a government department will make reference to it.
But, he adds, actual movement on the project is a different matter all together.
"There's still so many unknowns about the project, and that's where most of the skepticism on whether this will ever happen comes from.
"I think it will eventually happen because it's something Nunavut seems to want, and its potential value to the Kivalliq is just immense through the positive economic impacts it would bring."
Morrison said he hears just as much negativity concerning the road as he does positive comments.
He said a good number of people have the opinion the road, winter or otherwise, would already have been started if it was ever going to happen.
"That's mainly because people began talking about it long before it could ever become a reality.
"They've been talking about it for so long now, yet there's been no movement on it except for paper being pushed between different government agencies.
"People grow skeptical over time when they keep hearing about something - especially through the media - but they're not actually seeing anything."
