Shoal Lake 40 First Nation residents were forced to walk across thin ice Friday morning when the ferry connecting the island first nation to the mainland broke down before docking.
“It was scary, being forced to walk across the ice. It was quite the day,” said Chief Erwin Redsky.
“What happened was, because it was so cold, and the wear and tear of our equipment, I think the hydraulics in the engine kind of failed.”
People in Shoal Lake 40 First Nation were left stranded after the barge connecting the island to the mainland broke down Friday.
He had moved his vehicle to the mainland Friday morning just before the barge broke around 11:30 a.m. He said many others, including visitors and service providers, were still on the island when the boat’s engine failed.
The ferry was stuck near the mainland and three boats from the community tried unsuccessfully to pull it out. An excavator from a neighbouring community managed to push it free.
Redsky said this is a challenging time of year, when the lake hasn’t fully frozen over, but the ice forming makes moving the boat difficult.
Without the boat, he said people will be forced to make a treacherous walk across the ice.
In November, the First Nation got the final details of the plan to build a road connecting the island to the Trans-Canada Highway.
On Monday, Redsky will meet with representatives from all three levels of government, including Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman and provincial Indigenous and Municipal Affairs Minister Eileen Clarke. They’ll discuss how to move forward with the construction of “Freedom Road”, as it’s been dubbed.
Shoal Lake 40 was cut off from the mainland by the construction of the aqueduct that supplies Winnipeg with its drinking water. The First Nation has been under a boil water advisory for 18 years.
