First Nation calls for ferry service to resume

A northern Manitoba First Nation is urging the provincial government to resume a “lifeline” ferry service, after the boat was grounded by low water levels that have since increased.

York Factory First Nation declared a state of local emergency in July after the province halted the ferry on Split Lake for the rest of the season.

Chief Darryl Wastesicoot called on the Manitoba government to restore service before the lake freezes over so the First Nation can get important equipment and supplies delivered.

“The water is going up. There is an opportunity for the ferry to make a few runs, so we can bring in our school bus, garbage truck and a few loads of supplies for our trade school and lumber for houses,” he said in a news release.

Wastesicoot could not be reached for comment.

He previously told the Free Press the ferry is a “lifeline” because the community, located between two hydroelectric dams, is not accessible by an all-season road. Air freight costs are prohibitive, and the winter road season is becoming shorter, the chief said.

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said the ferry was halted due to federal regulations that require a minimum water level to safely operate the service.

The likelihood that the lake will reach the legally required level before December is very small, but the province will continue to work with the First Nation to find alternative options, Naylor said.

“The effect the temporary loss of the ferry has had on local communities is concerning,” she said in a statement. “The extreme dry conditions this summer have had negative consequences in a number of regions, with low water levels across Manitoba, including the North.”

When it operates, the ferry runs between the community and Tataskweyak Cree Nation, providing access to Thompson.

Wastesicoot previously called on Manitoba Hydro to release dammed water to raise the level of Split Lake. The First Nation filed a lawsuit in August that asked a judge to order the Crown corporation to do so.

YFFN accused Manitoba Hydro of “intentionally, wilfully, and callously managing the water levels of Split Lake” for economic reasons in a way that harms the First Nation and endangers its members.

The provincial and federal governments were also named as defendants. None of the allegations has been tested in court.

Manitoba Hydro spokesman Scott Powell said a “serious” drought that affected much of the province was the cause of low levels on Split Lake this year.

“Manitoba Hydro was and is continuing to manage available water resources to ensure adequate power generation is available to meet increasing power requirements as we head into the winter heating season, when demand for electricity from Manitoba homes and businesses increases significantly,” he wrote in an email to the Free Press. “To claim anything else is inaccurate and misleading.”

Powell said Split Lake is rising owing to local precipitation and the Crown corporation releasing more water into the Nelson River system, starting Oct. 20, following precipitation throughout Manitoba’s basins.

Split Lake has risen about 1.5 feet (0.45 metres) since early October, but remains about three feet (0.9 metres) lower than this time last year due to the ongoing drought, Powell said.

“Water levels will continue to rise over the next several weeks as the colder weather requires additional water be released from upstream reservoirs to supply generation to meet customer demand,” he wrote.

“We will continue to increase outflows from Lake Winnipeg and will be increasing outflows from the Churchill River Diversion into the Nelson system to ensure we will reliably meet electricity demands this winter.”

Powell said Manitoba Hydro has made boats and operators available to help transport people and supplies to and from York Factory First Nation.

He said the Crown corporation has arranged and paid for repairs to a boat owned and operated by the First Nation, and has supplied two floating docks at the community’s request.

Compensation will be paid for this year’s low water under the terms of pre-existing agreements, Powell said.

York Factory First Nation has called for the construction of an all-season road for some time. Naylor previously said discussions were underway.

About 480 people live in the First Nation, about 900 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

The federal government forced members to move from their traditional lands at York Factory to their current location at York Landing when a Hudson’s Bay Co. depot closed in 1957.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca