PEHDZEH KI/WRIGLEY
A highway that would extend from Wrigley up to Tulita, Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope, finally connecting to the Dempster Highway by Inuvik, has hit another road block.

Transportation Minister Wally Schumann gave a speech to Fort Simpson's business crowd during the local Chamber of Commerce's annual general meeting on May 12 in the Icebreaker Lounge. The meeting touched on the Mackenzie Valley Highway. - NNSL file photo

The proposed highway has for years been advocated for by MLAs in the Nahendeh region.

Russell Neudorf, deputy minister for the territorial Department of Transportation, revealed to Yellowknife's city council on Sept. 12 that the highway has been "put on hold" by the federal government.

Nahendeh MLA Shane Thompson said the first he heard of the delay was from a social media post, and subsequent article, from CBC News. Neither he nor his fellow MLAs had been told about the delay, he said.

"It's very disappointing that the information we receive is after the fact," Thompson said.

"Probably the biggest disappointment was not getting the information from the Department (of Transportation). The City of Yellowknife gets the information before we do - we have other communities we should have been able to inform, seven or eight communities that should have been informed before the City of Yellowknife."

Thompson said he e-mailed Transportation Minister Wally Schumann after he heard about the delay but has yet to receive an explanation for why MLAs weren't informed as of Sept. 18.

"(Schumann) basically said there will be a letter coming to all the members in the near future explaining what's going on," he said.

For the past couple years, the territorial government has been advocating to the federal government for the highway project to receive funding. The project is the source of a $700-million proposal to Infrastructure Canada, under the national infrastructure component of the department's New Building Canada Plan.

Neudorf presented to Yellowknife's municipal services committee on Sept. 12, where he told city councillors the project was initially stalled due to the federal election.

"There were lots of questions back and forth with the federal government about (the proposal) to see where that might go, and then the election came . so everything was put on hold," Neudorf said.

"We have had some discussions with the new Liberal government . but we hear the project has been basically put on hold while they do more consultations, more definitions around the federal infrastructure programs."

The first phase of the national infrastructure fund has already been rolled out. The second phase, Neudorf said, is earmarked at around $48 billion in funding.

"We will continue to work to promote this and other corridors to the federal government as part of that Phase 2 announcement," he said.

Thompson said while he still holds out hope for seeing the project put into next year's federal budget, he is "not too convinced that is going to happen."

"For me, the Mackenzie Valley Highway is about the people and making it more efficient, more cost-effective, providing income for people, and by having that road it opens up opportunities for tourism and things like that," he said.

"Promote our culture, promote the territory - open it up."

He added the delay is a setback for the Deh Cho as well as the territory as a whole.

"That road would just open up so much potential for the people and residents, which would have a better impact . for GDP," he said. "It (would be) a huge return on investment."

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