Road contract a big win for First Nation

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This article was published 27/09/2014 (4238 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Manitoba aboriginal community has won a $23-million contract to build the next leg of the all-season road on the east side of Lake Winnipeg.

BFN Construction, owned by Bloodvein First Nation, is to build a 20-kilometre gravel road north of the community towards Berens River First Nation.

It’s the single-largest contract awarded to date for the massive road project that, when finished in about 30 years, will permanently link 14 communities with the rest of the province.

“We’re pretty pleased with that,” East Side Road Authority (ESRA) chief executive officer Ernie Gilroy said Friday. “They are a real success story for us.”

Gilroy said since 2010, when the project started at Bloodvein, the community has gained enough experience to bid on construction work and compete against more established companies. BFN Construction submitted the lowest of seven bids.

“It means a great deal to us,” Bloodvein First Nation Chief Roland Hamilton said. “It means more jobs and steady work for another year.”

Hamilton said about 50 people from his community will be involved in the project this winter and, with the experience, BFN can bid on more road-building projects.

“There’s a lot more road to be built,” he said. “I think this can go a long way.”

Work on the section of road is to start later this fall and take a year to finish.

Another project in the works, Gilroy said, is the opening in November of the last of four bridges between Bloodvein and Hollow Water First Nation to the south.

He said once that bridge is open, Bloodvein will have a permanent route to Winnipeg, ending its reliance on winter roads to supply it with building materials, groceries and other goods. The only link previously were flights and a vehicle ferry to west side of Lake Winnipeg. Hollow Water and Bloodvein are to be retained under a five-year agreement to maintain their sections of the road.

“It means lower costs for goods and services,” Gilroy said. “It means better access to medical services. It means better access to education. It means they don’t have to worry about climate change and what might happen to the winter road. It means better access to cheaper and better food and lower costs for transportation.”

Hamilton said it also means less reliance on expensive airfare to Winnipeg.

“We don’t have to wait for the airplane,” he said. “We don’t have to worry about the weather.”

It also opens up territory for ecotourism and development.

Gilroy said the next step is completing the road to Berens River, about 80 kilometres north of Bloodvein. A partnership between Berens River and Hugh Munro Construction is to be awarded a $6-million contract to crush the gravel for its section of the road going south towards Bloodvein.

The east side road is to extend eventually to Poplar River First Nation, about 100 kilometres north of Berens River, which also will be crushing gravel this winter in a partnership with H. Baudry Construction.

“We’re trying to get all of the communities working at the same time,” Gilroy said.

To the east, the ESRA is also working with Pauingassi and Little Grand Rapids to start building access roads this winter to connect both communities with the area’s airport. To get that to happen, Ottawa is expected to approve construction on reserve land.

Farther north, Gilroy said the ESRA will take over management of the winter road system between Norway House and Oxford House and Red Sucker Lake to the east.

“We’re expecting that pretty well everybody is going to be working this year,” Gilroy said. “Everybody is working towards each other. This winter there’s going to jobs going on all over the place.”

He said it’s estimated up to 600 people will be working this winter under community-benefits agreements communities have signed to supply labour and receive training.

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca