Bipole III protest into second day

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This article was published 27/02/2016 (2952 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A standoff north of Mitchell against Manitoba Hydro’s Bipole III project stretched into its second day Sunday morning as frustration over the contentious transmission line mounts.

Tim Wiens and his father Alvin have been joined by supporters since 7 a.m. Saturday morning to prevent the public utility’s contractor from accessing land to prepare for Bipole III line construction, which is bound to run north-south through the Wiens’ farmland. There were more than a dozen protestors on site late Sunday morning.

Unlike a late January confrontation when a contractor tried unloading rebar on land the Wiens’ previously owned, RCMP has not forced demonstrators to leave. Tim Wiens said they have been instructed to not barricade the municipal road.

IAN FROESE | THE CARILLON
Demonstrators against Manitoba Hydro's intrusion on land that has been expropriated by the public utility north of Mitchell gathered for a protest that extended into its second day Sunday.
IAN FROESE | THE CARILLON Demonstrators against Manitoba Hydro's intrusion on land that has been expropriated by the public utility north of Mitchell gathered for a protest that extended into its second day Sunday.

Midland MLA Blaine Pedersen, who joined the demonstrators Sunday, explained the protestors have a right to be there. They are standing on municipal land between the road and expropriated farmland.

The farmland the Bipole III line is designated to run through no longer belongs to the Wiens’ since Manitoba Hydro took ownership. The farmers have not signed the easement agreement, a compensation package agreeing to Hydro’s use of their land.

The contractor’s biosecurity practices are a major concern of the demonstrators, who believe workers are not properly cleaning off their equipment when moving from farmland to farmland, which they say increases the risk of crop and livestock disease.

“This is so emotional for these landowners, this is their livelihood,” said Pedersen.

Tim Wiens’ frustration escalated late last week when he noticed the contractor working on swampy mud, which is more prone to disease transmission than frozen territory. Witnessing that prompted this weekend’s demonstration, said Wiens. He wanted to see the contractor’s cleaning records to ensure proper sanitation is conducted.

“The correct procedure would be to delay and wait until the temperatures got colder,” he said.

A Manitoba Hydro spokesperson refuted accusations they are not adhering to suitable biosecurity protocols in an interview last month.

Scott Powell explained the risk level for diseases is reduced during the winter. He said Hydro has sampled areas surrounding the Bipole III route where clubroot is present, and if found has taken measures to reduce transmission.

Jurgen Kohler, a member of the Manitoba Bipole III landowners committee, said they continue to lobby Manitoba Hydro to negotiate with affected landowners who feel their land has been taken without their consent.

“It has come to this because no negotiations took place in the prior years, where they had a lot of time to come to the table and iron out all of these kinks and there are many of them,” said Wiens.

Anchors are being installed and foundations prepared this winter for the Bipole III towers to be placed.

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