Heavy rains have made Saskatchewan's Hwy. 123 largely impassable, prompting a state of emergency in Cumberland House and NDP demands for a Sask Party government response.Official Opposition Leader Carla Beck called for a long-term solution at a media event today.“Cumberland House is in a state of emergency and the local leaders I’ve heard from rightly feel the government is not doing everything in its power to help,” said Beck. “This is Saskatchewan. People shouldn’t have to go without food, fuel and medicine.”Beck committed to working with local leaders to stabilize the road and come up with a long-term fix if given the privilege of forming government. In the short term, the Opposition urged the Moe government to deploy resources and road builders, ensure safety, and maintain essential traffic for families, goods, and supplies, including through no-cost airlifts if necessary.Cumberland MLA Doyle Vermette and Highways Critic Trent Wotherspoon first urged the government to take many of these measures in a letter to Highways Minister Lori Carr on May 6. The Minister responded on May 23, saying that her officials were “optimistic” that “conditions will improve significantly.” Cumberland House declared a state of emergency the following day.“This situation needs to be treated like the emergency it is,” said Wotherspoon. “There’s only one road in, and that road is essentially impassable, lacking cell service and without official signage for the community - a community with so much history.”The Sask. Party government’s budget 2023/24 allocated “$89.4 million to build, operate and maintain the transportation system in northern Saskatchewan.” In the latest provincial budget, that figure was cut down to $73.5 million.“I have an invitation for the Premier. Let’s meet where the pavement ends and I’ll let you drive and see it for yourself,” said Vermette. “I don’t think this government realizes how bad our road is.”In comments to reporters on Monday, Premier Scott Moe said he had already been on the highway, though not of late."I've been up that road. It's not the best road. And it certainly isn't with the rainfall that we've been having this spring. My understanding is SPSA [Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency] has been in constant contact with the community and the minister has reached out as well, and will be travelling up there to meet with the leadership in the community."The Ministry of Highways has indicated plans to spend $3.3 million this summer to repair the highway. Last Thursday, Moe suggested more might be forthcoming."We’ll work with the community on any immediate challenges that they have and also work with the community on what the investment looks like for that road in the future, and I would say it needs to be more, not less,” Moe said Thursday morning at an event in Whitecap Dakota First Nation.An online petition calling on the Ministry of Highways for “immediate action” to secure safe and reliable access to Cumberland House has gathered nearly 2,100 signatures since it was launched May 17.Cumberland House Mayor Ferlin McKay declared the state of emergency in a press release Friday."The deplorable and deteriorating conditions of Hwy. 123 put the health and well-being of our community members in jeopardy. With the support of Cumberland Cree Nation and Métis Nation-Saskatchewan Eastern Region I, we are declaring a state of emergency in our region," McKay said."Essential things like milk, bread, baby formula and prescription medications are dwindling."Cumberland House, is Saskatchewan’s oldest settlement and celebrates its 250th anniversary this year. It’s located 308 kilometres northeast of Prince Albert.
Heavy rains have made Saskatchewan's Hwy. 123 largely impassable, prompting a state of emergency in Cumberland House and NDP demands for a Sask Party government response.Official Opposition Leader Carla Beck called for a long-term solution at a media event today.“Cumberland House is in a state of emergency and the local leaders I’ve heard from rightly feel the government is not doing everything in its power to help,” said Beck. “This is Saskatchewan. People shouldn’t have to go without food, fuel and medicine.”Beck committed to working with local leaders to stabilize the road and come up with a long-term fix if given the privilege of forming government. In the short term, the Opposition urged the Moe government to deploy resources and road builders, ensure safety, and maintain essential traffic for families, goods, and supplies, including through no-cost airlifts if necessary.Cumberland MLA Doyle Vermette and Highways Critic Trent Wotherspoon first urged the government to take many of these measures in a letter to Highways Minister Lori Carr on May 6. The Minister responded on May 23, saying that her officials were “optimistic” that “conditions will improve significantly.” Cumberland House declared a state of emergency the following day.“This situation needs to be treated like the emergency it is,” said Wotherspoon. “There’s only one road in, and that road is essentially impassable, lacking cell service and without official signage for the community - a community with so much history.”The Sask. Party government’s budget 2023/24 allocated “$89.4 million to build, operate and maintain the transportation system in northern Saskatchewan.” In the latest provincial budget, that figure was cut down to $73.5 million.“I have an invitation for the Premier. Let’s meet where the pavement ends and I’ll let you drive and see it for yourself,” said Vermette. “I don’t think this government realizes how bad our road is.”In comments to reporters on Monday, Premier Scott Moe said he had already been on the highway, though not of late."I've been up that road. It's not the best road. And it certainly isn't with the rainfall that we've been having this spring. My understanding is SPSA [Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency] has been in constant contact with the community and the minister has reached out as well, and will be travelling up there to meet with the leadership in the community."The Ministry of Highways has indicated plans to spend $3.3 million this summer to repair the highway. Last Thursday, Moe suggested more might be forthcoming."We’ll work with the community on any immediate challenges that they have and also work with the community on what the investment looks like for that road in the future, and I would say it needs to be more, not less,” Moe said Thursday morning at an event in Whitecap Dakota First Nation.An online petition calling on the Ministry of Highways for “immediate action” to secure safe and reliable access to Cumberland House has gathered nearly 2,100 signatures since it was launched May 17.Cumberland House Mayor Ferlin McKay declared the state of emergency in a press release Friday."The deplorable and deteriorating conditions of Hwy. 123 put the health and well-being of our community members in jeopardy. With the support of Cumberland Cree Nation and Métis Nation-Saskatchewan Eastern Region I, we are declaring a state of emergency in our region," McKay said."Essential things like milk, bread, baby formula and prescription medications are dwindling."Cumberland House, is Saskatchewan’s oldest settlement and celebrates its 250th anniversary this year. It’s located 308 kilometres northeast of Prince Albert.
