Manitoba Hydro’s tugboat

As a provider of reliable and affordable energy, Manitoba Hydro employs a diverse group of people, in a diverse set of jobs, across the wide swath of land that makes up the province of Manitoba. And two of the most surprising roles the utility employs? A tugboat captain and deckhand.

There is only one person licensed to operate the Jessica Coy, Manitoba Hydro’s tugboat, and his name is Dennis Bunn. Every summer, Bunn and deckhand Chris Hart spend the summer barging critical equipment to Missi Falls Control Structure on Southern Indian Lake, which is far north in the Canadian wilderness and has no road or rail access. The Churchill River flows through Southern Indian Lake. The Missi Falls Control Structure is a critical downstream component of Manitoba Hydro’s Churchill River Diversion Project, which diverts a portion of the Churchill River’s flow into the Nelson River where many of the utility’s largest hydroelectric plants are located.

Beginning at the upstream Notigi Falls Control Structure — 600 miles north of the Canada-U.S. border and about 540 miles north of Manitoba’s capital city of Winnipeg — the 150-mile journey to Missi Falls takes two days, at an average speed of 7.6 miles per hour. Bunn and Hart live on the boat for the duration of the voyage.

“I’m from the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, born and raised in the north,” said Bunn. “My background was construction. I was a contractor — heavy equipment operator — during the construction of the Wuskwatim hydropower project. I graded the roads and did a number of things to keep the camp running.”

Managers noticed Bunn’s work ethic during the Wuskwatim project, and after it wrapped up, he was approached to work for Manitoba Hydro on the tugboat.

“I didn’t envision myself being a tugboat captain, but I saw it as a challenge, and here we are,” said Bunn.

Watch The Hydro tugboat and the one person licensed to operate it on YouTube for more about Bunn, Hart, and Jessica Coy.

The Jessica Coy is not Manitoba Hydro’s first tugboat. When the Churchill River Diversion’s construction finished in 1977, Manitoba Hydro kept the vessels used in construction and repurposed them as maintenance vehicles. Over the years, the fleet dwindled to just one operational tugboat, the Chemahaw, and a single barge.

Changes in regulations, together with regular wear-and-tear, meant Manitoba Hydro needed to replace these vessels. Manitoba Hydro purchased Jessica Coy in 2015. It was built specifically for the utility, arriving in five pieces and welded together in northern Manitoba. All of Bunn and Hart’s barging is done during the summer. With winter temperatures approaching, Jessica Coy begins the two-day journey back to winter storage in Notigi in late October, prior to freeze up.

Jessica Coy under construction for Manitoba Hydro.

“Being a tugboat captain has its challenges, but at the end of the day when you get home and the crew is safe and you got the job done, I take a lot of pride in what I do,” said Bunn.