First Nations offer to fix Pelican Falls Road

Several First Nations communities are paying more than $100,000 to fix a road that is nowhere near them, so children can get to school safely near Sioux Lookout, about 200 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont.

The money will go to repair Pelican Falls Road, which was voted the province's worst thoroughfare in 2010 by the Canadian Automobile Association. It leads to the Pelican Falls First Nations High School near Sioux Lookout.

The chief of Lac Seul, one of the communities providing funds, said the road is so bad ambulances won't travel on it.

"We want to ensure the kids stay in school, and when they stay in school we want to ensure that they're safe," said Clifford Bull, who spearheaded the move.

Bull said he would continue to lobby other levels of government to upgrade the road.

"It's a safety issue," he said. "We want to make sure that the safety of the students is assured and their well-being is not compromised."

Sioux Lookout recently won a court decision saying the town is not responsible for the road.

The Pelican Falls First Nations High School, which is part of the Northern Nishnawbe Education Council, was established in 1992 and provides unique and cultural education to children from 24 First Nations communities, its website says.