GINOOGAMING — It is now possible to drive between Ginoogaming First Nation and nearby Longlac on a new temporary bridge.
People from both sides had been walking across or taking a lengthy detour for nearly a month, after the old logging bridge connecting the communities was declared unsafe.
“For the community, we showed our commitment to self-determination and decolonization because members of our Nation who crossed the bridge every day knew that it was unsafe. We want this bridge to one day be a positive symbol of a Nation-to-Nation relationship with our Treaty partners,” said Ginoogaming Chief Sheri Taylor.
On Thursday, Ginoogaming chief and council marked the opening of a temporary modular bridge across the Making Ground River, according to a news release issued by Matawa First Nation.
“We are grateful that the contractor held true to their construction schedule. Vehicles (including school buses) and pedestrian traffic can now safely pass as we work towards progress on a new bridge to be owned by GFN that will include funding for ongoing maintenance,” said
The First Nation closed bridge access and declared a state of emergency on Nov. 6. That declaration is still in effect.
“Unfortunately, because this remains a temporary solution, we cannot lift the Declaration of Emergency until permanent access to the community is restored,” said Taylor.
The former Making Ground River Bridge was 70 years old and had closed to all vehicle traffic after an engineer inspection determined the bridge was at risk of immediate failure.
The release said for over 20 years Ginoogaming has warned both provincial and federal government that the bridge, the only direct access to the community, was unsafe.
Community members have been forced to use a poorly maintained bush road to access services and travel outside the community since the closure.
The closure of this bridge has created strain on everyone in the community, the release said.
“On behalf of Chief and Council, we would like to acknowledge the sacrifice community members made for 22 days and their support in standing with us as we move towards getting a new permanent bridge. We couldn’t have done our work without the support of our members”, said Taylor.
The private owner of the bridge permitted the structure to fall into disrepair, resulting in the decision to deploy a temporary modular bridge.
The First Nation is "committed to discharging its inherent right to make decisions that affect the health and safety of its members. GFN acted quickly as there was little confidence that its Treaty partners, Ontario and Canada, would take decisive action to restore access to the community,” the release said.
