Graffiti near the Manitoba Legislature. PHOTO: Michael Welch
At noon on Sat. Sept. 12, more than 500 people, many dressed in blue, gathered near the fountain on the south side of the Manitoba Legislature. They were there to participate in a walk to show their support for, and solidarity with the people of Shoal Lake 40.
Shoal Lake 40 is the First Nation in Northwestern Ontario that was turned into a man-made island a hundred years ago when the City of Winnipeg built an aqueduct to direct water from Shoal Lake to Winnipeg homes and businesses.
Shoal Lake 40 residents unload safe drinking water from a motorboat after their ferry was deemed unsafe. Their reserve remains under 18-year boil water advisory. PHOTO: David P. Ball, TheTyee.ca
The community has had to cope with a lack of potable water for themselves and suffer the hazards of trying to cross to the mainland to attain food, water and supplies.
For years, the community has been calling for a road that would connect residents to the highway. The plan would call for funding from the City of Winnipeg, the Province of Manitoba, and the Federal Government.
So far, only the Federal Government has refused to commit to pony up a ten million dollar funding agreement which, together with equal amounts from Winnipeg and Manitoba, would make Freedom Road a reality.
Daryl Redsky, Shoal Lake 40 First Nation’s consultation co-ordinator, contemplates his band’s nascent road to water, jobs and hope. PHOTO: David P. Ball, TheTyee.ca
CKUW News Director and Contributor Michael Welch attended Saturday’s event and interviewed several participants.
The first voice you will hear is from Kobra Rahimi, a refugee from Iranian Kurdistan. She was one of the organizers of the protest march:
Shoal Lake 40’s proposed $25-million ‘Freedom Road,’ as this map shows, is already under construction, using cobbled-together bits of funding. Roadworks are nearing the end of their reserve lands and intend to continue past them. Map: Shoal Lake 40 First Nation.
Feature photo and SoundCloud photo by David P. Ball, TheTyee.ca
