Some drivers attempting to bypass traffic along Highway 1 after a deadly crash Aug. 24 have reported encountering blockades on private roads in and around Morley.
The crash happened west of Scott Lake Hill and left an 86-year-old woman dead with multiple people sent to hospital. With traffic backed up for hours, some drivers decided to cut through the private roads on Stoney Nakoda First Nation where they ran into the blockades. Global Calgary posted one encounter, captured on video, where it’s audible that the unidentified individual at the driver’s door asks the driver to pay $20 to pass or be fined for trespassing.
Ken Christensen, senior administrator for Stoney Tribal Administration, said no chiefs or administration members were aware of this “toll” beforehand, but wanted to emphasize what the drivers were doing was illegal.
“There weren’t people asking for tolls on the highway between 1 and 1A, but they were asking for a toll on reserve land, where people were illegally trespassing and illegally using the roads.”
He said that many drivers were already cutting through nation land to bypass the major summer paving project along Highway 1, causing concern among residents.
“There’s been a lot of dust and noise; people are concerned about their children, their dogs, pedestrians.”
Christensen had previously expressed to CTV News that “nobody did anything wrong in collecting a toll.”
Sgt. Jeff Campbell with Cochrane RCMP said they have received a number of calls regarding the tolls being collected. “Our bottom line is we don’t condone it and if somebody has been forced to pay a toll, then we’ll investigate it.”
Campbell said that if they could identify who was charging and collecting the money, then possible extortion charges would be pursued if applicable.
However, he did acknowledge the case as “tricky,” because the tolls collected were on private land with no trespassing signs posted. The RCMP would then have to consult the Crown on legality of pursing charges, if a case is made.
Concerns have been previously raised by nation residents about drivers taking shortcuts on private roads, according to Campbell. “We have had complaints from the Stoney Nakoda Nation regarding people cutting through on side roads and putting kids on the road in jeopardy.”
It was reported in Calgary media that Premier Rachel Notley said the province had no jurisdiction over the toll.
