Demonstrators want Freedom Road finished

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/12/2017 (3048 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Friends of Shoal Lake 40 gathered in front of the Manitoba legislature in chilly temperatures Tuesday to ensure the off-reserve portion of Freedom Road will be built as planned.

“It’s freezing, but we are from Winnipeg, so I don’t think the cold should stop us from going out and supporting this really important conversation,” said Ashlyn Haglund, one of the participants.

“We shouldn’t have to be talking anymore. We should just be building the road,” she said, voicing her concern as to why it has taken years for the road to be built.

In 1917, the Shoal Lake First Nation was relocated to a man-made island following construction of an aqueduct that supplies fresh water to Winnipeg.

This isolation cut off the reserve from essential health services, such as safe water. In 2011, Shoal Lake 40 proposed to build an all-weather access road — Freedom Road. This December, the on-reserve part of the road was completed early and under budget. Tuesday, the three levels of government met for the annual progress report.

Now that the on-reserve portion is completed, the Friends of Shoal Lake 40 wanted to make sure the off-reserve portion will begin construction as planned. 

Jeff Friesen, chair of the Friends of Shoal Lake 40, said the First Nation cannot afford any more delays.

“Every day, we are putting people at risk by not completing this road,” he said. Due to the reserve being isolated, people have to walk on the ice to cross over.

“(If they need) groceries, if they need medical attention, they have to (walk on ice), and in these kinds of seasons, we are putting people at risk.”

The isolation has also prevented infrastructure from being built on the reserve and resulted in the loss of economic opportunities for the people there.

Shoal Lake 40 Chief Erwin Redsky said it is important for his community to have the road finished as soon as possible because “it’s an ongoing crisis that needs to be fixed.”

He said at the progress meeting on Tuesday that he was told the project will be open for bidding as part of the Manitoba infrastructure tendering process in January. Once the tender is awarded, Redsky said he is hoping construction will start shortly after.

“Hopefully in early 2019, (the project) will be completed,” he said.

Redsky said the past couple of years have been historic, and this next step will be completing “the final piece of the puzzle.”

“We are very excited,” he said. “We are going to be reconnected to Canada.”

nadiah.sakurai@freepress.mb.ca