My bet is on Mother Nature
Having been on the rivers in the far north of Alberta -- and it is bloody far north -- I assume the hoverbarges have considered how to deal with snags and other semi-submerged badnesses. Will they only work in the short summer, or will they sail up the rivers of ice throughout the winter -- and, in Spring Breakup, can they ride over the huge shifting slabs of river ice?
I've flown into Ft Chipewyan (there was no road into it then, and maybe only a snowmobile track to it now, in winter) and the wind was rough. I mean rough. We kind of skidding into the gravel-bed airport, the seams of the plane popping. I have to say I wouldn't want to be in a big inflated bladder held place by rotors with a blizzard of minus 70F slamming me in the side.
On the other hand, both blimp and hoverbarge are less damaging to the environment than the monster trucks that endlessly travel up to Ft McMurray and back.
A fond memory of the place in 1973: the local burger joint had a 'papa burger' of three patties, a 'mama burger' of two patties, and an 'animal burger' of five patties. A big seller to the guys who drove those monster trucks and handled that monster equipment. I was r-e-a-l-l-y respectful.