Province boosts investment in winter roads system; Grand chief calls for all-season solution

Sea Falls Ice Crossing is pictured in a file photo. (CTV News Winnipeg)

The Manitoba government is boosting its investment in the province’s winter road system, while First Nations leaders say more work is still needed to bring an all-season road to the north.

The Kinew government announced Friday it has upped its spending on the winter road system to $11.3 million - an increase of $1.8 million since 2023.

According to the province, the increase will fund the winter road from St. Theresa Point to Berens River – a road realignment that will substantially reduce travel time for transporting supplies to remote communities.

Lisa Naylor, Manitoba’s transportation and infrastructure minister, said winter roads are lifelines for many northern communities.

“Many families use these roads to resupply, access health-care services and run their businesses. Our government remains committed to ensuring the growth and success of these communities,” she said in a news release.

Naylor said the majority of the network is now open to traffic, and the timeline to finish the rest depends on weather conditions. Some sections of the road system may be closed for repairs on short notice due to changing weather conditions.

The announcement comes nearly a year after four northern Manitoba First Nations declared a state of emergency after unseasonably warm weather led to the failing of the winter road network.

It cut off access to the delivery of vital goods and services to St. Theresa Point, Wasagamack, Garden Hill, and Red Sucker Lake.

Their chiefs called on the provincial and federal governments to build an all-season road on the east side of Lake Winnipeg that would connect remote northern communities to the south.

Grand Chief Kyra Wilson with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said the money is a step in the right direction, but an all-season road is still needed.

“I look forward to sitting down with both levels of government to begin those much-needed discussions on a long-term plan for all-season road infrastructure due to the fact that our Nation remains vulnerable to the increasing challenges posed by climate change, unsafe travel conditions and the limited seasonal window for resupply.”

Manitoba’s winter road system is made up of a series of temporary routes built to access remote northern communities. It is over 2,300 kilometres long, crossing a number of terrains, from muskeg, streams, rivers, and lakes.

The road system is open from January to mid-March depending on weather and serves over 30,000 Manitobans in 22 communities. About 3,000 shipments traverse the winter roads annually.

- With files from The Canadian Press