New road opens opportunities

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Gingolx (Kincolith), one of four major communities within the Nass Valley in the northeastern part of the province, is connected to the rest of the mainland by a 28 km, two-lane, all-weather road, now that the Kincolith Extension Highway Project is complete.

Kincolith, an isolated community only accessible by boat, ferry or float plane service from Prince Rupert, is the last community of four including New Aiyansh, Greenville and Gitwinksihkw, to be accessed by a roadway.

According to Dr. Joseph Gosnell, president of the Nisga'a Nation, the other three communities have had road access since 1959. A road to the community up to now was deemed too expensive to build as it would have to run through mountainous terrain and portions of it would have to run along a river.

The construction, which began in 2000, employed 45 per cent of the community. Gosnell said that it actually took eight years for the community to see the completed road.

In 1995, former minister of Indian Affairs Ron Irwin made the announcement when he visited the community during one the Nisga'a's tribal conventions. Gosnell said that the people are really happy about the road and and that they no longer have to travel by water in what he calls a treacherous journey most of the year.

"I do not even know how to describe the storms in northern B.C.; the winds can range anywhere from zero to 100 kilometres an hour in a matter of minutes. That is what the community had to contend with for many years," he said.

"What the road has done is that it's finally connected and brought all of our communities together. We can all take part in each other's cultural activities. It will only take 90 minutes to get to New Aiyansh now; it used to take us four hours by boat."

Two stores in Kincolith ordered groceries on a regular basis using the ferry and privately owned fishing boats, but Gosnell said that shopping for groceries was quite expensive for the community.

Close to 1,800 people are registered on the Kincolith band list. Gosnell says the majority moved away because of the isolation. He estimates that one-third of the number now calls the community home. Gosnell thinks that employment opportunities in the community will happen over time. "We are going to have to wait and see. In terms of economic development, I think that the people of Kincolith are presently looking at offering tourist opportunities in that area, because more people will be going there," he said.

On May 17, more than 1,000 people gathered in Laxgalts'ap, commonly known as Greenville, to officially open the road with a ribbon cutting and a blessing ceremony. Robert Nault, minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Judith Reid, BC minister of transportation and Nisga'a chiefs and Elders of the Wolf, Killer Whale, Raven and Eagle tribes, the principal groups of the area, attended the one-day celebration. More than 40 vehicles then drove to Kincolith where a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a traditional banquet were held. Eric Grandison, communications co-ordinator for the Nisga'a Lisims government, attended the ceremony he said that the attendance was overwhelming for the celebration.

"The ceremony was very exciting, it was beautiful, and the stretch of road there is very scenic. It was a beautiful drive," he said.

Kathy Vinton, public affairs officer with the transportation ministry in Victoria, said that a link between the communities of Kincolith and Greenville is a positive move. "It is hoped that this road will have a benefit for tourism in that community. Overall, the major benefit for us was working side by side with the Nisga'a Nation in an effective and highly co-operative relationship," she said.