Liard River ferry to reopen Sunday after engine part replacement, says N.W.T. minister

Muaz Hassan, a business owner in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., has a refrigerated trailer with pallets of fresh, frozen and dry groceries stuck on the wrong side of the Liard River. 

The shipment came from Edmonton, he said over the weekend, but because of an unexpected closure of the local ferry, it's been left on the river's southern shore — opposite what was supposed to be its final destination. 

The M.V. Lafferty, a territorial-run ferry that shuttles people and vehicles across the Liard River, is the third ferry to experience a shutdown in the N.W.T. this summer. Caroline Wawzonek, the N.W.T.'s minister of infrastructure, told CBC News on Tuesday she expects the vessel to be operating again on Sunday, and that a large engine part needs replacing. 

Wawzonek said the discovery was made when the ferry was pulled out of the river for scheduled maintenance last week, and it was recommended not to keep operating it. 

"As it was explained to me, if we don't get this out now and get this work done, the problems will be bigger and the shutdowns could be more significant," she said. Continuing to operate the engine would cause further damage and reduce the engine's life, she said. 

Wawzonek said the engine part is on its way from Edmonton and specialist technicians are on their way too, to "accelerate" the part's installation. She couldn't say how much the unexpected work might cost. 

While the ferry is closed, both Fort Simpson and Wrigley, N.W.T. are cut off from the rest of the territory's highway system. Fort Simpson also acts as a hub for the Dehcho region, and its mayor, Sean Whelly, said the neighbouring communities of Nahanni Butte, Jean Marie River and Fort Liard travel in for groceries. 

Hassan operates the Unity convenience store as well as a hotel and restaurant in Fort Simpson. He's been regularly travelling across the river by boat to make sure his trailer has enough fuel to keep his goods cold. 

As long as the refrigerator continues to work, he said, he'll be OK, but if it stops — that'll become an even more costly problem. 

"It's really very crucial, all our important stuff is on the truck," said Hassan. Carting supplies across the water by boat isn't an option, he said, because much of it needs to stay frozen or cold. 

"We depend on that ferry right now, we don't have any other alternative."