$100 billion North corridor includes NWT
Sahtu MLA says project would unlock the region's immense potential
Emelie Peacock
Northern News Services
Monday, June 26, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A new Senate report proposes a major infrastructure project to develop a corridor connecting the Beaufort Delta to northern Alberta, something Sahtu MLA Daniel McNeely said will greatly benefit his region.
The proposal is a $100 billion, 7,000 kilometer Northern corridor establishing the right of way for road, rail, pipelines, electricity and com- munication networks through Canada's North and near north regions.
The standing Senate committee on banking, trade and commerce released the report on June 21. The Northern corridor would link coastal areas in the Northwest Territories, Newfoundland and Labrador, eastern Quebec, Hudson's Bay and B.C.
The southernmost parts of Canada are already connected through a corridor of roads and rail links stretching across the country. This proposal would create a corridor linking Canada's North from coast to coast to coast as well as connect it to the south.
The Northern corridor idea came from Andrei Sulzenko and G. Kent Fellows at the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy, which the Senate committee used as the basis of the report. The $100 billion capital cost was estimated by the two researchers and the Senate committee stated the project would likely take decades.
Infrastructure Minister Wally Schumann said the biggest challenge going forward is getting southern politicians to consider this type of project.
Political will, particularly on the part of the federal government, is something Schumann said is essential.
He said the GNWT is working on similar projects as part of its man- date and he sees a lot of support for the Mackenzie Valley Highway.
"When you look at the map that's in this report, one of them is the Mackenzie Valley Highway, which we totally support in trying to push through. But at the same time we're also promoting the Slave Geological Province which I think is just as important," he said.
The proposal involves first negotiating a right-of-way that would be the future route of "road, rail, pipeline, electrical transmission and communications networks."
The report stated because of inadequate transportation infrastructure from east to west across Canada, the country is limited to mostly north- south trade with the United States.
Constructing a Northern corridor would both allow more international trade from Canada's ports and open up Canada's North to development.
McNeely said the Sahtu region, which the proposed corridor would pass through, has an unrecognized potential.
"It would open up and unlock the Sahtu potential," he said of the proposed corridor. "We've got oil and gas here, we've got tourism potential here, we've got min- eral potential here, we've got logging potential here for wood pellet development."
Andrei Sulzenko stated the corridor would provide Northern residents both economic development opportunities and an enhanced quality of life.
In addition to economic opportunities, Schumann said a project like this one would bring a sense of security around climate change and alleviate some of the problems and costs of winter roads in the territory. Sahtu is facing a more than 50 per cent unemployment rate and groceries that cost 40 per cent more than in Yellowknife, said McNeely.
High unemployment, a high cost of living and isolation in the region are causing a ripple effect of other social problems, he said, adding the first step in addressing these problems is to build access.
Early participation of indigenous people in the development of the proposed corridor is crucial to its success, the report stated, recommending indigenous groups are actively involved, starting in the research stages.
The Senate committee heard from the First Nations Major Pro jects Coalition and the First Nations Financial Management Board, who advocated for the federal government to provide loan guarantees to allow them to finance debt at a lower interest rates. These groups said this would allow them to participate in major projects such as the Northern corridor.
The Senate committee interviewed Simon O'Byrne, vice-president of planning for Stantec, who identified benefits to indigenous groups, including "the development of First Nations businesses, high levels of employment, and better access to First Nations communities to improve water, waste water and housing conditions."
As potential environmental impacts are enormous, the report identifies the need for comprehensive environmental assessments. These can take decades, so the report advises territorial and federal co-ordination to minimize delays, as well as indigenous peoples' involvement in these assessments.
The Senate committee stated the next step is for the federal govern - ment to carry out a feasibility study on the idea. Schumann said the Department of Infrastructure will look closely at the report and consider whether to support it.
