Community cut-off

Another breakdown of the ferry between Shoal Lake 40 First Nation and the mainland has once again broken down.

It happened Friday afternoon. An issues with the barge’s hydraulics prevented the barge from being able to launch from Shoal Lake 40 to pick up residents that were on the mainland after spending the day on a shopping trip.

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Excavator helps stuck Ferry (Linda Redsky / Facebook)

Mechanics are saying that it will take up to four days for replacement parts to reach the first nation and hopefully get the ferry operating once again. The ferry is the only link people living on the first nation have to the mainland until the ice is safe enough for a road to be created across the lake.

Several people took their life in their hands as they slowly made their way on foot over the thin ice that has formed. Others remain stranded since the breakdown and are waiting to get home. Several people with boats attempted to come to the rescue but the freezing conditions of the lake made that next to impossible and had to be abandoned.

The design of a permanent year round road is underway  and construction is expected to begin in 2017. The Shoal Lake 40 First Nation has been under a boil water order for the past 19 years. The community was cut off when the aqueduct carrying Winnipeg’s water supply was built.

-News4 Staff-