Protesters continue blockade

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Despite a police raid and 30 arrests, demonstrators are continuing to blockade a northern Saskatchewan highway to protect logging by a Native-owned forestry company.

"If they don't meet our demands, we are here to stay," said Leon Iron, one of the leaders of the two-month-old blockade about 65 km north of Meadow Lake on Highway 903.

The blockade, which has been drawing up to 100 supporters a day, is opposing clear-cut logging in the region by Mistik Management, which manages forests in the area for NorSask Forest Products. NorSask is owned in part by the Meadow Lake Tribal Council.

Two weeks ago 80 RCMP officers in riot gear raided the blockade and arrested

30 people on trespassing charges.

The RCMP left the blockade four days after receiving assurances from local elders there were no guns at the site and that protesters would not disrupt the normal flow of traffic.

Since then, many of the people arrested have returned to the site. And with a total collapse of negotiations between the protesters and the tribal council, there is no end to the dispute in sight.

"We are not going to negotiate with a blockade," tribal council vice-president Oneill Gladue said. "We are not going to deal with non-elected people...We are dealing with self-government now. We have to focus on elected leadership."

Gladue said the tribal council is now touring the region's nine communities to set up local forest co-management boards, a process he expects to be complete" by the time the snow flies"

The blockade went up in May with a group of angry residents from three of the communities demanding an end to clear-cut harvests and the use of mechanical harvesters. They said clear-cuts damaged the enviornment and the mechanical harvesters took jobs away from the area residents. A tentative deal between the protesters and the tribal council quickly fell apart when the two groups met face to face.