Consultations are underway on a proposed highway connecting the NWT with a proposed Nunavut road to resources and deep-sea port, and Tlicho Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty says he's hearing a very clear message from Elders in the communities.
"They said it's good to keep us informed, but do not fast-track this project," he said on July 2. "We need to have an engagement process and get familiar with what it entails.
"This is a major highway, so there will be a lot of engagement happening. There will be other First Nations we'll need to work with. But if it's going to be on Tlicho land, we need to figure out what it would look like SA国际影视传媒� who's going to be involved and who's going to own the road? We need to have a leadership role."
Lafferty said the first round of community consultations recently wrapping up, but added that there would be at least two more rounds of talks.
As part of Prime Minister Mark Carney's nation building efforts, the Grays Bay Road and Port project would connect the NWT to the Eastern Arctic coastline by way of a combination of 230 kilometres of all-season roads and ice roads.
Nunavut is way ahead of the NWT in planning and consultation efforts on its side of the border, said Lafferty.
"They're in the environmental assessment phase," he said. "But we're just at the beginning of discussion here to try and find out which routes would be the best to engage with.
"There has to be a monitoring system with trained personnel on the highway system. We need to have enforcement on the road as well," he added.
Building on lessons learned from the Whati road, Lafferty said the main concerns being cited are how any new road would impact caribou numbers and harvesting. He said officials with the Tlicho Government were working to identify potential routes that would minimize any impact on caribou migration.
Concerns about the roads being used to bring drugs and alcohol into communities are also top of mind, he noted.
Economic participation is also vital, said Lafferty. With more than 200 Tlicho residents currently involved in work at the Diavik diamond mine, which is slated to shut down in 2026, he added there's a desire to retrain and ensure local workers are involved in both building and maintaining the road to Nunavut.
"Woodland caribou, moose, the land and the water SA国际影视传媒� we want to protect everything," the grand chief said. "At the same time, we have to create a balance where this also creates economy for us. The three diamond mines will be closing up soon SA国际影视传媒� Diavik is next year and we're getting ready for that.
"We're going to think about a possibly transferring workers to another site SA国际影视传媒� this [road] could be one of them, but it's going to take several years to build."
Construction of the Nunavut road is expected to begin in 2029 and it is planned to be in service by 2034, according to filings with the Nunavut Impact Review Board. The route is intended to be operational for 75 years. It would go from Grays Bay and head southward towards the Jericho Mine site by Contwoyto Lake. From there, it would continue farther south to the NWT border on an ice road. It is then proposed to continue into the NWT towards Yellowknife through Tlicho territory.
Lafferty added the project would still need to get the approval of the Wek'eezhii Land and Water Board and clear an environmental impact assessment as well.
