‘I am against this road’: One year later, Indigenous man again opposes Calgary Ring Road

CALGARY (CityNews) — Exactly one year and a day after interrupting a ceremony for one of Alberta’s biggest infrastructure projects, an Indigenous man was back to share his grievances on Saturday.

The tone at a press conference to highlight the full opening of the $1.42 billion, 31-kilometre southwest portion of Calgary’s Ring Road changed with the arrival of Seth Cardinal Dodginghorse.

After comments by Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver, Dodginghorse approached the podium and asked McIver to “step aside.”

“It is my Indigenous right to be here and speak,” he said.

WATCH: Seth Dodginghorse’s opening remarks at Ring Road press conference

Surrounded by three police officers, the 27-year-old spoke for five minutes. The audio of his comments were muted on the government’s livestream.

The Alberta Government opened another section of the SW Calgary Ring Road this afternoon and Seth made another appearance to speak. The government's live stream cut out his audio of him speaking. #yyc https://t.co/upiPh4ZPNc

— steve seto (@steveseto) October 2, 2021

On Oct. 1, 2020, Dodginghorse took to the podium and said the project destroyed his family’s land, and they were removed from their homes in 2014. He ended his remarks last year by cutting off his braids.

“I can’t keep coming up here,” Dodginghorse said on Saturday. “But I will if no one else will.

READ: ‘Today is not a good day’: Calgary ring road opening carries mixed emotions

“Just because you give a colonial economic development an Indigenous name, just because you name something the Tsuut’ina Trail, that does not mean that harm hasn’t been done that done not mean that the harms have been healed.

“To the privileged Calgarians who will be travelling on this road, I strongly say, do not drive on this road and do not drive on Tsuut’ina Trail. I know people wont listen to me, but I want them to know that I am against this road and I am against what it stands for.”

Dodginghorse’s five-minute speech was followed by a back-and-forth with Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, one of the speakers at the press conference.

At times, the two spoke over one another, with Nenshi at the podium and Dodginghorse off camera.

“There’s lots of reasons to disagree,” Nenshi said to Dodginghorse. “And I welcome that, because nobody has all the right answers. But we also have to respect the wisdom of the elders who blessed this road, we have to respect the wisdom of the knowledge keepers, we have to respect the knowledge of the Chief and Council, and ultimately not everyone agrees with you.

“Seventy-five per cent of your people voted in favour of this road. … We cannot overwhelm the majority because of some voices.”

The southwest portion of Calgary Ring Road that connects Highway 8 to Macleod Trail SE aims to improve traffic flow.

660NEWS has reached out to the Minister of Transportation and Minister of Municipal Affairs for an explanation as to why Dodginghorse’s audio was muted during the livestream.