GINOOGAMING — Ginoogaming First Nation has a functioning temporary bridge to Longlac, but the First Nation’s leadership says the community will remain in a state of emergency until they once again have a permanent crossing.
Ginoogaming closed the decades-old bridge between the First Nation and Longlac and declared a state of emergency in early November after engineers determined the span was at risk of immediate failure.
The temporary bridge, made necessary by the deterioration of an old span across the Making Ground River Bridge, opened to traffic last Nov. 30.
The federal government promised to form a working group with Ontario focused on bridge repair and maintenance. But, according to Ginoogaming Chief Sheri Taylor, that promise has gone largely unfulfilled.
“The working group has not met or set its first meeting date,” she said Monday in an email to Newswatch.
“Ginoogaming First Nation has written to members of the working group to request that we meet as soon as possible.
“This important work cannot wait any longer.”
She said Ginoogaming is eager “to work with the governments of Ontario and Canada to develop a plan for the construction of a safe, reliable, permanent crossing.
“The working group needs to meet soon to move this project forward. Currently, there is no timeline for construction of a permanent crossing.
“Ginoogaming’s state of emergency will not be lifted until permanent access is restored.”
Ginoogaming said in a March 19 news release that it had not received funding for the modular bridge’s construction.
But Indigenous Services Canada told Newswatch last week that the federal department was set to remit $1.143 million to the First Nation on Friday, March 28.
Another $70,000 “will be released based on project reporting and demonstrated need,” according to a letter dated March 18 sent by Indigenous Services to the First Nation and obtained by Newswatch.
Ontario’s Ministry of Indigenous Affairs was to add $400,000 toward the temporary bridge’s total estimated cost of $1.6 million.
“We don’t have an announcement to make yet about funding from Ontario and Canada,” Taylor in Monday’s email to Newswatch, neither confirming nor denying receipt of funding.
Closure of the old bridge had left Ginoogaming residents in a precarious situation as the next quickest route between Longlac and the reserve involves nearly an hour of driving, which would mean a significant delay in getting EMS or fire crews to a Ginoogaming household in the event of an emergency.
