WINNIPEG, Man. — Manitoba’s winter road network was closed in emergency fashion last night after sudden melting that left some truckers stranded in mud.

According to a CBC report, RCMP officers used a helicopter to rescue one stranded truck driver and several other truckers were reportedly still stuck near Wrong Lake. The drivers gathered together and started a fire to keep warm and await rescue.

Yesterday, Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton urged the feds to help cover the costs of transporting goods to remote regions by air due to the sudden closure of Manitoba’s winter roads. Normally, the winter road network would remain open for eight weeks, but this year it was only operational for about five weeks.

“The winter road system is a vital link to deliver key supplies such as food and fuel to northern communities and this year that link is closing sooner than expected due to the weather,” said Ashton. “Today in Ottawa, I’m raising this very important and serious issue with my federal counterparts as I believe they have a role to play in providing for northern residents.” 

About 30,000 residents in 20 remote communities rely on the winter road network for shipments of staple items such as fuel, groceries and construction materials. The roads are conducted mostly over frozen lakes, rivers and muskeg. The latest updates on winter road conditions are available at www.manitoba.ca.