VICTORIA – The B.C. and federal governments are jointly providing $195 million for a series of highway improvements in Tahltan Nation territory in the province’s northwest.

A statement from B.C.’s Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation says the funding will enhance road safety, while improving access to services for local communities and for development of critical minerals.

The work will involve widening the shoulders and creating pullouts along Highway 37, as well as increasing Wi-Fi access along 800 kilometres of the route.

There will also be improvements for Highway 37A, which provides access to Canada’s northernmost ice-free port in Stewart, B.C., as well as Highway 51, which connects Telegraph Creek to Dease Lake and Highway 37.

B.C.’s Transportation Ministry will provide $120 million of the funding, while Ottawa has contributed $75 million through its critical minerals infrastructure fund.

Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says safety is the province’s top priority and the highway improvements will support people and resiliency in remote communities while improving access for industrial development in the region.

Chief Carmen McPhee with the Tahltan Band Council welcomed the announcement, saying residents of the nation’s main three communities have struggled for generations with safe passage to southern communities in order to access health care, groceries and other everyday necessities.

Chief Marie Quock with the Iskut Band says Tahltan leaders have long advocated for highway improvements, as people have been left with “no choice but to travel on treacherous roads with zero cell service for hours to access essential services.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2024.