Truckers brave forest fires to deliver food to completely isolated northern communities.
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“We have good warriors,” says David Morneau, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Groupe Morneau, a transportation company that delivers goods throughout the province.
“They only let the food through, drop by drop,” he adds.
Route 389 uphill to Wabush, Fermont, Goosebay and Labrador City is closed. Sporadic over the weekend, food trucks were able to circulate, but the road was closed again last night.
“When they can drive, truckers must wear masks and only regulars who know the route very well can pass. With the thickness of the smoke, it is not obvious”, explains the leader.
- Listen to Sylvain Larocque’s reaction to the truckers at the front on Philippe Vincent-Foisy’s show via QUB-radio :
La Minganie, in Côte-Nord, is also difficult to access and some businesses cannot be supplied. In Sept-Îles, the Groupe Morneau terminal had to be closed on Friday. On Monday, deliveries resumed and we anticipate a return to normal on Wednesday.
In Abitibi, deliveries of industrial equipment to Lebel-sur-Quévillon had to stop with the closure of Route 113.
Until the situation calms down, the goods remain in warehouses in Quebec, Montreal or Toronto, which causes bottlenecks.
“We have emergency calls every four hours to make sure everyone is on the same wavelength, that we keep our people safe and that our customers are well informed. We adapt to the situation,” says David Morneau.