Chief says minister offered money to remove highway checkstop

The chief of the Bloodvein River First Nation says a Manitoba cabinet minister offered up to $250,000 for economic development as he was trying to persuade her to remove a highway checkstop that has outraged hunters.

Chief Lisa Young said Ian Bushie, the minister of Indigenous futures, raised the money in a private conversation in September, also telling her the First Nation would receive a letter directing it to move the checkstop because it’s on a provincial highway.

Young said Bushie described the money as support for economic development in the community.

“I really felt like I was being pushed into a corner. I also felt that I was being bribed,” Young said in an interview. “It may not have come off that way. But he even further said, ‘And I’m not bribing you.’ So, I really didn’t know what to say.”

Young called the First Nation’s lawyer to discuss the conversation.

Bushie responded in a statement Tuesday, saying he held talks with Bloodvein leadership about bettering residents’ lives. He intends to continue those conversations.

“Our government has committed to working with First Nations on every area to improve matters,” the statement said.

During question period earlier that day, Tory Leader Konrad Narth criticized the government’s failure to remove the checkstop.

“Across rural Manitoba, communities are concerned about drugs,” Narth said. “But that doesn’t mean they can simply establish their own checkstops.”

Bloodvein initially established a checkstop on its access road in May 2025 to prevent drugs and alcohol from entering the reserve, about 235 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. It later moved to Rice River Road, a public highway, 20 km south of the reserve, after leadership discovered contraband was being brought in by water.

The Manitoba Wildlife Federation called for the checkstop to be moved back to reserve land, arguing licensed hunters shouldn’t be prevented from accessing Crown land. The organization sought a court injunction last year, but the Court of King’s Bench dismissed its application on procedural grounds, leaving the checkstop in place.

Bloodvein told the court it would allow licensed hunters through if they complied with its alcohol and drug restrictions. The federation subsequently reported hunters were able to pass through for the remainder of the year.

The issue resurfaced when hunters were turned away at the start of moose hunting season Sept. 21.

The province had issued a cease-and-desist letter two days earlier, calling for the checkstop to be relocated.

“Following a constructive meeting with Bloodvein First Nation I had along with our justice minister on Sept. 25, hunters that were previously being stopped are now passing through the checkpoint,” Bushie said in the statement. “Conservation officers are on site and confirm that groups were not stopped on Oct. 6 and 10. There have not been reports of any groups being denied access to the road since the September meeting. We continue to work with Bloodvein on relocating the checkpoint.”

Young said the province also offered money during the 2025 hunting season; Bushie told her the province would give up to $25,000 to help with the checkstop. She said no money has been received to date.

Bushie’s statement didn’t address questions about the money discussed with Young.

At the Sept. 25 meeting, Young said Justice Minister Matt Wiebe insisted the checkstop be moved back to reserve boundaries and offered additional resources, including First Nation safety officers.

“I have no idea where Minister Wiebe was going to place these deployed First Nation safety officers,” she said, citing Bloodvein’s shortage of homes.

Wiebe said last week the government is willing to work with Bloodvein to come up with a solution that meets the community’s needs, but he maintained the checkstop must move.

“I don’t want to presuppose what the best solutions are,” he said. “There are a lot of options on the table.”

At an Oct. 5 meeting at the Southeast Tribal Council in Winnipeg, Young told the ministers the checkstop would remain. She was joined by chiefs from neighbouring communities and Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson.

Young said RCMP members went to the community Friday and “voiced to me that they had no intention of coming into our nation to tell us to relocate our checkstop.”

In a statement to the Free Press Wednesday, RCMP confirmed senior officers met with Young to hear her concerns about public safety, including the location and operation of the checkstop, and incidents involving the seizure of drugs, alcohol and firearms.

RCMP did not address Young’s account of what officers told her about relocating the checkstop.

“The Manitoba RCMP will continue to work with Bloodvein River First Nation and other involved parties toward a collaborative and lawful resolution that balances community safety with access to the provincial road for all motorists,” the statement said.

kelly.riess@winnipegfreepress.com