Five more charged after encampment removed at Manitoba Legislature
The Winnipeg Police Service has charged five more people after an encampment was cleared at the Manitoba Legislature on Tuesday.
Police announced Wednesday that they had charged five people with obstructing a peace officer and occupying a tent or portable structure on the legislative grounds after they failed to leave the north encampment on the grounds.
The five charged were Trina Francois, 45; Daniel Jones, 43; Phillip McLennan, 50; Gregory Pittman, 50; and Owen Hall, 54.
This comes a day after seven people were arrested and charged during the removal of the encampment. The WPS said Tyler Demarchuk, 27; Patrick Neilen, 34; Aaron Lee Dumas, 45; Eduardo Alberto Barahona, 55; Krystal Lisa Kerriann Jensen, 35; Monique Cusson, 36; and Ashley Catcheway, 39; were charged with obstructing peace officers and depositing items in the legislative precinct that support extended stay.
None of the charges against any of the 12 arrested have been tested in court.
Police said they also seized multiple weapons from the encampments, including three axes, a machete, a hammer, a spear, body armour, and a three-foot club.
Officers began removing the camp one day after occupants were allegedly bringing in building materials to build a new teepee to expand the camp. Approximately 40 police officers were involved in the removal of the camp, and fencing is now around the site.
'AN EROSION OF COOPERATION'
Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen said in a statement on Monday that security concerns had escalated over the past few weeks, citing verbal assaults and threats to staff and visitors.
Supt. David Dalal with the Winnipeg Police Service said police had been in contact with people at the encampment, and that there had been a change in the recent interactions.
“What we saw was an erosion of cooperation and an increase in both rhetoric and aggression and a complete unwillingness to be reasonable about restricting expansion around the camp,” he said.
The government passed a law in the spring that forbids encampments on the legislature grounds and bans people from supplying generators, firewood, and other goods.
People who break the rules can be evicted from the grounds and face fines of up to $5,000.
With files from CTV’s Katherine Dow and Jeff Keele
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
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.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.