7°c Clear
19°c Sunny
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Detour defuses blockade
First Nation protest slows traffic, but drivers shrug off delays
Police struck a deal with the Sandy Bay First Nation to allow one lane of traffic to flow. (TREVOR HAGAN/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ) Photo Store
Related Items
Drivers on the TransCanada Highway west of Portage la Prairie had an extra half hour tacked onto their travel times Saturday due to a First Nations blockade.
The peaceful protest turned into a full-scale blockade when a protester stood in front of a travelling semi-truck and momentarily refused to move.
The protest was without incident up to that point. While Sandy Bay First Nation had threatened to blockade the TransCanada for much of Saturday, an arrangement was struck with RCMP to let protestors occupy one eastbound lane, while slowed traffic used the other eastbound lane.
After the protester stood in front of the truck, RCMP began rerouting traffic around the protest, closing both eastbound and westbound lanes on the TransCanada around the junction of Highway 16. The closures started at about noon.
Protest organizer Tricia Beaulieu said the incident wasn't dangerous and felt RCMP overreacted. She said the protester only stood in front of the semi-truck for a few seconds.
RCMP spokesman Cpl. Miles Hiebert would only say protesters and vehicles were coming too close to each other.
Sandy Bay First Nation is protesting the omnibus budget legislation, Bill C45, which the First Nation says infringes on aboriginal rights, and a lack of jobs for First Nations people.
Mike Guilford, traveling home to Alberta after visiting his ailing mother in Ontario, said the detour took about half an hour down a narrow, slippery road. He didn't begrudge the aboriginal people their protest but said there are jobs out there if people are willing to move. "I've relocated three times already" to take jobs, said Guilford, 24, who now works in the Alberta oil patch.
Harmandeeb Brar, a long-distance trucker forced to take the detour, didn't begrudge Sandy Bay its protest either. However, the gravel grid roads used as a detour "were all icy and everyone was going slow," he said.
Fabien Peters, a former resident of Long Plains First Nation who works in Portage la Prairie, tried to get close to see the protest but couldn't. He did not necessarily agree with the protest, even though he is originally from a reserve. "I kind of don't get what they're fighting for. A lot of people don't like change," said Peters, who hasn't lived on a reserve in 25 years.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 16, 2012 A3
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Duffy expense controversy sent back to closed-door Senate committee
05/21/2013 10:02 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Rainfall warning issued for southern Manitoba
- A new mom's booze-fuelled hell
- Apple trick on Ellen falls short for city woman
- Male facing charges after gun fired in Exchange District
- Justin Bieber's pet monkey becomes property of Germany after singer misses deadline
- Peeping Tom portrayed as sexual deviant in court
- Gay Archie character to kiss partner in Pop Tate's
- Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris evacuated after suicide inside the landmark church
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Rainfall warning issued for southern Manitoba
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Driver crashes into tree near golf course
- Arrests made after raids on local head shops
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Susan Griffiths dies in Switzerland
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Police make grow-op bust
- MP Bruinooge says Bill 18 could infringe on religious freedoms
- Bethania CEO put on leave during investigation
- Elijah Harper: The humble man who said no
- Two charged in golf course burglary
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- Man breaks world record by riding Ferris wheel at Chicago's Navy Pier for more than 48 hours
- Doc's memoir portrays ERs as frantic, funny, frightening ... but never dull
- WAG's 100 Masters exhibit drawing more than art aficionados
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Province removing red tape in alcohol sales
- Animals are animals, new ads say
- Skin picking gets status as distinct disorder, should help sufferers access help
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Manitoba's changing spiritual landscape
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Dogs can experience separation anxiety and depression just like humans
- Paul McCartney to play Winnipeg Aug. 12
- Ontario steps in to help save ELA
- Saskatchewan professor wants to test the health benefits of nose-picking
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Retail sales in province see 2 per cent increase in February
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.