Related
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
The Merv Hardie ferry began crossing the Mackenzie River on Thursday, marking the earliest start of the summer ferry season since 1993.
Located at Fort Providence, N.W.T., the ferry was scheduled to start making regular trips across the river at 3 p.m. MT, officials with the N.W.T. Transportation Department announced in a release Thursday.
The department operates the ferry to transport vehicles across the Mackenzie River at Fort Providence every summer. In the winter, an ice crossing is set up on the river.
Department officials say the start of this year's ferry service comes one week earlier than the 10-year average.
This year's opening matches the previous earliest opening, which was recorded in 1993. Last year's ferry season began on May 15.
Motorists planning to travel across the Mackenzie River are advised to check the department's website before going on the road, since the ferry could be taken out of service if chunks of ice come down the river.
The Transportation Department's other ferries, the Lafferty Ferry at the Liard River and the N'Dulee Ferry on Camsell Bend, are scheduled to begin running by May 10 and May 15, respectively.
Share Tools
Latest North News Headlines
- Yukoners need to change poverty perceptions, says report
- A new report on poverty in Yukon is calling for action from the territorial government. However, poverty activists are also calling for Yukoners to adjust their attitudes. more »
- Iqaluit man pleads guilty to drug and sex offences
- A sentencing hearing is underway today in Iqaluit for the man who once ran the so-called 'Qikiqtaaluk Compassion Society' where he sold marijuana. more »
- Investigation finds 3 electoral violations in N.W.T. riding
- There were three violations of the elections act during last fall's N.W.T. election. All three happened in the Monfwi riding. more »
- N.W.T. budget calls for $74M surplus
- The N.W.T. is forecasting its first surplus in five years in its 2012-2013 budget, Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger announced in the legislative assembly this afternoon. more »
Top News Headlines
- Employment Insurance review boards to be scrapped
- The federal government is scrapping two review boards used by people appealing decisions made about their employment insurance. more »
- Teens share bullying tales in confession booth
- Raw stories about bullying emerged when a video booth was set up inside a Quebec high school. more »
- Double-lung recipient dances on Ellen show
- Organ donation advocate Hèlène Campbell of Ottawa made her second appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, but her first since undergoing a double-lung transplant. more »
- Canada ending 'Buffalo shuffle' for visas, closing consulate
- The federal government is shutting down the Canadian consulate in Buffalo and dropping a requirement for foreign workers and students to renew their visas outside the country, CBC News has learned. more »
- Investigation finds 3 electoral violations in N.W.T. riding
- Iqaluit man pleads guilty to drug and sex offences
- Head of Nunavut Impact Review Board not re-appointed
- Yukoners need to change poverty perceptions, says report
- Whitehorse man appeals drunk driving conviction
- N.W.T. budget calls for $74M surplus
- N.W.T. commissioner's goals for the territory
- Nunavut communities seek cellphone service
- Winning lottery ticket sold in Whitehorse
