Fatal crash on Manitoba highway prompts safety concerns

A map showing Brokenhead Ojibway Nation and Scanterbury.

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) and Brokenhead Ojibway Nation are holding a news conference on Monday to discuss safety concerns and measures following a fatal highway crash last week.

According to the RCMP, the crash took place on Thursday night on Highway 59 in the community of Scanterbury.

Mounties said a 75-year-old man was walking north on the right-hand side shoulder of the highway when he was hit by a car and killed. The driver of the car did not stay at the scene.

On Monday afternoon, the AMC and Brokenhead Ojibway Nation will be addressing concerns surrounding this incident and the death of a community member.

According to a news release, the groups are calling for changes including a speed reduction, proper lighting and safe crossing points on Highway 59, which runs through Brokenhead Ojibway Nation.

“For years, the community has met with and demanded that the Government of Manitoba

improve the safety of Provincial Highway 59 for our members, children, and for everyone that

uses the busy highway to get to the beaches along Lake Winnipeg and beyond,” said

Brokenhead Ojibway Nation Chief Gord Bluesky in a news release.

“It’s unacceptable that this stretch of highway continues to lack the basic safety measures that are in place elsewhere.”

The news conference will be held on Monday at 2 p.m. in Winnipeg.