MWF raises alarm over “unlawful blockade” on Crown land access

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The Manitoba Wildlife Federation (MWF) is sounding the alarm over what it calls an “unlawful blockade” on a provincial highway leading to the east side of Lake Winnipeg — a move the group says is denying licensed hunters and anglers access to Crown land during moose season and, if left unchecked, could set a “terrible precedent” across the province.

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In letters to both the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Gary Anandasangaree, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, MWF alleges that members of Bloodvein First Nation have set up a roadside barrier, initially referred to as a “check stop,” that is now operating as a full blockade, turning away non-Indigenous hunters from accessing public land.

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According to the federation, Chief Young of Bloodvein First Nation has personally instructed checkpoint personnel to deny entry to hunters and anglers. “We’ve had one angler and now two hunters completely turned away,” said Chris Heald, Senior Policy Advisor with MWF. “Two of the individuals recorded the conversation. In both cases, Chief Young told the check stop personnel to turn them away completely.”

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Firsthand encounter caught on video

One such incident was captured on video at the blockade. A hunter arriving at the site can be heard explaining to checkpoint personnel that he intends to travel along the river and enter Game Hunting Area 17A by moving inland 500 metres — a legal distance required to hunt from a waterway. He asserts that the route follows a provincial highway and Crown land under Treaty 5 and that his activity is lawful under Manitoba’s hunting regulations.

Checkpoint personnel respond that access can only be obtained by float plane, citing communication with provincial officials and referring to the area as a “closure area.” The hunter calmly pushes back, stating, “This is Crown land… I’m just attempting to exercise my rights as a Canadian citizen with a Manitoba-authorized hunting license.” When told he would be turned around, he replies, “That is your choice for refusing me access… I will be turned around and we will let the courts decide.”

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The exchange ends with the hunter being denied passage.

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Dispute over RCMP response

MWF first wrote to the RCMP in late August, arguing that the blockade violates the Highway Traffic Act and the Criminal Code. Assistant Commissioner Scott McMurchy replied Sept. 19, stating there was “no actual blockade” and “no indication that an act contrary to statute… has occurred.”

MWF strongly disputes that account. “Had there been any investigation of this matter,” Managing Director Carly Deacon wrote, “the RCMP would have found that BFN did, in fact, intercept and detain a person.”

Heald said the federation has not received any further response from the RCMP since that exchange. “No response on the last letter. And with every soft or delayed response, the more emboldened these groups become,” he said.

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“Check stop” or “full blockade”?

MWF is also pushing back against what it sees as semantic maneuvering by officials. “There was a language shift to calling it a check stop instead of a blockade,” Heald said. “That’s political maneuvering. A check stop would mean people are allowed through, maybe being checked for drugs or alcohol. But this isn’t that. This is a full blockade.”

Heald noted the province changed regulations to put certain buffers in place, compromises intended to address Bloodvein’s concerns, but stressed that licensed hunters and anglers were still legally entitled to access the area. “Despite those changes, Bloodvein is still not allowing people to travel through,” he said. “These are Crown lands, not reserve lands. Manitobans have every right to access them.”

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Legal access vs. Treaty rights

The federation maintains the issue is not about community safety but about what it considers an unlawful restriction of public access. “While we respect First Nation jurisdiction with respect to reserve lands,” Deacon wrote, “the current barrier blocks the only highway access to a vast area of public land on the east side of Lake Winnipeg.”

Bloodvein First Nation has said its checkpoint aims to control the flow of drugs and alcohol into the community.

But Heald warned the situation could ripple beyond Bloodvein. “This sets a terrible precedent,” he said. “If government doesn’t step in, what’s to stop other groups from blockading access to Crown land? If you don’t like a law, you don’t just blockade something. That’s lawlessness. And the province hasn’t stepped in to say, ‘This isn’t allowed.’”

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Calls for government leadership

The federation has also written to Matt Wiebe, Manitoba’s Minister of Justice, urging the provincial government to take the lead rather than pushing the issue onto MWF.

“The RCMP suggested we should be meeting with Bloodvein First Nation,” Heald said. “But it’s not MWF’s job to negotiate with every nation across Manitoba. The elected government manages natural resources. We have no legal authority to make compromises. That’s the government’s responsibility.”

MWF says it is now consulting legal counsel as moose season nears its close. “People are asking, ‘Can we legally go?’ and the answer is yes, but they’re still being denied access. We need government to make a decision,” Heald said.

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Sensitive issue with deep roots

The matter touches on long-standing tensions in Manitoba where Crown land access, Treaty rights, and resource harvesting often intersect in complex legal and political debates. MWF maintains it supports community safety measures but insists any restrictions must comply with the law and not infringe on public access to Crown land.

One hunter, whose planned trip may be derailed by the blockade, wrote in a letter included with the federation’s correspondence: “We have patiently followed all government rules, entered the draw process, and were fortunate to be selected for a moose hunting license in GHA 17A. We fully respect the land, the rules, and the wildlife… We respectfully ask that the Province of Manitoba and the RCMP ensure that our family is able to access this area in a safe manner without interference.”

As of this week, neither the RCMP nor the provincial government has indicated whether they plan to intervene.

— Steven Sukkau is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

Have thoughts on what’s going on in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, or across the world? Send us a letter to the editor at wpgsun.letters@kleinmedia.ca.

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