RM of Winslow stops road project until end of 2019

The Rural Municipality of Winslow announced that it will be holding off on its road expansion project until at least the end of 2019.

The expansion project was under scrutiny after the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations called for the “immediate halt” to construction after the discovery of artifacts that were hundreds of years old.

In a media release, the RM’s reeve, Sheldon McLean, stated:

“We respect the rights of individuals to express their opinions and concerns, and would also value their advice, which is why the RM of Winslow has begun the engagement process with representatives from currently involved First Nation groups. We look forward to having open and meaningful conversations with the involved First Nation groups and we hope to find a respectful and mutually acceptable solution to this proposed project.”

In the release, McLean noted that it’s understood that the RM is “located very close to the Herschel Petroglyph / Tipi Ring Site which is something our community respects and values.”

Originally, the RM completed a Heritage Resources Impact Assessment, which was completed in July 2018.

After finding the artifacts, which included a number of ancient Indigenous artifacts that dated from approximately 1655 to 1950, the RM was granted regulatory approval by the Heritage Conservation Branch to proceed with the proposed road development.

In early June, it halted the project for the remainder of the month.