Savanna Peers
APTN National News
A couple dozen protesters were on picketing in Winnipeg Wednesday because they’re fed up with their muddy Provincial Road 280 between Gillam and Thompson.
Tataskweyak Cree Nation members say hydro trucks have ripped up their community and want Manitoba Hydro to pave the road.
The previous NDP government rolled out a five-year plan to pave the gravel road a couple of years ago, but northerners say it’s been very slow going.
About 22 kilometres of the 130-kilometre stretch have been built up with crushed rock so far.
Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen said he understands the concerns raised by protesters, but noted that a number of factors, including the weather, have led to delays in the upgrades.
Kevin Hart, Manitoba vice chief for the Assembly of First Nations, said Cree elders who use the road every second day to get to Thompson for dialysis treatments report the trip takes four hours. He said the conditions often leave them in great physical pain.
– With files from The Canadian Press
Must be really bad now. Road wrecked my car last June. That road has been a disgrace for years.