Some winter roads now open, but northern Manitoba communities worry about short season

Manitoba's winter road system, linking dozens of otherwise isolated communities, has started to open for the 2024 season — but some communities are still waiting for rubber to hit the ice, says the chief of one northern First Nation, raising fears about a shortened season.

St. Theresa Point First Nation Chief Raymond Flett says a good and steady cold is needed for the winter road that connects his community to the rest of the province.

But given how late it is in this season, he now worries how long the roads will be open.

"​Like many other [Manitoba First] Nations … we're in the same boat to worry about the climate change, the global warming," Flett said. "We're at the mercy of the weather."

Winter roads serve about 30,000 Manitobans in 22 communities, according to the province. The roads see 2,500 shipments of goods yearly, including essentials like fuel, construction materials, heavy equipment and store supplies.

So far this season, eight winter roads are already open in Manitoba's far north, according to the province's latest report. But five others, including links to Shamattawa, Pukatawagan and Lac Brochet, aren't expected to open until sometime between Jan. 26 and Feb. 9, the report says.

Further south, the province says a dozen winter roads are open — including links to Berens River, Oxford House and St. Theresa Point. Nine remain closed — including those to St. Theresa Point, Garden Hill and Little Grand Rapids — with anticipated openings ranging from Jan. 28 to Feb. 5.

An official with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, which represents northern First Nations, says people started to travel on opened roads Friday.

That's about a week or 10 days behind usual, said Kevin Carlson, the assistant to MKO's grand chief.

The sense of relief when roads open is twofold, said Carlson — supplies start to come in and socially isolated communities have easier access to the rest of the province.

He is especially concerned for Shamattawa — one of MKO's most isolated communities — because it is challenging to get that road in place.

It usually opens the last week of January, but this year may not be able to open until Feb. 9, Carlson said.

"If it gets much later than that, that's going to be a concern because then you're really down to four to five weeks to ensure all of those shipments get in," Carlson said. About 85 loads of essential supplies, including diesel and gas, are expected to move on that winter road this year.

"You hope that those roads open quickly," said Carlson. "Otherwise they have to start flying it in, and that shoots up the cost tremendously."

Planning for short season: North West Company

In 2023, all winter roads in the northern part of the province had opened by Feb. 4, and all but four roads further south were opened by Feb. 6. All were closed by April 14.

The North West Company, which runs the Northern Stores that supply remote communities with many essential goods, says having the winter roads open is critical to resupply staple items and materials.

"We've planned for a shorter season ... to get things moving quickly and not put at risk any single community's important deliveries," said Michael Beaulieu, the company's vice-president of Canadian store operations.

Beaulieu said in his 30 years with the North West Company, he's seen some concerning seasons when warm weather put ice roads at risk. 

But "generally, I think we're seeing a lot more variability in weather and weather conditions that are potentially impacts to our business," he said.

There are growing concerns for northern communities about climate change and its impacts, Beaulieu said, with generally warmer and more severe weather impacting how supplies are delivered to the north.

"Mother Nature plays a really important role.… We are always concerned about odd weather events," Beaulieu said.

"A warm spell in the middle of February ... could be impactful to winter road shipping."

Long-term government investment and infrastructure to connect northern communities are essential, such as building more roads or increasing airport capacity, he said.

There's significant interest in the north in creating all-season roads, said MKO's Carlson. Connecting remote communities with the rest of the province would have economic and social benefits, he said.

St. Theresa Point's chief agrees, saying all-weather roads will be needed to bring in essential supplies as climate change creates more uncertain winter weather.

"It's about time we start doing something," said Flett. "Our best option right now is to get an all-weather road."