Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., hopes 2nd barge makes it this year
'A case of pop would cost about $60 to fly it in. That's not even the cost of the pop'
Low water levels in the Mackenzie River have residents in Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., worried whether the second of two barges bringing supplies this summer will make it.
Last year NTCL had to cancel barge shipments to Fort Good Hope, Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk due to low water levels. So far this year, water levels in some areas are at all-time lows.
A cancelled barge trip would have a big effect on small businesses, such as Dwayne's Confectionery. Owner Dwayne Barnaby says he relies heavily on the summer barges to deliver heavier items such as pop and juice, but he fears that he may have to fly in his next orders.
"And it's just way too expensive to fly it," he said. "A case of pop would cost about $60 to fly it in. That's not even the cost of the pop, that's just talking about the freight cost."
If Barnaby does fly pop in, the cost would jump from $2.50 a can to $4 and his business would just break even, he said.
Last year when the barge was cancelled, his orders were dropped off at Norman Wells, and he couldn't get them until the winter road opened.
"A lot of the juices — the orange, the apple juice and stuff like that — were expired before we could get to it."
The Northern Transportation Company Limited barge schedule was revised on Friday. Their website indicates the expected arrival for the next trip to Fort Good Hope is Aug. 31.