THUNDER BAY – A group of Fort William First Nation residents have just one Christmas wish this year -- to drive over the James Street Swing Bridge.
About a dozen people gathered at the north end of the bridge Tuesday afternoon to sing Christmas carols, a peaceful and festive form of protest they hoped might help encourage CN Rail to reopen the span to vehicular traffic.
Tony McGuire, who organized the event and plans to send a video of the singalong to CN, said it’s important to remember the people affected by the closure.
“There’s no human face on the bridge. It’s always about $1 million or in perpetuity agreements. Let’s get rid of the words and focus on the people,” he said.
“I have a friend of mine whose mother is terminally ill. If an ambulance doesn’t get there in time we could lose her doing the Christmas season. That’s reality.”
The CN-owned bridge has been closed to vehicles since an Oct. 29, 2013 fire caused damage. It was repaired to allow trains to cross within a few days but the roadway has never been reopened.
That has resulted in Highway 61 and Chippewa Road serving as the only point of access from the reserve to the city.
Resident Michelle Yantz has seen the delay have an impact on patient care.
“We just had a cousin who recently ended up in a car accident and it took a lot longer than it should have for the ambulance to get to them,” she said.
They have also seen road access completely cut off twice within the past few weeks after car crashes closed Chippewa Road west of the James Street intersection.
Both of those kept Yantz from being able to return home.
She was joined at the sing-along by relatives, including six-year-old niece Mya Boucher. Yantz said the bridge being closed impacts children.
Mya, who attends St. Anne School, has to wake up at 6:30 a.m. every morning to catch the bus because the route now takes much longer.
Stories like those makes McGuire wonder why something hasn’t already been done.
“I’m trying to understand why this bridge can’t be fixed,” he said. “If someone loses their grandmother over this that’s worth more than $1 million.”
