Attawapiskat First Nation - Transportation

Transportation

Travel to Attawapiskat is accessible through Attawapiskat Airport year-round. The airport was opened in 1974, but air service in the community began in 1957. The airport is equipped with a gravel runway that was constructed in the 1970s. During the winter months, a "Winter Road" is constructed that connects the community to other coastal towns on the James Bay coast. Winter roads are temporary routes of transportation that are constructed mostly in January, February, March and even April throughout remote parts of Northern Ontario. The seasonal James Bay winter road connects the communities of Attawapiskat, Kashechewan, Fort Albany, Moosonee and Moose Factory. James Bay Winter Road operated/managed by Kimesskanemenow Corporation. From Moosonee the Ontario Northland Railway runs south to Cochrane.

Residents of several remote coastal communities often take advantage of the winter road to purchase goods and perishables, by making long trips to Moosonee. When the winter road is in good condition, the trip can take five hours to Kashechewan, one way. During the period when the winter road is open, certain community band members offer taxi services, shuttling between the communities. James Bay Winter Road is available in the winter months barring bad weather such as blizzards and heavy snowfalls, at which point access will be closed until the road is inspected and snow is plowed away.

Roads in town are dirt or gravel. The first roads were built by province in 1956. Ontario Ministry of Transportation has an office and representative in the town.

Circa 2007, Thunder Airlines supplanted Air Creebec, as supplier of postal services and for shipping goods. Heavier goods are shipped into the community via a seasonal barge from Moosonee.