Members of several Interlake First Nations, including Peguis, used heavy equipment on May 23, 2026, to remove a provincial gravel barrier that had been blocking access to traditional hunting and medicine-harvesting grounds east of Lake St. Martin, Manitoba.
An orange track loader scooped away the blockade on the Lake St. Martin Access Road as demonstrators held signs reading “274 Our Land” and “First Nations Treaties Matter,” and chanted “This is our land.”
Chief Lawrence Letander of Dauphin River First Nation said the province did not tell the First Nations before cutting off access to territory where community members hunt and gather traditional medicines. “The province didn’t notify Interlake First Nations before it restricted access to their hunting territory,” he said.
Interlake Reserves Tribal Council Executive Director Karl Zadnik said the move broke treaty rights and accused the Manitoba government of dishonesty. “The province has lied to us,” he said, adding there has not been proper consultation about the channel project and its effects on the land and local livelihoods.
Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said the gate was put in as part of the environmental licensing process but is now being reconsidered after hearing from the communities.
Leaders of the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council are set to meet with Minister Naylor and Premier Wab Kinew in early June 2026 to work through the access dispute.
