Travel ways would benefit northern economy

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George McNevin wants to pave the path to prosperity.

McNevin, a Saskatoon businessman, is advocating the completion of a 375-km "Athabasca highway" that would stretch from Stony Rapids, in Saskatchewan's far north, to Fort Smith, N.W.T. He has spent the last year promoting the project, which he feels could be the key to solving the Athabasca region's economic woes, as well as a way for Saskatchewan to regain some of the tourist and business dollars that presently flow into Alberta.

In the N.W.T, the new economic trends are oil and gas (the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline) and diamonds (mines north of Great Slave Lake), and in terms of cost recovery potential, "they talk in billions up there," McNevin said. "There's such a tremendous boom . . . and by not developing the road, we're not taking advantage of it."

In addition, an Athabasca highway would open up Saskatchewan's far north to more visitors, as well as lowering the cost of importing food and other supplies to the region. McNevin notes in his proposal that "the Athabasca region and especially the Athabasca sand dunes are an untapped tourist resource of incredible beauty and interest. A highway would open this area to eco-tourism.

"It's just so obvious that road should have been built in Saskatchewan," McNevin said. "It would be the greatest wilderness tour route in the world."

In his quest, McNevin has managed to recruit support from several high-profile politicians, including Churchill River MP Rick Laliberte,former Saskatchewan lieutenant-governor and now senator Jack Wiebe, Saskatchewan Party leader Elwin Hermanson, and Richard Power, an economic development planner with the N.W.T/ government. McNevin has also found a partner, Dale Botting of the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Association (SREDA), to take the lead on the second half of his vision: an airline providing direct flights from Saskatoon to Yellowknife. Both men feel that the airline should be the first priority, with McNevin estimating that developing the actual highway could take three to four years to complete, at an estimated cost of $400 million.

If the airline were to be established, it would likely redirect a portion of the traffic of workers and supplies away from Alberta. Right now, the only way to get a direct flight to Yellowknife is to fly from Edmonton. However, the distance from Edmonton to Yellowknife is 1,417 km, while Saskatoon and Yellowknife are only 1,235 km apart. As well, all of the Edmonton-Yellowknife flights are presently booked to capacity, with an estimated 40,000 passengers travelling in and out of the N.W.T on an annual basis.

Saskatoon, meanwhile, could become a destination for leisure and business travellers, with hotels, retail outlets, freight companies and industry suppliers all benefiting. People who work in the N.W.T might also choose to live in Saskatoon, opening up new economic opportunities for the city.

According to McNevin's proposal, 17,500 truck loads ("and growing") go in and out of the N.W.T on an annual basis, and the warehousing, handling and shipping accounts for 3,500 jobs - all of which are currently in Edmonton.

Construction of the Mackenzie Valley pipeline is likely less than four years away, and there are already $800 million in commitments by the gas industry in the Inuvik Tuktoyuktuk region. In his proposal, McNevin concludes that "this project would probably have the greatest positive impact on the Aboriginal population of Saskatchewan in history. . ..This highway will be expensive in the short-term, but in the long-term enable Saskatchewan to become a major player in the development of the North. Where else can we tie into a three billion dollar economy at such a low cost and secure the future of Saskatchewan?"