Responsibility for worst road unknown after court ruling

It was voted Ontario’s worst road earlier this year and now responsibility for the Pelican Falls road, located near Sioux Lookout, has fallen into legal limbo following a recent decision by the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Voted worst road in the province in the 2010 CAA poll, the road is the only access route to Pelican Falls High School. The school is home to about 200 First Nation students who come from 24 Far North communities.

On Friday, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled responsibility for the road is not Sioux Lookout's. The court decision removes Sioux Lookout from all road maintenance issues, which could have amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

However, the court did not resolve the issue of who is going to ultimately be responsible for the road. 

The federal and provincial governments along with the Northern Nishnawbi Education Council are now expected to continue legal proceedings surrounding the matter.