The manager responsible for the winter road between Yellowknife and the NWT’s diamond mines says it won’t be built this coming season unless something changes.
In a statement to Cabin Radio on Monday, the De Beers-led winter road management committee confirmed it is “not planning a winter road program in 2027 based on information provided by participating mine operators.”
“Out of respect for the contractors, service providers and communities that support winter road operations, it was important to provide clarity on our 2027 plans as early as possible,” winter road director Howard Nowell was quoted as saying.
“We will continue to monitor business requirements and engage with stakeholders and could restart planning if future needs support a 2027 winter road.”
The statement follows notice from Ekati receiver PricewaterhouseCoopers to regulators late last week that it would not need a winter road in early 2027.
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“A dedicated winter road to the Ekati Mine will not be constructed for the 2026–2027 season,” PwC vice-president Spencer Oppal wrote in a letter to the Wek’èezhìi Land and Water Board.
“Care and maintenance and reclamation activities will continue at the Ekati Mine site, and we are comfortable that there is sufficient fuel inventory at the Ekati Mine to sustain operations through the 2027-2028 season.”
The management committee said winter road camps will be “placed into care and maintenance so they can be reactivated when required.”
“Based on current information from participating mine operators, planning is expected to resume for the 2028 winter road season,” the committee added.
First built in the 1980s, the Tibbitt-Contwoyto Winter Road has been a feature of winter life in the NWT for decades.
Stretching for hundreds of kilometres, it allows mines to be resupplied during its February and March annual operating season. Trucks can also haul waste back from mine sites to facilities in the south.
However, two of the NWT’s three active diamond mines in the area have closed in recent months – the Diavik mine closed as planned in March, then the Ekati mine entered receivership in July – and the third, Gahcho Kué, is in poor financial health.
