Farmers protest Bipole III after negotiations with Manitoba Hydro fail

Landowners in southern Manitoba are protesting proposed BipoleIII construction plans, saying Manitoba Hydro has failed to listen to their concerns and work out a deal.

"Hydro has just been bullying their way through and just going on the land," farmer JurgenKohler said.

Agroup of farmers and landownersset up at a transmission site about 2kilometres east of Highway 206 in the rural municipality of Hanover on Saturday morning. They camped out overnight and about 30remained at the spot all day Sunday.

The proposed multibillion-dollar transmission line has sparked concerns amongproperty owners in the surrounding area.

"The standoff is about protecting our property rights, standing up for our property rights, because it seems we have no property rights," Kohler said.

Bert Paquet of theManitobaRCMPsaid officers have been monitoring the protest since Saturday.

"We recognize the right to peaceful and lawful protest," he said."At this point our involvement is only to ensure the safety of the parties involved."

While tensions are high, Kohlersaid farmers like him don't necessarily objectto the construction of BipoleIIIoutright. He feels the source of the conflict comes down to Manitoba Hydro's unwillingnessto sit down at the bargaining table with farmers and landowners over the past two years.

"I understand there should be collective bargaining that other people enjoy in this province, and we should be no different."

Hydro has refused to negotiate with theCanadian Association of Energy and Pipeline Landowner Associationsand the Manitoba BipoleIII Landowners Committee, Kohler said.

Hydro has run an easement agreement by affected property owners, but Kohlerand other holdouts have refused to get on board because they say it is "fundamentally flawed."

"What they're doing is bullying landowners....They're holding our land hostage and saying 'If you sign this easement agreement, then you're going to get your land back and all this money,'" he said.

"We have huge concerns on liability, the rights that you sign away and would give up.They're holding that over landowners' heads."

Some who have signed the easement have potentially done so under stress, Jurgen alleged.