August 21, 1944 – “Abandonment of the Haines ‘cut-off’ road between the Alaskan coast and the Alaska Highway, announced by the U.S. Army here, may seem to indicate what is liable to happen to some other and more important projects in the northwest, now that the urgency for them has disappeared.

Built at an announced cost of $10,000,000, the road runs from Haines, Alaska, to a point 105 miles northwest of Whitehorse. It was constructed to relieve the pressure on the White Pass and Yukon Railway in the early days of this war, when material for construction of essential war projects was greatly needed. It did relieve that pressure.

The discarding of the expensive roadway is altogether a U.S. affair, so far as is known. It has served its purpose – and doubtless, from the standpoint of time and the necessity of getting the Canol project and the Alaska highway completed, the Haines road has paid for itself.

Nevertheless, to ordinary Canadians and Americans, $10,000,000 is a lot of money. It gives rise to the questions which the federal government will have to answer after it has assumed responsibility for these American projects.

What is to happen to the Alaska Highway and the Canol oil and refinery, with construction of both running into the hundreds of millions? It is quite impossible to believe that they will be abandoned like the Haines ‘cut-off.'”

(Edmonton Journal – Edmonton, Alberta)