Warm Weather Throws Far North Into “Crisis”
Tuesday, January 17, 2006 at 14:58
Communities in Saskatchewan’s Far North are dealing with shortages of food, fuel and propane to heat homes because of a lack of winter roads.
The unusually warm weather this winter has made it unsafe for winter roads to be constructed across lakes in the region, meaning the normal transportation routes for supplies in the winter are not there.
The communities in the Athabasca Basin usually stockpile supplies in the fall just before barge service is cut off in order to get them through the early winter months, but those supplies are long gone.
Supplies can be flown in, but the communities are struggling to cope with the high transportation costs.
Prince Albert Grand Council vice-chief Don Deranger is calling the situation a “crisis”, and is urging the federal government to immediately step in with some sort of assistance.
(with files from the Saskatchewan News Network)