Jun 17

Norman Wells Running Low

Welcome to Municipal Affairs. I'm Christopher Brown.

Today, we're focusing on the town of Norman Wells in the Northwest Territories, a community facing significant strain due to a critical supply issue.

This year, two N.W.T. communities, Norman Wells and Tulita, won't receive their essential barge deliveries due to unusually low water levels on the Mackenzie River.

In May, the territorial government announced that Marine Transportation Services would be cancelling these crucial barge routes. The Department of Infrastructure reported that the Mackenzie River near Fort Providence is currently "not navigable," citing obstacles like large boulders and gravel bars in key areas, making it unsafe for barge passage.

This cancellation is not just a logistical issue but a profound disruption for Norman Wells. The fuel services division will now have to wait until winter to deliver fuel to Tulita via the winter road, and Imperial Oil, which supplies fuel in Norman Wells, has been notified of the situation.

Local and territorial representatives had been raising concerns about this possibility for some time, and now the repercussions of this decision are set to impact Norman Wells and its surrounding communities significantly.

In this episode, we speak with Norman Wells Mayor Frank Pope about the implications of the cancelled barge deliveries. We'll explore what this means for the community, the region, and the overall viability of life in the northwestern part of the Northwest Territories. Stay tuned as we uncover the real-life impacts of this logistical challenge and what the Mayor is doing to raise this not only territorial but nationally as well.

This is Municipal Affairs.

***************************************************

Town of Norman Wells Website: https://normanwells.com/

***************************************************

Support The Show Today: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/support-the-show

Join The Show: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/be-part-of-the-show

***************************************************

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossborderpodcast/

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@crossborderpodcast

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CrossBorderInterviews/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crossborderinterviews/

***************************************************