LIA Not Satisfied with North Coast Marine Transport System

(Nain, NL.) July 9, 2003. The executive of Labrador Inuit Association (LIA) and their Board of Directors have convened an emergency meeting to discuss the issue of freight on Labrador's north coast. They are issuing a call to government to re-instate the marine supply service from Lewisporte.

All studies, reports and committees that examined the issue of shipping freight to Labrador's north coast recognized that any shift in the service would create winners and losers. Consistently, Labrador's north coast was identified as the one with the most to lose.

In undertaking this change, government formed committees to discuss the implications. The North Coast Transportation Committee was created for this purpose, with members from communities along Labrador's north coast. They spoke strongly against this option and were in favour of leaving the service with Lewisporte.

"The road system is not slated to go to northern Labrador and at the present time it is costing our communities as much as twice the cost to move freight through Cartwright. Based on the information that we have at present, we do not see Cartwright as being a viable option in the foreseeable future." said President William Andersen III. "We are calling on the government to reinstate services through Lewisporte because this has worked for northern Labrador communities and businesses for decades and government has not provided a viable option for northern Labrador."

"We have the same constitutional rights as everyone else in this province. In trading away the ferry subsidy to Labrador the provincial government should not have created a situation where one area of the province benefits at the expense of the other," continued President Andersen. "While we urge the provincial government to strategically consider all options that provide the best transportation solutions for the people on the north coast of Labrador, the Lewisporte service must remain in place until these options are proven to be effective and fair to all Labrador people."

The Labrador Inuit Association represents over 5,300 Labrador Inuit. Labrador Inuit live in Northern Labrador, other parts of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and across Canada.