Barges on the Hay River 'dragging through sand'
Barges in Hay River, N.W.T. are scraping bottom.
Hay River is a hub for Canadian Coast Guard operations and shipments that are carried further North.
Robert Bouchard, MLA for Hay River North, says water levels are too low and debris has piled up.
He says the river needs dredging and it needs it now.
"I know it's a federal responsibility, our government has told us that several times, but we've been trying to encourage the government to find ways [to help make it happen]," Bouchard said.
Dredging removes the build-up of silt and obstacles on the river bed.
Federal cuts ended the dredging program in the 1990s, which has passed the costs along to the users of ports.
Bouchard says barges in Hay River have reduced their capabilities. He says they're carrying lighter loads and the debris has caused delays and cancellations of shipments up the Mackenzie River.
A 'vital link' for N.W.T. communities
Greg Whitlock, who works for the territory's Department of Transportation, says Hay River is a hub for resupply and that's why it's so important for dredging to happen
"The port of Hay River is a vital transportation link for the resupply of goods and services along the Mackenzie River and [communities in] the Western Arctic are somewhat collateral damage to the closing of that program."
N.W.T. Transportation Minister Tom Beaulieu says the department and federal agencies, including the coast guard and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), have met to discuss the problem, but the results haven't been promising.
In fact, the department saw more cuts this year.
Whitlock says DFO has given small-craft harbours across the country $100 million dollars, but so far that funding has not been allocated to the Hay River area.
Flooding also a concern
Ross Potter, Hay River's Director of Protective Services, says while barges have been "dragging through the sand," there's more to the story than delays in transportation.
Potter says a buildup of debris poses a risk to people who live around the port during the spring breakup season.
"We also need to be able to protect the people in old town from flooding and a real easy way of getting that done is dredging," Potter said.
Beaulieu says he plans to ask to meet directly with the federal minister responsible.
