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Slave Geological Province Corridor Infrastructure Development

The Slave Geological Province Corridor (SGPC) is a strategic infrastructure project by the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) that will connect the Northwest Territories¡¯ existing all-season highway network to the Nunavut border. It¡¯s part of a transformatory and complementary set of initiatives in the region, which includes the Grays Bay Road and Port Project. SPGC will provide reliable connections for remote communities, facilitate mining exploration and other economic opportunities, encourage meaningful Indigenous participation, and incorporate Traditional Knowledge.

GNWT is currently preparing an environmental assessment and has retained our team to provide engineering planning, investigation, and design services. Because the corridor traverses remote, inaccessible terrain, traditional onsite field programs are costly. To address this, GWNT has relied on our team¡¯s extensive experience working in the North and knowledge of cold-weather engineering.

We¡¯ve recommended innovative, cost-effective approaches such as conducting a combined multidisciplinary helicopter survey to confirm key assumptions relating to terrain analysis, acid rock drainage and metal leaching, and water crossing designs. To streamline our fieldwork, we began with a desktop analysis that drew on aerial satellite imagery and geophysical terrain investigations to inform the field program.

When fully built, the 400-kilometre (249-mile) long SGPC will reduce operating costs for existing mines and facilitate exploration and development of new deposits. The all-season road will replace winter roads with more reliable transportation, adaptable to the increasing challenges of climate change and providing cascading economic benefits across the region. The road will also aid in bolstering Canada¡¯s Arctic security and sovereignty in the North.