When Gateway Keewatin Corridor Inc. was formed roughly 22 years ago the group’s focus was improving the road that connects Nipawin, Sask. and The Pas, Man.
The Tote Road corridor is part of the only northern highway system linking Alberta east to the Port of Churchill in Manitoba.
Gateway President Leonard Gluska said the group is holding its annual meeting tomorrow in The Pas where discussion will focus on the economic potential for northern communities with the development of a dust free, primary weight highway.
He said the road was established in the 1950’s to haul supplies to camps. Now it’s needed to support heavy traffic for several other purposes.
“We are in the position where Edgewood Forest Products at Carrot River, Sask. is going to be doubling their capacity. The forest industry needs this road brought up to standard as soon as possible,” Gluska said. “Now that Churchill is open and starting to move grain from this area, both agriculture and the woodlands are in a position were they’re going to need the road.”
Gluska said the group had Praxis Consulting study the economic potential for the route. The report found a primary weight route would support the more efficient trade of goods and services in key sectors such as agriculture, mining, tourism, and forestry; reduce emissions through more efficient truck movements and reduced rail mileage to Port of Churchill; as well as improve northern community access to education, medical services, food, and fuel.
The report also said the route could lead to a $7.2 billion increase to the GDP, $894 million in tax revenue for the provinces, $1.9 billion tax revenues to the federal government over 20 years as well as the potential of 12,000 new direct, in-direct jobs.
Gluska said he understands this kind of work is very expensive and some progress has been made. The Highway 55 improvement project in Saskatchewan was completed last fall. More than $20 million was invested by the provincial and federal governments to resurface nearly 38 kilometres of the highway and install 30 new culverts.
The Manitoba Government announced $98.3 million on Provincial Road 283 for a new bridge at the Pasquia River and road reconstruction from Saskatchewan boundary to The Pas. Once complete, this section will support heaviest allowable loads.
Gluska said those projects are welcome but there is still more to do.
“We’re looking better all the time but it’s taking a long time,” he said. “Governments have been moving in the right direction and I should give them platitudes, but we need to move a little faster.”
Gluska said he hasn’t even touched on the potential for tourism in the North.
“It’s a huge thing. The North as a tourism destination could exist except the road isn’t there. We could have an area that takes in The Pas and Flin Flon and circles the Hanson Lake Road,” Gluska said. “The east and west route would promote tourism from Alberta and B.C. but travellers actually cut out 55 and 283 from their route because of the adverse road conditions for travel with motorhomes and campers.”
Gluska said, ultimately, the high cost of doing business is not the northern location, but the lack of a heavy-duty highway.
Gateway Keewatin Corridor Incorporated’s annual general meeting is being held at the Royal Canadian Legion in The Pas tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Anyone interested in the development of the Saskatchewan and Manitoba route is welcome to attend.
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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com
On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW
