Muskrat Falls protesters force Astaldi to keep some workers home

Innu protesters have forced the company building the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project near Happy Valley-Goose Bay to keep some workers out Friday.

• Muskrat Falls entrance blocked by protesters

Astaldi issued a notice saying the dayshift has been cancelled for local workers due to a blockade, but that camp residents will report to work at their regular scheduled time.

Other contractors were also unable to gain access to the site.

TylerLavallee,a linesman and a fibre optic engineer who works with a contractor that does work on the site, said that while heheard about a protest on Thursday evening, he did not think about it when he headed in to work Friday.

"I went in to check if they let anybody in yet today and they said not a soul went in,"Lavalleesaid.

"There's nothing I can do there, so I'm just going to head home for the rest of the day."

The protest began Thursday at the site, where the massive dam is being built on the Churchill River.

"[We] are trying to protect our people, our culture and our land," said Jerome Jack, one of the protesters.

Jack said he has brought a tent and is in this for the longhaul.

Among other things, Jack says they have environmental concerns about the project.

Other protesters told CBC News Friday that they were trying to arrange a meeting with Nalcor Energy to make demands, including more environmental monitors.