b'TRANSMISSION PROJECTmore important a solid supply of elec-tricity, explains Lavoie. Communities cant upgrade the water system until they get access to the grid or another gener-ator to supply that water system with the adequate supply of electricity. There is also a sense of urgency tied to climate change. With winter seasons getting shorter, communities that rely on winter roads are left with a shrinking window in which to ship diesel. Regions reliant on ice roads over lake systems are facing serious seasonal access issues given that the ice is not always thick enough to drive on. Climate change issues are coming hard and strong, Kenequanash says, adding that winter construction is dependent on the road network.Approximately 25 million litres of diesel fuel are needed to power the participating communities each year. Diesel generation, currently funded primarily by the federal and provincial governments, is one of the most expensive ways of generating electricity, costing $90 million for the 25 diesel-reliant Northern Ontario communi-ties annually, according to the 2014 feasi-bility study. The harder it becomes to truck in this massive amount of fuel on seasonal roads, the more the price of electricity rises. If the winter road season is too short and communities are cut off completely, then diesel is flown in, which is even more costly. The First Nations communities see firsthand the need to transition away from diesel, and the clock is ticking. MULTIPLE BENEFITSThe difference that the Wataynikaneyap Transmission Project will make in the lives of these communities is monumental. Once the line is completed, they will no longer need diesel for electricity generation and Aboriginal BUSINESS REPORT79'