After ferry break down, construction must begin on Freedom Road: chief

The chief of an isolated reserve under one of Canada's longest boil-water advisories says construction on a road linking his community to the outside world must begin now.

• Broken ferry on Shoal Lake 40 leaves community in limbo

Shoal Lake 40 First Nation straddles the Ontario-Manitoba boundary and was cut off from the mainland a century ago to build an aqueduct which supplies fresh water to Winnipeg.

The reserve has no all-weather road and has been under a boil-water advisory for 18 years.

Chief Erwin Redsky says the reserve's aging ferry broke down three weeks ago — cutting off the community entirely — and just started operating again Wednesday.

Although Ottawa, Manitoba and the city of Winnipeg said they would fund construction of an all-weather road, the new Conservative provincial government has said it is reviewing the increased cost of the project.

Redsky says he's in talks with the federal government to move ahead with construction of the road on reserve land this winter while it waits for the province to follow through on its commitment.

Road work could start this winter: premier

Responding to accusations by the NDP that the Progressive Conservative government was holding up the road project, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister says they are moving quickly on many components of the road work.

"Consultation work, engineering, planning, design work. The former government claims it put those things into action in the middle of March...but the work is done by us," Pallister said

Pallister says actual construction could start this winter and reiterated his government's support for the project.

"We recognize this is a very important project, and we will get it built, whereas the previous administration only talked about it," Pallister said.

Pallister acknowledged that cost is an important factor in every project in order to protect taxpayers, but says in the case of Freedom Road it should be "sustainable, well-built and functional," and added that the contract to build the road will be openly tendered and not sole-sourced.