Recently, the feds and province announced money to upgrade some highways in the North. A lot of money. Almost $200 million. That is no small chunk of change.
Work will include widening shoulders, creating pullouts for slower-moving vehicles, adding chain up/chain off areas, and increasing Wi Fi access along 800 kilometres of roadway on Highway 37A, which provides access to Canada’s northernmost ice-free port in Stewart; and Highway 51, connecting Telegraph Creek to Dease Lake, and Highway 37.
These improvements will make those roadways safer. This is good for anyone living in the area and for tourism and the economy because these roads lead to a lot of mines.
However, this money will not go toward upgrading more cell service along the routes.
Stikine MLA Nathan Cullen said adding internet in pull outs will come to help with communication.
"Part of this development is improving Wi Fi and the potential of having stops along the way in which one would achieve cell phone coverage. The highway is so long all the way to the Yukon border, full cell coverage would be difficult and not on the horizon. But key stops, safety stops, places where people can check in and call for assistance if need be as part of the plans of this investment."
Improved cell service along northern highways was one of several recommendations that came out of commissioner Wally Oppal's December 2012 public inquiry report on missing and murdered women, which builds on recommendations from the 2006 Highway of Tears symposium.
Highway 16 is known colloquially as the Highway of Tears, due to the high number of Indigenous women and girls reported missing from the highway. Highway 16 is also notorious for cellular dead zones.
While some improvements have happened along Highway 16 to improve communication, not enough have.
And while this recent funding announcement is mainly for Highway 37 and to improve the safety of that road, we have to consider where the money is coming from and where it is going. Is this the best way to use $200 million of taxpayers dollars? Maybe. These roads are important and safety is always paramount.
But cell service is also critical to safety.
Rogers Communications has placed three towers along Highway 16 recently. One tower is located at Seeley Lake Park, which is servicing 13 km of new wireless coverage.
The other two towers are between the Seven Sisters Mountain and Pacific Coast, which are servicing 37 km of new wireless coverage.
Government funding for this initiative is part of the Universal Broadband Fund, which supports increasing mobile connectivity to Indigenous communities through a $50 million federal investment.
It can be done. Partnerships and funding formulas exist.
So, while this new funding is great for the roadways, some of it should have been used to bring more cell service to northern highways.
