Small Quebec island loses ice bridge

Residents of a small St. Lawrence River island north of Quebec City are waiting for arctic weather to forge their only physical link with the mainland.

Residents on l'Île Verte normally rely on a natural ice-bridge in the winter to access the mainland.

But high winds and unstable temperatures destroyed the bridge more than a week ago, cutting off the island's 30 or so residents from the mainland.

People who have to travel are using a helicopter for now but it's inconvenient, said resident Gérald Dion.

"It's the smallest model of helicopter, it's only one person at a time," he told CBC News in a telephone interview.

"But [it takes] only five minutes to cross. So we have about four hours to [buy] food, or go to the bank, and to come back."

Dion said his children are bored because they're the only young people on the island right now.

His children's friends live on the mainland, and go to school there. 

Dion said he and other residents hope a better, more permanent transportation system will be built for their community this coming year.