Nipigon River Ontario - Having lived and worked in Nipigon for eight years from 1995-2003, you get to know your neighbours, people in Red Rock, Hurkett, Dorion, Schreiber, Terrace Bay, Rocky Bay, Heron Bay, Pic River, Longlac, and Geraldton, etc.
 
A topic which would often come up is "what would happen if something happened to the Nipigon River bridge?"
 
Here we are 21 years later.
 
The same question has been answered ("New Bridge Crippled" - 11 Jan 2016 Chronicle Journal).
 
I understand the complexity of living along the North Shore.
 
A hostile, threatening, environment at times, but it's where we have chosen to live.
 
It's paradise here.
 
But, at the end of the day, where's the country's national transportation plan?
 
At one time, railroads linked the country.
 
Still do, in some respects, but with the highway bridge knocked out, I'm sure people were asking, "What's that other bridge? (i.e., the Canadian Pacific Railway)
 
How can I cross that?"
 
Likewise for the now Greenstone region.
 
Time was you could ride the Canadian National Railway and be able to access most parts of the country.
 
Not anymore with the Kinghorn subdivision being torn up.
 
It's time to understand one of our travel options has been taken away for far too long.
 
Not everyone can afford a car or buy a plane ticket.
 
Railroads are why we are linked together.
 
More importantly, why has no one considered creating a contingency plan with Canadian Pacific to help ease congestion on the disabled new bridge, i.e., hi-rail vehicles to transport people across the adjacent railroad bridge, flatcars to carry transport trucks, etc.?
 
Just a thought.
 
Rick Sklazeski.