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“THE HIGHWAY 686 PROJECT WILL TRANSFORM FORT MCMURRAY-WOOD BUFFALO’S ECONOMY”
— KEVIN WEIDLICH, PRESIDENT AND CEO, FORT MCMURRAY WOOD BUFFALO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM
However, the biggest change to Alberta’s northern highway system will be the 218-kilometre extension of Highway 686 from Fort McMurray to Peerless Lake. Construction of the two-lane gravel highway is expected to take five years. Once complete, it will provide a much-needed east-west corridor through north- central Alberta.
“The Highway 686 project will transform Fort McMurray- Wood Buffalo’s economy,” says Kevin Weidlich, president and CEO of Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo Economic Development and Tourism. “By having an east-west connector to the western part of the province, Fort McMurray can now fully participate in Alberta’s economy.”
The new road will open up new distribution possibilities for the region, Weidlich explains. Trucks can now travel an entire circuit with Highway 686 connecting to the city. The change could reduce the cost of consumer goods and encourage the growth of new distribution centres in the city.
“This lowers the entire cost structure for the region,” he says.
Fort McMurray is not the only community expected to benefit from Highway 686. The provincial government has formed a project development framework with United Northern Developments LP — an economic venture established by Loon River First Nation, Bigstone Cree Nation and Peerless Trout
First Nation. As part of the framework, the province and three First Nations will form a planning committee to look at the corridor location, examine environmental impacts, conduct
stakeholder engagement and explore economic opportunities for communities along the route.
Ray Wanuch, executive director of Cando (Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers), recognizes the importance of First Nations involvement in the early stages
of projects like this. His organization provides education and resources for Indigenous economic development officers
and facilitates partnerships between First Nations and municipalities. He underscores the importance of strengthening relationships between First Nations and different orders of government in order to create opportunities.
The Highway 686 project is an example of relationship building in action. Through collaboration — with each
other and the provincial government — the First Nations behind United Northern Developments are poised to see new opportunities in tourism, construction, forestry and other sectors coming to their region.
“Indigenous people now are looking at how they can develop relationships and then create economic opportunities,” Wanuch says. “The very essence of economic development is
a regional approach, not a siloed approach. You’ve got to liaise and build those bridges.”
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