Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench has ordered the Tataskweyak Cree Nation to remove their blockade of Provincial Road 280 and the Keeyask Generating Station construction site in northern Manitoba.
The First Nation community set up the blockade on Friday, May 15, 2020, in an effort to stop Manitoba Hydro from rotating crews and bringing in more than 1,000 new workers.
According to First Nation leadership, four First Nations involved in the construction project, Tatakweyak Cree Nation War Lake First Nation, York Factory First Nation, and Fox Lake Cree Nation have been expressing concerns about Keeyask for weeks in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scott Powell, Manitoba Hydro’s Director of Corporate Communications. said in a statement that “This injunction further proves the plan we have to safely resume regular work rotations at Keeyask protects both our workers and neighbouring communities from COVID-19,”
Powell said that Hydro’s plan goes “above and beyond” the current public health guidelines and had been endorsed by Dr Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s Chief Provincial Public Health Officer.
The injunction gives the RCMP the authority to remove the blockade immediately.
Tatakweyak Cree Nation was served the injunction by Manitoba Hydro on Monday afternoon.
© News4.ca 2020
