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Feds and N.W.T. celebrate opening of Canyon Creek All-Season Access Road

Strategic investments in safe and efficient transportation infrastructure help northern businesses better compete in local, national and international markets. These investments support economic sustainability and provide a better quality of life for those living and working in the North.

On Nov. 13, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; the Honourable Wally Schumann, Minister of Infrastructure and Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment; and Member of Parliament Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories, gathered in Norman Wells to celebrate the grand opening of the Canyon Creek All-Season Access Road project.

This 18.5-kilometre upgraded road, including 14 kilometres of newly constructed road that will form a part of the future Mackenzie Valley Highway, will benefit local communities. It will enable the transportation of goods throughout the year between Norman Wells and Canyon Creek, which is currently only accessible by winter road. The all-season access road will make shipping essential supplies safer and more dependable, as well as enable community members to have better access to traditional hunting and fishing areas all year long.

“The Government of Canada is committed to making sure that northern communities obtain the support they need to help grow the economy and address local infrastructure priorities,” Champagne said. “The Canyon Creek All-Season Access Road will improve travel and the transportation of goods, benefiting the local economy and improving the quality of life for residents in nearby communities now and in the future.”

The Canyon Creek road will also create new economic and employment opportunities by providing road access to new lands for development, business, tourism, and recreational purposes.

“The official opening of Canyon Creek All-Season Road supports key components of the larger Mackenzie Valley Highway project that will connect several remote communities to the public highway system. Highway infrastructure plays an important role in the longevity and health of our northern communities. The GNWT looks forward to continuing to work with the Federal government to help bring this and other infrastructure projects to reality,” said Schumann.

Quick facts

• The Government of Canada will contribute up to $15 million to this project through the Small Communities Fund. The Government of the Northwest Territories will provide the remaining $5 million for this project.

• Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, the Government of Canada will invest more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.

• $2 billion of this funding will support infrastructure projects that meet the unique needs of rural and northern communities like facilities to support food security, local access roads and enhanced broadband connectivity. In addition, $400 million will be delivered through the Arctic Energy Fund to advance energy security in the territories.

• $4 billion of this funding will support infrastructure projects in Indigenous communities.

• The Canyon Creek access road is another step towards the construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway. It replaces the existing winter ice road that is constructed annually between Norman Wells and Canyon Creek.