Pearl Lorentzen
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Loon River First Nation held a grand opening Oct. 24 to celebrate a new two-lane bridge with a walking path.
The bridge replaces a one-lane metal bridge with a wooden decking.
The bridge is in the middle of Loon Lake, the main community within the northern Alberta First Nation.
The community has only one road in, which the First Nation paved. The bridge is on the end of the pavement and the only bridge across the Loon River. On the southeast side of the bridge is the school, band office, health centre, church, and many houses. On the northwest side of the river is the cemetery, more houses, and the new community hall.
The bridge and pavement were necessary for safety, said Loon River Chief Ivan Sawan, at the grand opening.
For years, Councillor, Cody Letendre spearheaded the project, with support from council, to advocate with Indigenous Services Canada for funding.
At the ceremony, Jamie Brown, regional director for Indigenous Services Canada, said he was shocked by the condition of the road when he first went on it.
The old road was gravel and not smooth, southern Alberta range road gravel, but closer to a Forestry Trunk Road or field road, which is mostly mud with a bit of gravel mixed in. On dry days, the road was bumpy, but on wet days the mud was slippery.
Other than the main road into the community, the rest of the roads in the community are the same.
The old bridge, or as the community calls it, the ‘Blue Bridge’ was built in the 1970s.
Before and after the event, many of the older community members talked about the bridge before the Blue Bridge, made from logs by the community.
Paul Letendre, a Loon River Elder, opened the ceremony with a prayer in Cree. Chief Ivan Sawan was the master of ceremonies. Brown also said a few words as did Steve Engman, the engineer who designed the bridge and road, and Sylvain Ruel, one of the owners of Ruel Concrete, which built the bridge and road. Each councillor and Chief Sawan also made brief speeches.
