Initial improvements to the road through the Lillooet Lake/Harrison Lake corridor needn't cost the $275 million that the most recent B.C. government estimate projects, says the lead negotiator for the First Nations people who call the corridor home.
Gerard Peters (Eppa) on Monday (Feb. 19) said a well-graded and maintained gravel road along the route known to some at the Sasquatch Highway might serve as an interim measure that would set the stage for paving the route at some future date.
Peters, lead treaty negotiator for the In-SHUCK-ch Nation bands Douglas, Skatin and Samahquam, has long advocated paving the road, at least in part to spur economic development initiatives for his people. The In-SHUCK-ch, in fact, have made improving the road an issue in treaty negotiations with the federal and provincial governments.
For some, including Peters, this winter's transportation hassles along Highway 99 - including extended closures of the highway related to the weather and even a rock slide - highlight the need for an alternate way for people to get from the Lower Mainland to Whistler and Pemberton.
Peters and others think the Sasquatch Highway route would be the least expensive and most expedient option. In an economic impact report prepared in 2004, the B.C. government estimated that paving the road to highway standards would cost $275 million. At the time, the government concluded that the economic impacts wouldn't merit such an investment.
But Peters doesn't think it's necessary to pave the road right away.
"It doesn't have to be a full-blown highway right off the bat," he said. "A good year-round, gravel road would be a good interim step. It's a much shorter circuit than going via the Fraser Canyon and Lillooet, and it doesn't have the snow-loading issues that the Duffey Lake Road has."
Peters, however, doesn't see it happening overnight. He said a "convergence of interests" needs to occur, and for that to take place, consultations have to take place among all levels of government, the In-SHUCK-ch people's First Nations neighbours in Mount Currie and the Harrison area, and non-First Nations communities in both the Pemberton and Fraser valleys.
Peters said he has discussed the issue with Mike de Jong, B.C.'s Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, but added that federal Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Jim Prentice also needs to be involved.
The Feds, Peters said, will cease to be a significant participant only if and when a treaty with the In-SHUCK-ch is signed and takes effect, which he estimates could be three years away.
"One of the jurisdictions that needs to own a part of the problem is the federal government and Mr. Prentice, because until any treaty comes into effect, the federal government will have an ongoing fiduciary responsibility," he said.
In the meantime, Peters is interested in seeing both First Nations and non-First Nations communities that would be affected by any road upgrade engage in a dialogue to determine whether such a project is wanted and if so, under what conditions.
"Both Chehalis - our nearest neighbours to the south - and Lil'wat are part of that discussion," Peters said. "Both are in election mode right now. Any notion of proceeding without their active involvement is doomed to failure. There would be impacts to them, both good and bad, and they need to weigh and balance their own needs and make their decision."
Attempts to reach Mount Currie Band Chief Leonard Andrew this week for comment were unsuccessful.
Peters said that in the next few months, he hopes to help stimulate discussion in both the Fraser Valley and Squamish Lillooet regional districts as well.
