Protesters install blockade along Provincial Road 280, demand repairs

Protesters have installed a blockade along the road between Thompson and Gillam in northern Manitoba. No commercial vehicles, including some Manitoba Hydro vehicles, are allowed to pass but protesters are allowing private vehicles to use the roadway.

The protestors are demanding the new provincial government improve Manitoba Provincial Road 280 road conditions.

Dozens of demonstrators gathered at the Manitoba Legislature Tuesday to draw attention to the issue.

In question period, Manitoba's Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen said the government will continue to work with community members to upgrade PR 280.

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Highway 280 is filled with potholes and ruts, causing unsafe driving conditions, said Nathan Neckoway, band councillor for Tataskweyak Cree Nation. The northern Manitoba community is northeast of Thompson.

"We're having private vehicles, we're having actual semis, a few buses, getting stuck in some of the areas due to soft and pothole conditions," he said. 

"The road condition right now is in the worst condition it ever was due to the high volume of traffic on the highway."

Neckoway said he and some community members will meet with the deputy minister of infrastructure and a spokesperson for Manitoba Hydro.

This isn't the first time Neckoway and other community members have met with the provincial government but this is the first time they will meet with the newly elected government, he said.

"We want to hear their view, and hopefully they have a better commitment and continue to support the upgrades on PR [provincial road] 280," he said.