Eviction warnings handed to longtime Manitoba legislature encampments
Eviction warnings have been given to two longtime encampments on the Manitoba legislature grounds.
A handful of police were present Wednesday as the notices were given to demonstrators on the north and east sides of the legislative building.
A statement from Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen's office said rallies and protests are acceptable on the grounds.
But, the statement said, encampments are not permitted for the safety of staff, visitors, tourists and other protesters.
The move comes after the Progressive Conservative government passed legislation earlier this year to deal with the encampments.
It gives cabinet authority to determine what can and cannot occur on the legislature grounds, which includes banning encampments, vandalism and vehicle blockades.
It also bans setting fires, brandishing weapons, as well as depositing generators, firewood or other items to support an encampment.
"Those regulations bring Manitoba in line with other jurisdictions across Canada, regardless of political stripe," the statement from Goertzen's office said.
Manitoba Justice officials are the lead on all interactions with the encampments, the statement said. Winnipeg police said officers were assisting the province.
The government did not indicate how long the encampments had to leave the area.
One of the encampments that received notice has been in place for more than a year and includes several tents, flags and other structures. It was set up after the discovery of possible unmarked graves at the sites of former residential schools.
A second encampment popped up around June and includes a large teepee on the front lawn. It had previously been associated with nearby parked vehicles that had messages opposing COVID-19 public health restrictions posted on them.
Last summer, a statue of Queen Victoria was knocked down and beheaded during a Canada Day demonstration following the discovery of the graves. A Queen Elizabeth statue was also toppled.
Earlier this year, protesters opposing COVID-19 restrictions also blocked off the streets in front of the legislature for nearly three weeks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.