Saskatchewan blockade to continue

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Dozens of Native people are continuing to blockade a road into a northern Saskatchewan logging area in a protest over forestry methods and community control

of timber harvests.

Residents of three communities were close to reaching a deal with Meadow Lake Tribal Council, shareholders in the company at the centre of the dispute. But talks broke down at the last moment, leaving the barricades in place and logging activity apparently at a standstill.

Members of the Canoe Lake, Jans Bay and Cole Bay Cree bands erected the blockade on Highway 903 about 65 km north of Meadow Lake to protest forestry practices by Mistik Management, a branch of the NorSask Forest Products.

The protesters are demanding an end to the use of mechanical clear-cuts, which they say are limiting job opportunities in their communities. They are also asking for community-based forest co-management boards to balance the needs of modern and traditional forest users.