September 12, 2015
Province Stands with Manitobans in Support of Shoal Lake Residents
– – –Construction of `Freedom Road' Will End Decades-old Injustice: Premier Selinger
The Manitoba government is confirming its support for the Shoal Lake ‘Freedom Road’ and reaffirming its $10-million commitment to the project, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
“The provincial government remains steadfast in its commitment to share in building this road. I recently spoke with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, who also expressed our shared concern with the people from Shoal Lake 40. They deserve to see this project move forward as quickly as possible.”
The province is also offering support and understanding to the community organizations and everyday Manitobans who share the goal of resolving this long-standing issue, Premier Selinger said. These citizens will march today in Winnipeg with the hope of bringing attention to the fact the community has been without clean, potable drinking water for almost two decades as well as the fact that over the years, many residents of Shoal Lake 40 have lost their lives crossing the ice at Shoal Lake, the premier said.
“We share in the frustration of the residents of Shoal Lake 40, and the people of Winnipeg who have benefited from a clean, reliable source of drinking water for decades, while the people of Shoal Lake 40 have struggled with dangerous ice conditions and one of the longest boil water advisories in Canada,” Municipal Government Minister Drew Caldwell said. “We have allocated specific funds for this project and we expect the Canadian government to contribute equally to ‘Freedom Road’, and to cost-share the timely construction of the project with Manitoba and Winnipeg. Our government remains steadfast in its commitment to stand with the very community that has been providing Winnipeggers with their drinking water for almost half a century.”
In 1989, Manitoba, Winnipeg and Shoal Lake First Nation 40 signed a 60-year, tri-partite agreement that established a $6-million trust fund for the First Nation, co-funded equally by Manitoba and Winnipeg. The agreement committed the parties to maintain high-quality drinking water for Winnipeg and promote sustainable economic development opportunities for the First Nation.
The lack of road access has long been identified as a key barrier to economic opportunity and causing high costs which have prevented the construction of key community infrastructure, including a water treatment plant.
In April 2014, Manitoba, Winnipeg and Canada cost-shared $3 million toward the detailed design of the all-weather road. While both Manitoba and Winnipeg have committed in principle to the construction of the all-weather road on completion of the design, the federal government has still not made a firm commitment to the sharing of the cost, Minister Caldwell noted.
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