Getting the loads just right. Pipe is placed on transport for the rough ride to a Hydro site in northern Manitoba.
3,000 kilometres of winter roads are constructed, making it
Canada’s largest winter road network.”
The same thinking occurs in Manitoba, where the province
oversees a network of some 2,000 kilometres of winter
roads. The province reports that since 1999, spending on
the seasonal road system has tripled, with the aim of using
more overland routes, improving safety, allowing the roads
to stay open longer each season, reducing construction difficulties
and addressing environmental concerns. To achieve
these objectives, the province has identified a number of
strategies, including the relocation of existing winter roads,
the construction of new roads as well as upgrading existing
winter and forestry roads, and exploring enhanced rail and
ferry services.
Despite all the funding, planning and good intentions
from the provinces, the winter road system remains both a
boon and a curse to remote communities. The facts are that
regardless of the technology society has at its disposal, the
rigours of northern supply routes are such that success in
freight hauling comes down to human characteristics like
determination and experience.
Thriving on northern challenges
One company that has made a name for themselves as leaders
amid the difficult and challenging northern transportation
sector is Winnipeg-based Polar Industries. According to
company president Mark Kohaykewych, he saw an opportunity
to service remote northern communities by developing
a transport company with the right fleet and smart drivers
who understand the difficulties of sub zero trucking on surfaces
that can crack and roll or quickly thaw.
Kohaykewych reports that he got started seven years ago
with one truck.
“During university, I worked in construction,” he said. “This
led to project management. I soon found myself working on
a project in the north and bought a truck to undertake some
of the transportation of goods. I quickly discovered there was
a need for logistical support in the moving of goods in this
region. I had developed a passion for the north and saw this
as a good jumping off point for a business.”
Today, Polar Industries operates 30 trucks in Northern
Manitoba, Ontario and the Northwest Territories with a
team of four mechanics and five office support personnel.
The trucks are older model, heavy spec 24x5 units that can
take the beating these roads deliver.
“We are a transport company that goes off the beaten
path, well away from the Trans-Canada Highway,” said
Kohaykewych, reporting that standard points of call for his
company are locations such as Lynn Lake, Wuskwatim and
Gillam, as well as Fox Lake and Norway House in Manitoba.
During the frozen winter, his crews become a welcome sight
for First Nations communities that are accessible only by the
winter roads. They also work on sealift transport solutions in
communities such as Baker Lake and Arviat.
“For us, the biggest challenge is always road conditions.
Next, we look at the weather. Regardless, everything starts
with proper planning and logistics. We test the ice ourselves
and will flood or form ice as necessary,” he said, adding that
often it’s hard to know what drivers will find along the way.
FEATURE
“For us, the biggest challenge is
always road conditions. Next, we
look at the weather.”
– Mark Kohaykewych, Polar Industries
PHOTO COURTESY OF POLAR INDUSTRIES CONTINUED ON PAGE 32 30 Q3 2016 www.pilingcanada.ca
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