Sask. premier pledges to fix lone road to Cumberland House, despite cutting northern highway budget

The mayor and councillors of Cumberland House have declared a state of emergency over the poor state of the only road in and out of town — Saskatchewan Highway 123.

The mayor and councillors of Cumberland House have declared a state of emergency over the poor state of the only road in and out of town — Saskatchewan Highway 123.

Residents of Cumberland House contacted CTV News earlier this month reporting the unpaved portion of Highway 123 was in disrepair and becoming hazardous to travel. Since then, rainy weather has made conditions even worse, and supply trucks are unable to consistently get food, fuel and other supplies into the village.

The Ministry of Highways indicated it had planned to spend $3.3 million this summer on repairs of the road, which locals say is built level with the ditch, making it highly susceptible to flooding.

On Thursday, Premier Scott Moe signaled he would consider a larger investment to fix the issues with Highway 123.

“We’ll work with the community on any immediate challenges that they have and also work with the community on, you know, what the investment looks like for that road in the future, and I would say it needs to be more, not less,” he said Thursday morning at an event in Whitecap Dakota First Nation.

Moe said Highway 123 was a “priority conversation” in the Ministry of Highways and he would be meeting with ministry officials to find out what needs to be done to make sure the road is passable in the short term.