Water levels to halt deliveries
Northern Transportation Company won't guarantee more than a barge prior to end of season
Karen K. Ho
Northern News Services
Monday, July 20, 2015
RADILIH KOE'/FORT GOOD HOPE
The Mackenzie River's low water levels could mean a total stop to deliveries for the community of Fort Good Hope for the rest of the summer.
Many E. Gruben's Transport workers from Aklavik and across NWT live aboard the John S. Wurmlinger in 2014. This year, the community of Fort Good Hope may not be getting many barges from NTCL as a result of low water levels on the Mackenzie River. Usually, water levels aren't this low until August or September. - NNSL file photo |
"It's definitely a concern for the community," said Chief Greg Laboucan. "In the past, we used to get four barges, guaranteed. Now we're not guaranteed more than one."
Northern Transportation Company (NTCL) is the operator of the barges up the river to Fort Good Hope. But Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya said he spoke to an Esso hydrologist, who told him water levels shouldn't be this low until August or September.
As a result, Laboucan said the strong possibility of the community requiring additional flights for supplies is now a huge concern.
Fort Good Hope also has many ramparts, defensive walls along the river embankment, that Laboucan said make it hard for the barges to get through.
The community is strongly pushing for the consideration of a 14-km, all-weather community access road to allow the barges to have an alternative drop-off point.
But it still needs support from the legislature through an approval for funding.
Yakeleya said this road is expected to cost approximately $5 million.
But the MLA pointed to the community's high unemployment rate of 44 per cent, and it's cost of living as recorded to be 73 per cent higher than Edmonton.
For him, those additional jobs and ongoing stability are two major reasons why the community access road should be built.
Laboucan also pointed out that flying in items during the summer months also means significantly higher costs for the residents of Fort Good Hope for items such as fresh produce, household items, new vehicles, other equipment and construction materials for government infrastructure projects and other private businesses.
"It's the only chance to get freight during the summer months," Yakeleya said, citing the experience of NTCL barges getting stuck in Norman Wells last year, and requiring flights to transporting cargo the rest of the way.
While two alternatives to the current situation is hiring private company Cooper Barging or bringing more things in through the winter road, Laboucan pointed out the GNWT's fibre optic project is still being affected by the lack of NTCL activity.
"I'm sure even to cut some of their costs they would have preferred to have some of their supplies come in by barge," he said.
