With ice road complete, 1st haul of goods set to arrive in Churchill before Christmas

It looks like Santa was listening to Churchill residents' wishes.

An ice road to the remote Manitoba town, about 1,000 kilometres north of Winnipeg, has been completed and is ready for sleighs full of goods to be shipped in before Christmas.

"It hasn't been done before," said Mark Kohaykewych, president and CEO of Polar Industries, which built the road in collaboration with Fox Lake Cree Nation and Churchill's Remote Area Services freight company.

"I've never backed down from a challenge but this is honestly the biggest challenge I've ever undertaken."

The lone rail line to Churchill has been down since the spring due to flood damage, driving up prices for food, fuel and other supplies that have had to be shipped in via plane or ocean barge.

The group hatched a plan to build the road as arguments ensued between the federal government and Denver-based Omnitrax, which owns the washed-out rail line and the Hudson Bay deep-sea port, over who should pay to fix the line.

Crews have been working around the clock in recent weeks to get the roughly 300-kilometre-long seasonal road open before the holidays.

"I need some sleep," said Kohaykewych.

They put the final touches on the road Thursday, running specialized vehicles and snowmobiles up and down the ice road, he said.

The plan is to start shipping goods Sunday from Gillam, about 270 kilometres south, which will arrive in Churchill next Wednesday morning. About 27,000 kilograms of Christmas gifts, construction materials, mattresses, dog food and other goods will be hauled on the first trip.

Before that batch of goods is shipped, workers from Polar Industries will take part in a spiritual ceremony with locals from Fox Lake, Kohaykewych said, as the operation crosses the First Nation's traditional territory.

The road isn't yet set up for vehicular traffic, so a series of specialized "cat trains" — treaded vehicles pulling sleighs — will pull the goods north at a relatively slow clip, he said.

The journey snakes through the woods, across the tundra, and could take between 30 to 36 hours.

"It's a fairly rough road," Kohaykewych said. "We're travelling about nine or 10 kilometres an hour."

The project has plodded along on what Kohaykewych previously called a "shoestring" budget. He said he is still optimistic the province will kick in funds, after a positive meeting with members of Premier Brian Pallister's office last week. He also expects the federal government will come through with additional funding.

Either way, Kohaykewych plans to be among that first group of workers to arrive with goods in tow.

"There's been some sleepless nights here," he said, adding Churchill residents plan to greet the group Wednesday. 

"I want to be on the ground when this historic event happens."