In his final days as mayor of Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., Erwin Elias emphasized the necessity of fly-in mail and parcel services for the community during prolonged highway closures. Severe pre-Christmas blizzards and heavy snow led to the shutdown of Highway 10 from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk on December 17, with the road reopening on December 29.
Elias, whose term as mayor recently ended, highlighted the significant impact of delayed mail and parcels reaching the community, particularly during the holiday season. The extended highway closure resulted in people awaiting essential items like cheques, such as Old Age Security payments, causing unnecessary delays and inconvenience.
Expressing the community’s frustration, Elias stressed the importance of having alternative transportation methods like airmail in place during road closures. Canada Post, the primary mail carrier for the region, acknowledged a three-week delay in mail delivery due to the harsh weather conditions.
Before the construction of Highway 10, Tuktoyaktuk relied on air transport for mail services. However, Canada Post stated that shifting all mail transportation to road delivery after the highway’s establishment made air transport economically unfeasible.
Following the disruption caused by the recent closure, Elias reached out to the N.W.T. government to advocate for proactive solutions to address future challenges. While the response from Minister of Infrastructure Vince McKay was reportedly positive, specific details were not disclosed.
The N.W.T. Department of Infrastructure clarified that the recent highway closure prioritized public safety, with the Tuktoyaktuk airport remaining operational despite intermittent weather-related closures. Currently, there are no active plans to introduce a fly-in mail service to Tuktoyaktuk, with any potential alternative delivery options to be considered by Canada Post and private airlines.