Feds, N.W.T., commit $40M to Slave Geological Province Corridor work

The federal and N.W.T. governments announced $40 million in funding Wednesday towardpre-construction workon an all-season road that would connectwestern Nunavut and an area in the Northwest Territories believed to be rich in minerals.

According to a news release from the N.W.T. government, the funding will support environmental regulatory reviews and planning studies for the Slave Geological Province Corridor.

Transport Canada is contributing $30 million under the National Trade Corridors Fund, while the territorial government will contribute $10 million.

The Slave Geological Province is located in the eastern Northwest Territories, an area where the territory's three operating diamond mines are located.

The government saysthe value of production from mines in the area up until 2018was $45 billion. It also says the regionhas "significant untapped mineral potential," including 372 base metal and gold showings along the proposed route.

Along with the proposed 413-kilometre,two-lane gravel road which is estimated to cost $1.1 billionthe long-term project also includes plans for a hydro transmission line. It says the road will also link to a deep water Arctic port.

"Transportation is a lifeline for Northern communities and for economic development in Canada's Arctic," MP Michael McLeodsaid in a statement. "By finding ways to make our infrastructure more resilient, we are improving transportation safety and reliability."

The government saysthis project will create new economic opportunities and benefit both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

"Highway infrastructure plays a very important part in the longevity and well-being of our communities and residents," Wally Schumann, the territorial minister of Infrastructure, said in a statement.

He added thatinfrastructure projects like these canimpact the territory by "helping unlock our full economic potential, supporting Canada as we transition to a lower carbon economy, and stabilizing the cost of living across the North."

At a press conference following the announcement, Schumann told reporters part of the regulatory review will look at what impact the projectcould have on the Bathurst caribou herd. Last year it was reported that the herd had lost over half its population since 2015.

When asked what would happenif the review finds the project could impact the caribou's migration, Schumann said: "I'm not a caribou expert, that's going to have to be a discussion the regulatory boards are going to have ...and they're the ones that will have to make the decision on that."

Schumman said this road, once completed, could contribute "billions of dollars if not hundreds of billions" to the Canadian economy.

"This is important not just to us but everybody," he told reporters.