Norman Wells store owner says timing is tight, but he'll try to get goods on 2nd barge to the Sahtu

The N.W.T. government is preparing to send a second barge up the Mackenzie River to the Sahtu region in the next few weeks. 

The second barge — going to Tulita, Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope — was announced Friday afternoon, just days after the territory said the first barge of the season would be sailing. 

But that first barge came with a narrow window — just four days — for people to get their goods to Hay River, where the vessel's journey would begin. 

Joshua Earls, the owner of the Ramparts grocery store in Norman Wells — nearly 700 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife — said it would be impossible to get supplies from Edmonton there in time. He's happy to see a plan for a second barge, and now has about a week and a half to get stuff 1,500 kilometres to Hay River. 

"The timing is still pretty close, is the first thought on it, but we're now going to try to make this one happen," he said Saturday morning. "I'm going to try and call my suppliers and everything and see if there's anything they can do to make some rush orders happen here." 

Low water levels have hampered barge shipments to the Sahtu the last two years: cutting it short in 2023, and cancelling it altogether in 2024. That's meant that the government and businesses have had to adapt, relying on air transport and the short winter road season to get things like fuel, cargo and groceries to the region.

In a post on Facebook just after 4 p.m. Friday, the territory's Department of Infrastructure said the first barge will consist mainly of fuel, and there was also still space for cargo to Tulita and Norman Wells. 

It said it was also accepting cargo for a "potential second trip" to Tulita, Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope, with a cutoff for getting it to the Marine Transportation Services terminal in Hay River of July 9. 

The department also warned that conditions on the river can change quickly, and it's possible the barge won't be able to sail. The Canadian Coast Guard, it noted, had started placing buoys in the river near Fort Providence to help the vessel sail through that area. 

Frank Pope, the mayor of Norman Wells, said those buoys are necessary because water is lower in that area, and there are rapids. Speaking to CBC News before the announcement of the second barge, Pope said water levels in the Sahtu were high, and he was hopeful the first barge would reach his community — but he wouldn't want to put money on it. 

"Can I put my faith in MTS to deliver? Right now, I'm not sure I can," he said. "I think it's just a guessing game."

Earls, meanwhile, said he is going to put his trust in Marine Transportation Services. 

Though he brought in many of the goods he'd need over the course of the year on the winter road, there are grocery products that are only considered good for six months or less. 

"Hopefully this allows us to fill in that gap of what we weren't able to bring in."

If the plans change and the barge is cancelled, Earls will have to figure out a way to collect his goods from the terminal in Hay River — either flying them to Norman Wells instead, or asking his suppliers to take them back. 

"It's definitely still a risk for sure, but the difference in barging costs to flying costs is about 200 to 300 per cent more in our freight costs, so it's just a risk we're going to have to take here."