Highway 995 Wollaston Lake Road opens

It was a day of celebration at Wollaston Lake and Hatchet Lake-Dene South Algonquin First Nation. An all-season road connecting the communities to the south is finally open. Highway 995 is a new 102 kilometer long gravel road. It provides new freedom to just over 2100 area residents. My friends, my family have said Now I can just pack up from my house, drive away, come back, unload, whereas before we used to charter planes across. Wollaston Lake is roughly 700 kilometers northeast of Prince Albert. For generations, vehicle travel was only possible by barge in the summer and a 42-kilometer ice road in the winter. And for approximately four months in the spring and fall, the only access available was by air transportation. With no road access, the transportation of fuel, goods, and groceries in the community meant higher prices. You can see the massive amount of cost of transportation to get food into the community, you know, cost of produce, cost of mail. Chief Bart Tassani says the road project was over 40 years in the making. This is a very, very big event. But Tassani says there are concerns about what access to the south means. People are worried it could bring bootlegging into the community. Tisani also remembered those who died on the ice road. We lost three people due to getting across on the lake, and we never found them yet, never found them yet. But who knows what's going to happen on this road, too. The government of Saskatchewan contributed just over $10 million to the project. The federal government put in $70 million through Indigenous Services Canada. The MP for the area says it opens the community up for tourism and industry. And you look at the advancement of Wallace and Lake and their economy in general. This critical piece of highway infrastructure will help enhance their position in the development of northern resources. The road will be maintained by the Provincial Ministry of Highways. Some minor construction and cleanup continues along Highway 995. But the road will remain open for vehicle travel from this point forward, making the ice road and barge things of the past. Lisa Rism, CBC News, Wollaston Lake.