South Slave, Dehcho residents voice concerns about low water in N.W.T.
CBC
A view from the top of the Deh Cho bridge in Fort Providence, N.W.T., shows sandbars and rock formations protruding from the once-mighty Mackenzie River.
The retired Merv Hardie ferry — once a lifeline to Yellowknife, before the bridge was built — sits parked in the distance. Residents in nearby Fort Providence have questioned whether the ferry could even operate in the current conditions.
This is the second year of extreme low water in many parts of the N.W.T., including on the Mackenzie River.
Down the Mackenzie from Fort Providence, in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., it's the same story.
Bob Norwegian and his brother Wilbert Antoine currently live in Fort Simpson, and grew up in the Dehcho. Norwegian says his memories of the Liard and Mackenzie Rivers date to the late 1950s.
"If you added another ten feet [of water], that's what we used to consider low," he said, "There's boaters all over the place that are really concerned about traveling the waters."
Fort Simpson is accessed by the M.V. Lafferty ferry in summer months. The ferry crossing on the Liard River opened for the season earlier this month, and the town's mayor has expressed concern about the vessel's ability to operate in the low water.
Antoine said he has seen rocks protruding four to five feet out of the water. He says the territorial government should be consulting elders, or others with long-time experience, to find long-term solutions.
"We're really hoping people listen to people like Bob and I when we talk about the need for a bridge," Antoine said.
Antoine feels the building of a bridge would be a much smaller undertaking compared to the Deh Cho Bridge. The crossing connecting Fort Simpson with the highway system is less than a kilometre long.
"I don't think it would cost much, unlike the Mackenzie River bridge which cost into the hundreds of millions of dollars," he said.
Fort Simpson mayor Sean Whelly also expressed his support for a bridge earlier this month. He worries that if the ferry can't reliably operate, his community could be isolated in the summer months.
N.W.T. government hydrologist Ryan Connon told CBC news earlier this week that low precipitation is a significant factor in fluctuating river levels over the summer months. The territory has been experiencing drought conditions that began in 2022, he said.
Dieter Cazon, manager of lands and resources for the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation in Fort Simpson, recalls a time in the late 1980s when the town had 27 days of non-stop showers.
Police services across northern Ontario say most illicit drugs circulating in their communities are being transported from southern parts of the province, while prescription drugs diverted into the illegal market continue to pose a serious and ongoing threat.
The case of a child who was killed by his mother shortly after being returned from foster care has shed a rare and needed spotlight on the child welfare system, say experts in the field.
G.E. Barbour may be best known for its King Cole tea, but the Sussex company’s peanut butter is apparently what everyone wants overseas.
Seven years into an early onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Sandra Demontigny's home is full of reminders.
A blizzard gusting across southern Manitoba is leaving a long list of highway and school closures.
While a blizzard threatened outside, Saskatoon city council endured an icy blast inside city hall from a Riversdale business leader over its homeless initiatives.
This is a story about fire, faith and marshmallows.
Alberta’s population bucked the trend that almost every other Canadian province and territory experienced last quarter, Statistics Canada population estimates suggest.
A U.S. judge on Wednesday blocked Michigan from enforcing a 2020 order to shut down Enbridge's Line 5 oil pipeline running beneath a channel linking two of the Great Lakes, ruling that pipeline safety is a federal responsibility.
When retired RCMP constable Jason Hydamacka heard the news that the insurance money for his amputated leg was coming, he sat in his truck and cried.
As Neskantaga First Nation’s youngest band councillor, Lashaunda Waswa says she wants to inspire the next generation to protect the community’s land, water and wildlife.
Toronto has seen a drop in crime rates across the city, but its police chief says youth crime rates continue to be a cause for concern.
Cambridge council has voted to request a pedestrian safety review of Cedar Street from the region after two back-to-back collisions last week, one of which killed a three-year-old girl.