Black Tickle roads 'horrible,' says resident

Residents of Black Tickle say their roads have deteriorated and the Newfoundland and Labrador government has not been giving the community's infrastructure the maintenance it needs. 

"It's horrible and it's even treacherous to walk on this road," said Black Tickle resident Livenda Keefe. 

"It's ridiculous. About 14 to 15 years of neglect has taken its toll on this road."

Former boom town

In the 1980s, Black Tickle, located on a small island off the south coast of Labrador, was booming, with an economy relying on the cod fishery.

After the federal cod moratorium in 1992, the community's population dropped from about 3,000 to fewer than 200 people. 

Those who remain have a hard time getting around, especially to travel to get water. 

"We had several ATV accidents due to this road condition, this past summer. This road is at it's highest priority, one of the highest priorities for this community to have this road back in shape."

Residents documenting situation

Residents took photos of the roads before snow fell, and sent them to the provincial transportation department, along with letters describing the situation.

The government responded with an email, saying their situation will be given consideration under the 2014 provincial budget. 

Keefe said that response was not good enough for a place that used to serve the province. 

"They knew the geography when they came in, when the cod was king," said Keefe. "But they darn well know how to forget their geography when it came back to putting resources back to this community."

A government official said the department of transportation will review the situation in Black Tickle before the 2014 provincial budget.