A man who shut down a stretch of a major Alberta highway to fill potholes says he’s prepared for more civil disobedience if the province doesn’t fix all the ones remaining.
Businessman Mohamed Tarrabin says potholes on Highway 63, the main artery that connects the northeastern oilsands hub of Fort McMurray to Edmonton, have never been worse.
In particular, some locals have said it looks like small bombs were dropped on the highway’s two southbound lanes, with holes 15 centimetres deep.
Tarrabin, also a Fort McMurray resident, says that’s why he and about 80 volunteers — all with experience in construction — filled about 200 of those holes on a two-kilometres stretch as a part of a planned protest Friday, with RCMP conducting traffic control.
He says he’s willing to do it again if holes along 200 kilometres of the highway to Wandering River, a hamlet north of Edmonton, are not fixed by July.
“People are fed up with this,” said Tarrabin in a phone interview Tuesday.
“Fort McMurray is the heart and the engine of the economy in Canada, and they treat us like the Gotham of Canada.”
Residents take action
He said those living in the Wood Buffalo region, which is enveloped by some of Canada’s largest oil reserves, had been appealing for months to the government, including Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen.
Then they decided to pick up shovels themselves.
“Billions of dollars go through that road daily,” Tarrabin said. “(Alberta is) taking taxpayer money, and we are funding the government. We are paying the salary of this minister. He’s only good at lip services and empty promises.”
Dreeshen’s office said in a statement that Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors has been actively addressing potholes on Highway 63 through Fort McMurray, “with crews working continuously to complete repairs.”
“Since April 1, the highway maintenance contractor, Emcon, has completed approximately 120,000 kilograms of pothole repairs within the urban service area, with much of this work taking place overnight to minimize impacts on traffic.”
It said more paving work is planned on the highway throughout the summer.
Dreeshen’s office didn’t respond to questions about why citizens were allowed to fill the potholes. He also didn’t respond to questions about the July deadline from Tarrabin.
Questions over legality
Alberta’s Highways Development and Protection Act says that anyone who obstructs or deposits any material on a highway “without justification or excuse” is guilty of an offence. It also says people can’t interfere with or damage a highway.
RCMP said filling the potholes on Highway 63 was a planned protest and officers were in contact with the protest leader, who “understood that they would be liable for any subsequent damage their road work might cause.”
Mounties said in a email Tuesday that they were satisfied it was a legitimate protest.
“RCMP consulted with the province about an injunction, as we would with other demonstrations, and ultimately no injunction was sought.”
RCMP said officers monitored the protest throughout the day.
“There were a few minor traffic-related issues noted at the beginning, but that was quickly addressed and resolved.”
RCMP said no complaints were received and no charges were laid.
Wood Buffalo Mayor Sandy Bowman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment but said in a social media post that he met with Dreeshen a day before the demonstration.
“As a result of our discussions, Alberta Transportation has committed to accelerating maintenance activities, including pothole repairs, road repairs, highway cleaning and line painting,” the post said.
“The department has also committed to providing public updates every two weeks outlining planned maintenance work, so residents can stay informed.”
Bowman said he and the minister also explored the possibility of Wood Buffalo taking over responsibility of maintaining the highway.
“This could include road repairs, pothole maintenance, cleaning, line painting, and beautification of this important gateway corridor,” he said.
Damage sparks protests
Tarrabin said he got the idea to fill the potholes after his large Hummer and Denali SUVs recently hit some of the craters. He said the cost of fixing one of the vehicles was about $10,000.
He shared his experience on social media, and hundreds of others responded with similar stories. He said the demonstration began with a ceremony led by Indigenous leaders and that about 400 people attended.
“Everyone who was passing by were waving for us, honking for us, dropping water, or dropping doughnuts, coffee, food,” he said.
He said RCMP helped shut a southbound lane on the highway and monitored traffic moving in the second lane.
Once potholes were filled, Tarrabin said officers swapped the lane closure so volunteers could get to the other side.
“We got all the equipment, the waivers, the cones, the lights, the signs, everything,” he said.
And he’s prepared to do it again.
“(Dreeshen) has to listen, or otherwise we can make some noise that he cannot ignore.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2026.