Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

Manitoba Premier Speaks At Rally For Road To Shoal Lake 40 First Nation

IANS, 13 Sep, 2015 01:02 PM
  • Manitoba Premier Speaks At Rally For Road To Shoal Lake 40 First Nation
WINNIPEG — Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger says residents of the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation deserve to see an all-weather road to their community move forward.
 
Selinger addressed a rally in Winnipeg on Saturday calling for the road to the community, which was cut off from the mainland a century ago during construction of an aqueduct to send clean water to Winnipeg.
 
Without a permanent road, residents rely on an aging barge in the summer and a treacherous ice road in the winter.
 
The First Nation is located on the Manitoba-Ontario boundary, and Selinger says in a news release that he recently spoke with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne about the issue.
 
He says Wynn also expressed Manitoba's concern with the people from Shoal Lake 40.
 
Both Manitoba and Winnipeg have said they will pay for one-third each of the road's construction if Ottawa kicks in the rest of the estimated $30-million cost.
 
"The provincial government remains steadfast in its commitment to share in building this road," Selinger said in the release.
 
Selinger noted that many residents have lost their lives crossing the ice.
 
The Shoal Lake community has been under a boil-water advisory for 17 years due to a dam which funnels tainted water away from the Winnipeg aqueduct and towards the reserve.
 
The province says the lack of road access has long been identified as a barrier to economic opportunity for the community, and causing high costs which have prevented the construction of key community infrastructure, including a water treatment plant.
 
The federal Liberal party and the NDP have promised to fund the road if elected in October.
 
A 90-day crowdfunding campaign over the summer to pay for the federal government's share road fell short, raising only $101,000 of the desired $10 million.

MORE National ARTICLES

Household Debt Ratio Grew In Second Quarter As Debt Increased Faster Than Income

On a per capita basis, household net worth increased to $243,800.

Household Debt Ratio Grew In Second Quarter As Debt Increased Faster Than Income

Third Suspect Arrested And Charged In Death Of 42-Year-Old Man At Vernon's Polson Park

Third Suspect Arrested And Charged In Death Of 42-Year-Old Man At Vernon's Polson Park
Mounties say a third person is facing a second-degree murder charge after a body was discovered in a park in Vernon, B.C.

Third Suspect Arrested And Charged In Death Of 42-Year-Old Man At Vernon's Polson Park

University Of Toronto Ramps Up Security After Online Threats Against Women

The university's provost issued a warning to students, faculty and staff Thursday, citing threats made on a blog, but did not describe the nature of the threats.

University Of Toronto Ramps Up Security After Online Threats Against Women

B.C. Man Operated 'Chop Shop' For Guns To Be Used In Crime: Crown Lawyer

B.C. Man Operated 'Chop Shop' For Guns To Be Used In Crime: Crown Lawyer
Frank Caputo told B.C. Supreme Court that police pulled Charles Patrick over in December 2013 behind the wheel of a suspicious vehicle.

B.C. Man Operated 'Chop Shop' For Guns To Be Used In Crime: Crown Lawyer

Iraqi Couple Allege Alan Kurdi's Father Was Captain Of The Boat That Capsized

Iraqi Couple Allege Alan Kurdi's Father Was Captain Of The Boat That Capsized
Reports say Zainab Abbas and Ahmad Hadi, who lost two children in the tragedy, told journalists in Baghdad that after the accident, Abdullah Kurdi begged them not to tell Turkish police that he was in charge of the boat

Iraqi Couple Allege Alan Kurdi's Father Was Captain Of The Boat That Capsized

Sex Case Of Ex-Alpine Canada Coach Bertrand Charest Put Off Until October

 The case of a former national ski coach who faces a host of sex-related charges involving girls and young women between the ages of 12 and 19 has been put off until October.

Sex Case Of Ex-Alpine Canada Coach Bertrand Charest Put Off Until October