Highway 7 border gate is damaged again, RCMP say

A border gate designed to close down Highway 7 south of Fort Liard has been damaged for a second time in two months, RCMP say.

Without specifying the exact nature of what happened, police said in a statement on Tuesday that the territory’s Department of Infrastructure had reported damage to the gate.

The gate, around 10 km from the NWT-BC border, is intended to stop traffic passing between the Dehcho and British Columbia.

The NWT government has entirely closed the highway as a means of stemming the spread of Covid-19 to the territory’s smaller communities.

“An investigation is now under way and the Fort Liard RCMP expect charges to be laid in the near future,” police said.

“Fort Liard RCMP also followed up with Protect NWT about the local community members involved in this incident. The gate has since been re-secured by the Department of Infrastructure.”

In April, police charged two Fort Liard residents over a reported ramming of the same gate.

“The RCMP will continue to work with our partners to provide assistance when requested to keep the Northwest Territories safe,” said Staff Sergeant Ken Beard in Tuesday’s news release.

Police asked anyone with information related to damage at the border gate to call the Fort Liard detachment at (867) 770-1111, or call anonymously via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.