'Everything came true,' Yellowknife man frustrated with federal winter road
Yellowknife man says federal winter road invites vandalism, overfishing, and squatters
A Yellowknife man who objected to the Bullmoose-Ruth winter road in 2016 because he was worried it would invite vandalism, squatters and overfishing is now saying "everything came true."
Brian Sundberg has had a cabin on Campbell Lake for 28 years, and in 2016 the federal government wanted to put in a winter road. The road would provide access to a cleanup project of seven abandoned mine sites that operated between the 1940s and 1980s.
Despite the fact Sundberg went to several public meetings about the road to express his concerns, it opened in March 2017.
Sundberg said since the road was put in, his traplines have been tampered with, people have been overfishing Campbell Lake, and the road has become dangerous. So dangerous, he said, he couldn't bring his grandson out fishing last year, because the road was rutted and impassable for snowmobiles.
In one instance, Sundberg caught two people tampering with his snares on a game camera, and when they reset the trap, they did it incorrectly. When Sundberg went back to his cabin, the trap caught a wolverine by the foot.
"We've have people coming in on the trails removing traps and snares that were set legally and then trying to reset them which causes injuries to the animals," he said.
Road closure hasn't stopped drivers
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada [INAC] announced the winter road would close for good as of April 6, but Sundberg said he isn't satisfied with the way it was shut down.
"They've done absolutely nothing to close the road," he said. "And last weekend, I counted 25 trucks on that road."
He wanted to see a barricade stopping people from using it after INAC was finished with it. Instead there is a sign that says "Road Closed" that Sundberg said people have been ignoring.
The notice of closure indicated the road is intended for authorized use only, and there "will no longer be a security shack or other site presence."
Sundberg sent an email to the project manager on April 16 over his concerns. He shared that email with CBC.
The project manager wrote, "our project team confirms that a barrier with road closure sign was placed at the trail head of the Bullmoose-Ruth Winter Road at the time of the road closure."
He attached a photo of the closure, which shows the road is clearly still passable despite the barricade.
Sundberg also said INAC took water from Campbell Lake — something he adds department officials said they wouldn't do at a Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Review Board meeting in September 2016.
Sundberg brought up this concern as well with the project manager, Ron Breadmore, in an email, which he shared with CBC.
Breadmore wrote that about 8m³ of water was taken from the lake for "domestic purposes at the Spectrum camp."
The water use was reported to INAC and the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board. Breadmore also wrote that water for the camp would only be taken from Spectrum Lake in the future.
That's not good enough for Sundberg.
He said he's contacted the project manager about his concerns, but he never sees a satisfactory level of action. He's tried getting in-person meetings with Breadmore, but he's been rejected.
INAC did not provide a comment for CBC.