Calls on Premier Kinew to keep police out of it and to support Bloodvein’s treaty rights
SAGKEENG ANICINABE NATION, TREATY 1 TERRITORY (September 28, 2026) — Sagkeeng Anicinabe Nation stands with Bloodvein River First Nation and Chief Lisa Young as Bloodvein works to protect the moose in its territory and to keep drugs and alcohol out of its community.
Last week, the Province of Manitoba sent Bloodvein a cease-and-desist letter and passed it to the RCMP. That was the wrong choice. Sagkeeng calls on Premier Wab Kinew to confirm, publicly and immediately, that Manitoba will not ask the RCMP or any other police service to remove the checkstop or to use force against the people of Bloodvein.
“We have seen where this road goes,” said Chief E.J. Fontaine. “When governments send police to deal with First Nations protecting their land, people get hurt. Sagkeeng knows that history, and so does the Premier.”
Conservation is the point
Bloodvein is exercising its treaty rights and legal obligations. Chief Young has been clear that this is about food security and community safety. Bloodvein’s members depend on moose. When the herd goes, the food goes with it, and no licence system replaces that.
Bloodvein has also been reasonable. Its members have worked with hunters at the checkstop and reached voluntary agreements to keep hunting away from the Bloodvein River and Long Body Creek. That is not a blockade. That is a First Nation managing its territory and finding a way for everyone to get through the season.
Treaty is a two-way promise
The Premier says treaties are about sharing the land. He is right, and that is exactly the problem. Sharing is not one-directional. A treaty that lets everyone else hunt while the Nation that signed it watches the moose disappear is not a treaty anyone would have agreed to.
The Crown’s obligation is to consult Bloodvein and work toward its consent on decisions that affect its rights. Bloodvein is asking for that. It has not been given it.
What Sagkeeng is asking for
Sagkeeng calls on the Government of Manitoba to:
- Withdraw the cease-and-desist letter and confirm no police enforcement will be sought;
- Sit down with Bloodvein leadership on a government-to-government basis, including on moose licensing and tag allocations in the affected game hunting areas;
- Fund and share joint moose population monitoring that treats Bloodvein’s knowledge of the territory as evidence, not anecdote; and
- Set a conservation plan with Bloodvein before the next season, so no one is back at a checkstop in a year’s time.
Sagkeeng also asks Manitobans, including licensed hunters, to understand what is being asked of them. Going further north for a season is an inconvenience. Losing the moose is permanent.
“Bloodvein should not have to choose between feeding its people and being treated like a criminal on its own land,” said Chief Fontaine. “Premier, call off the RCMP and come to the table.”
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Media contact:
Jason Fontaine; CEO Sagkeeng Anicinabe Nation
204-830-1289 | jkfontaine@sagkeeng.ca
