Sioux Narrows bridge is an award winner

 
A new steel bridge constructed in Sioux Narrows resulted in an award of excellence for a Mississauga structural engineering firm.

McCormick Rankin Corporation received an Award of Merit at the 19th annual Ontario Steel Designs Awards in Mississauga, May 13.

The company was recognized for converting an old wooden bridge in northwestern Ontario into a steel structure. The bridge is on Highway 71 and connects Kenora with Fort Frances.

The new structure replaces a timber truss bridge originally constructed in the 1930's using old growth Douglas Fir. It was designated by the Ontario government as a heritage structure.

But a 2002 flood damaged the bridge and engineers it was in a state of failure. The bridge was closed to traffic and a temporary crossing was erected.

Construction of a new bridge began in 2006 and 2007. To preserve the historical look of the bridge, built in 1936, the design involved using steel girders with timber trusses.

MLA Northern Contractors were the builders and Capital Steel were the fabricators.

First Nations want to be included in Green Energy Act

Northern First Nations are hoping they won't be left out of Ontario's Green Energy and Green Economy Act.

Matawa First Nations, which includes four nations in northwestern Ontario, stated it hopes the legislation from the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure will provide opportunities to build and operate renewable energy initiatives and address hydro generation issues in northern communities.

"The main priority must be to get our remote communities connected to the electricity grid at the earliest possibility and to remove dependency on diesel generation," says Arthur Moore, Chief of Constance First Nation, in a news release. "First Nations in Ontario will never be able to participate in the new green energy economy while they are off-grid. We have never been seriously considered by the government to connect our remote communities to the electricity grid. I sincerely hope the new act will be change to this lack of attention."

Matawa First Nations chiefs plan to work with the Ontario government during the coming months to identify and address their communities' energy needs and to position themselves to be involved in all aspects of hydro generation, transmission and distribution.

"Many of our First Nations have potential hydro sites within their traditional territory and we want to see development happen to benefit our communities," says Moore.