N.W.T. flying in supplies after shipping barge cancelled

Three Arctic communities cut off from supplies The transportation service had to cancel the barge run due to the sea ice.

Several communities in the far north will be airlifted some much-needed supplies this week after barge service was cancelled due to weather conditions.

In early October, the government for the Northwest Territories cancelled barge service to Paulatuk, N.W.T., Kugluktuk, Nunavut and Cambridge Bay, Nunavut due to extreme ice.

The cancellation meant the three communities would need to wait for some of the supplies they’ve requested, but in the meantime, the territorial government is planning to airlift some necessities to the region, including diapers, diesel fuel and some food items.

Wally Schumann, minister of infrastructure for the Northwest Territories, told CTV’s Your Morning on Monday that the communities should expect to see planes with supplies arrive as early as Wednesday.

“We’re not going to be airlifting in trucks and things like that, but we are going to make sure we get in groceries,” he said.

Schumann grew up in a community that was serviced through a barge and knows first-hand what kind of an impact these deliveries have on a region.

“When a barge comes to these communities. it’s like Christmas,” he said. “When the barge comes to town, the whole town comes down. It’s a big deal.”

The territorial government took over the region’s barge service in Dec. 2016 when it bought Northern Transportation Company Limited’s assets for $7.5 million following the company’s bankruptcy. The deal included 82 barges, eight tugboats and a shipyard in Hay River, N.W.T.

“When we purchased these assets, we knew it was a challenging environment, but we also knew the government of the Northwest Territories had to step up to the plate to look after the residents of the High Arctic,” Schumann said.