Amarok hunters slam Sylvia Grinnell bridge plans

Members of Iqaluit’s Amarok Hunters and Trappers Association are calling on environment minister Daniel Shewchuk to stop plans to build a bridge over the Sylvia Grinnell River.

The hunters are upset by Shewchuk’s decision that the bridge will be limited to foot traffic only, barring ATVs and snowmobiles from the structure.

In a June letter to Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo, Shewchuk said the decision conforms to the master plan for Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park.

“Parks [should] support our traditional use and hunting, not build barriers which only allow tourists to use the best lands and prevent appropriate uses by hunters,” states the letter, signed by the HTA executive.

The HTA also says a pedestrians-only bridge will be useless of search and rescue.

In his letter, Shewchuk said he’s hoping the bridge will be completed within three years.