Dempster fibre line 'substantially' complete, says Yukon government

The Yukon government says the long-awaited new fibre optic line along the Dempster Highway is "substantially" complete, and should be operational by the end of the year. 

"The line is in the ground, the connections have been made," said Yukon project manager Fred Jay at a news conference on Friday. 

"We'll turn it over to Northwestel to complete their commissioning phase… to turn the line on, so to speak." 

The project involved the installation of 778 kilometres of fibre optic line along the Dempster Highway, stretching from the Yukon to Inuvik, N.W.T. The federal government contributed approximately $60 million to the project, the Yukon government has previously said it contributed $5 million, and Northwestel contributed $15 million. 

"The fibre line represents years of hard work, innovation and collaboration," said Nils Clarke, Yukon's minister of highways and public works. "It is a critical piece of infrastructure that will strengthen communication networks and support the long-term growth of the region." 

The announcement comes after a series of telecommunications outages through the spring and summer that frustrated residents across all three territories. 

Typically, damage to the existing fibre line — which connects the Yukon, northern B.C., northern Alberta and southern N.W.T. — means a switch over to more limited microwave internet. 

The new fibre line means that when the existing southern line is damaged or interrupted, plan B kicks into gear.

"It's going to automatically reroute northeast over the Dempster fibre line and into Inuvik," said Northwestel president Curtis Shaw. 

While the plan has been in the works for nearly 10 years, the project proposal was officially submitted to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) in 2019. Construction began in 2021.

Engineers and workers faced a number of technical challenges to lay the new line. 

The majority of it is buried alongside the Dempster Highway, but the fibre line also spans wetlands and rivers. It passes through the traditional territories of eight different First Nations. 

Before work began, the Yukon government consulted with scientists, traditional knowledge keepers and engineering consultants to mitigate environmental and cultural impacts. 

Officials said the Dempster fibre line will ensure a significantly more resilient network in both the Yukon and Northwest Territories going forward. 

Speaking at Friday's news conference, Yukon MP Brendan Hanley said the internet has become a necessity for businesses and people living in small communities who rely on it to access health care, education and emergency services. 

"We're reminded of that necessity all too often here in the Yukon, when we lose contact with the outside world," he said.