First Nations blockade 2 N.S. highways as tensions escalate over cannabis raids | CBC News
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More than a dozen RCMP officers were trapped behind a barricade and traffic was rerouted on a major Cape Breton highway Thursday morning as community members protested a police raid on an Indigenous cannabis shop.
Employees of the Sikku Shop on Highway 4 in Potlotek First Nation said RCMP arrived early in the morning before the shop opened and broke down the door.
They loaded a U-Haul trailer with cannabis products, shelves and drink coolers and then took off, leaving other officers and their vehicles behind.
Eight RCMP vehicles were blocked in at the scene for about four hours as community members gathered on the road.
Later in the morning, other RCMP vehicles arrived at the scene, and the officers who had remained got out of their vehicles and walked out of the blockade carrying rifles and duffel bags.
The officers left quickly in unmarked SUVs as community members whooped and hollered.
Potlotek band councillor Mary Johnson said the community plans to maintain the blockade until police return the products taken from the store.
Traffic was backed up on Highway 4, one of two routes between Sydney and the Canso Causeway, as a result of the closure. Highway 105 between Sydney and the causeway remains open.
RCMP say officers were executing a search warrant at the store.
An RCMP spokesperson said in a statement that people “have a protected right to lawfully, peacefully and safely assemble,” and that crimes against people or property will not be tolerated.
The statement noted that the RCMP’s liaison team is engaged and “communications are ongoing with community leaders.”
Highway 102 blockade
Meanwhile, members of Sipekne’katik First Nation have blocked one southbound lane of Highway 102 — the main highway linking Halifax and northern Nova Scotia.
The protest, which began around noon Thursday, was announced on Facebook by Chief Michelle Glasgow.
The post said “it’s not about ‘weed shops’ being raided. It’s about the government asserting jurisdiction over our communities and over our unceded Mik’maq lands.”
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