The Dempster Fibre Line Project’s “substantial completion” means the 778-kilometre backup telecommunications line from Dawson City to Inuvik, Northwest Territories is expected to come online by the end of 2024, the Yukon government and Northwestel officially announced.
“Completion of the Dempster fibre line is a massive step for all of us, and once complete, repeated and significant disruptions to service will be a thing of the past,” Northwestel president Curis Shaw said at a Sept. 13 press conference.
The new backup line will close the Canada North Fibre Loop.
“Once operational, the Dempster fibre line will provide northern communities a redundancy loop that will enable Internet and cellular services to remain operational in the event of a disruption, which, of course, is welcome news to all Yukoners,” territorial Highways and Public Works Minister Nils Clarke told the press conference.
Northwestel recently argued that people in the North wouldn’t have experienced the mass disruptions to their Internet and phone services on Aug. 25, if that loop was closed and the backup line was operational.
In response, Yukon government cabinet communications said the project completion date was always 2024 — a timeline that shouldn’t have surprised partners.
The line still needs electronics installed and a period of testing before becoming fully operational by the new year, according to Fred Jay, the project director.
When Brendan Hanley, now the Yukon's MP, first arrived in the territory on Jan. 1, 1995, it was a few days before the establishment of an internet provider service in the Yukon, he told press conference attendees.
“I feel kind of, you know, quite aligned with the history of internet in the Yukon,” he said.
Hanley reminded attendees the Yukon plunged into digital darkness for a day and a half in May, when wildfires in British Columbia disrupted the main line from Whitehorse to Edmonton.
Shaw explained that the main line remains the shortest path to the “global Internet” which is why it remains the primary line.
“This backup line is a longer route. It has higher latency on it, so it's really great for a backup line. But generally, when you're looking to move to the global Internet, you want the shortest path to the global Internet,” Shaw said.
During a recent outage, Northwestel tapped into a deal with Alaska service provider MTA for the first time. Northwestel doesn’t tap into that deal more often because when the Yukon experiences an impairment, then Alaska has congestion, Shaw explained.
“They're relying on our fibre link to carry their internet traffic. So, when we have a disruption, there's limited capacity in Alaska,” he said.
“In the event of a fibre cut right now, like the one we had a couple months ago, we kept cellular up and running, we kept internet up and running at a basic level. So, we do have capacity in Alaska, but it is not the amount we need to run the entire network as it runs day in, day out.”
Shaw said the new backup line coming into commission will benefit communities beyond the Yukon.
“It is huge benefit, not only for the Yukon Territory, but all the communities up and down the McKenzie Valley Fibre Link," he said.
The territorial minister has travelled along the Dempster Highway to see the progress made on the new line.
“The fibre line represents years of hard work, innovation and collaboration. It is a critical piece of infrastructure that will strengthen communication networks and support the long-term growth of the region,” Clarke said.
The project passes through eight traditional territories of First Nation and Indigenous groups in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Clarke said engagement has been happening throughout construction on the line through sensitive ecosystems.
“This engagement has occurred at all stages of project development, from design to procurement methods to job opportunities to ensure meaningful participation,” Clarke said.
“I would be remiss not to mention the construction challenges that were faced.”
Clarke noted building the line was “no small task.”
For example, crews had to do horizontal drilling and feed cable beneath rivers, he said.
Most of the line was embedded underground. Seven per cent was installed using horizontal drilling to traverse wetlands and rivers. Less than two per cent was mounted on existing power poles and more than one per cent was affixed to new poles where drilling underground was prevented due to environmental conditions, according to a press release.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
