On February 13, 2019, Finance Minister Robert C. McLeod announced that North Star Infrastructure GP had reached financial close on the Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road in the Northwest Territories. North Star Infrastructure is a partnership of Kiewit Canada Development Corp. and the Tlicho Government (as a 20% equity provider) which together with Design-Build partners Peter Kiewit Sons ULC, Hatch Corporation, and Thurber Engineering Ltd. will finance, design, construct, operate and maintain the Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road. The total contract is valued at $411.8million.
The Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road is to be a 97-kilometre, two lane gravel road in a remote community of the Northwest Territories. The road will connect the Tłı̨chǫ First Nations community of Whatì (normally a fly- in community for most of the year except when it is accessible by a winter road) to the Yellowknife Highway with a permanent all-season road, while also improving winter road access to the Gamètì and Wekweètì communities. Construction on the road began in August 2019 and is expected to be completed by 2022.
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP represented Kiewit with a team led by Christopher Bennett and included Tobor Emakpor, Jason Pearlstein, Jasmyn Lee and Steven Marmer
McMillan LLP represented the Tłı̨chǫ Government (the governing body of the Tłı̨chǫ First Nation in the Northwest Territories) with a team led by Michael Templeton (Tax), Tim Murphy (Infrastructure) and Michelle Boodhoo (Financial Services).
McCarthy Tétrault LLP acted as counsel to the grantor with a team led by Tristan Musgrave that advised the lenders to North Star Infrastructure with a team led by Linda Brown that included Liezl Behm and Ailbish Skinner.
Torys LLP represented the Government of the Northwest Territories with a team that includes Mark Bain, Dan Ford, Andy Gibbons, Christie Kneteman and Jessica Earle.