LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Premier Bob McLeod has announced the government will take a deeper look at the feasibility of a energy, communications and transportation corridor up the Mackenzie Valley.

Bob McLeod: has announced a feasibility study that would look up the Mackenzie Valley corridor. - NNSL file photo

"Our resources are going untapped because we lack the roads, airports, sea ports and other infrastructure to bring them to market," McLeod said in prepared remarks delivered while he was in Ottawa at the end of January for NWT Days.

He said one of the first steps, already underway, is building the Inuvik-Tuk highway and then the full highway through the valley.

"The next step we are proposing would open up the resource rich central Mackenzie, boosting the Canadian economy and providing years of employment for skilled workers," McLeod said Jan. 29.

Fort Simpson Mayor Sean Whelly said he welcomed news the government would take a deeper look at improving infrastructure in the region.

"I think that's a smart idea," Whelly said.

Whelly said the study could help lay the groundwork for development up the valley, with the village serving as an entrance to the corridor.

"I think the community would benefit," he said following a council meeting Feb. 2.

Kirby Groat, a past-president of the Fort Simpson Chamber of Commerce, said he thinks it's a good idea.

The feasibility study by the GNWT would examine the potential economic, social and environmental impacts of such a corridor with an eye to technical issues and necessary infrastructure.

The premier said aboriginal governments will be invited to take part in the study.

"We recognize that there will be a lot of questions about this option, and we intend to answer them," the premier said, adding there will be consultations with the public.

He cited estimated natural gas reserves of 81 trillion cubic feet and seven billion estimated recoverable barrels of oil in the valley as reasons that infrastructure projects should be studied.

However, he was not proposing a specific project in his speech.

In the past, the premier has floated the idea of an Arctic Gateway - a pipeline to bring Alberta oil North as projects to take it west, south and east have hit roadblocks.

McLeod said while oil prices may be low now, the government knows markets are cyclical and so low prices will be followed by high prices.

The study comes as the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Line is already under construction. The communications link will allow communities in the northern portions of the valley access to high-speed Internet.

According to GNWT spokesperson Shaun Dean, construction of the fibre line along the all-weather road between Wrigley and Fort Simpson area will take place this summer. The line is expected to be operational 2016.

As well, studying moving energy products through the valley isn't new.

The Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, a project pitched back in the early 1970s to move natural gas south from the Beaufort Sea, remains on hold.

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