Your hunting grounds are now blocked by gravel?
Morning from the Interlake — here's what's happening in Selkirk today.
This really got under my skin, and I think it should bother everyone living around the Red River. Imagine waking up to find the route you've used for generations, the very path to put food on your family's table, is just... gone. Blocked off with gravel by the provincial government, no heads-up, no discussion. That's what happened to First Nations communities in our Interlake, east of Lake St. Martin. They showed up, saw the blockade, and then they did what anyone with a backbone would do: they removed it themselves.
### The Problem with No Talk
It's not just about a road; it's about respect and the land we share. This isn't some back forty acreage we're talking about; these are traditional hunting grounds. The province put up this blockade, citing road safety and environmental concerns, but they never bothered to consult the people who rely on that land. This isn't just a Winnipeg problem, it echoes right here in Selkirk. We've got our own challenges maintaining our identity and rights as the city sprawls, and this kind of heavy-handed move by the province just feels like a slap in the face to communities trying to uphold their way of life.
* The province built a gravel blockade on an access road. * The road leads to traditional hunting lands east of Lake St. Martin. * First Nations communities were not consulted before the blockade was put in place. * The communities removed the blockade themselves to access their lands.
When you think about it, Selkirk sits right on the edge of all this. We're connected to these Interlake communities, many of us fish the same river, and we understand what it means to have deep ties to the land. When big decisions are made without talking to the people directly affected, whether it's about a road or the future of our river, it impacts us all. It reminds us that Selkirk isn't just some suburb; we have our own history, our own steel mill, and our own river, and we deserve respect for our independence and our connections to the wider Interlake.
Nolan Chicken, Selkirk Morning Wire.
You need to hear Keith and the crew talk about this — catch their thoughts live at mornings.live.