First Nation blocks main highway to Halifax over cannabis crackdown

A First Nation says it is blockading part of a main highway into Halifax to protest police raids against unlicensed cannabis dispensaries in Indigenous communities.

Tensions have been rising between the provincial government and some First Nations communities since the Justice Department directed police in December to crack down on unlicensed cannabis shops.

Michelle Glasgow, chief of Sipekne’katik First Nation, said on social media that members of her community have blocked part of Highway 102 near Shubenacadie, N.S., about 50 kilometres north Halifax.

She says the protest isn’t directly about cannabis but about the province asserting jurisdiction over unceded Mi’kmaq lands.

The RCMP have issued an alert saying Highway 102 near exit 10 is reduced to one lane.

Premier Tim Houston has said that illegal cannabis represents a serious harm to Nova Scotians.