Here is what this Legislature encampment member is saying after getting eviction notices

A member of the encampments on the Manitoba Legislature grounds handed eviction notices says they plan on staying put and fighting the move.

Occupants of two encampments have been told they must leave and remove their tents and belongings in one week. On Wednesday, police and provincial officials attended the camps and handed out eviction notices for August 23.

The group on the east side of the Legislature has been there for more than a year. That encampment was set up to honour the lives of children buried at former residential school sites. Members vowed to stay there until all of the bodies are found across Canada.

Billy, a member of the east encampment who did not want his last name used, said he and others there are disappointed by the notice and say they are peaceful and not bothering anyone.

He said they are not going anywhere.

“We’re going to stay, we’re going to fight for this,” Billy said. “We’re going to have pretty much a rally or protest about this, they shouldn’t be doing this.”

The eviction notice says the encampment is in violation of a new law banning people from erecting permanent structures and occupying a tent or portable shelter on the grounds.

That law comes after multiple protests on the grounds, including the weeks-long trucker protest earlier this year which blocked traffic around the legislature, and the protests on Canada Day 2021 where the Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth statues were toppled outside the legislature.

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said the law aims to ensure everyone's safety including those working in the Legislative building and those protesting outside of it.

"Obviously, we want to be open to protesters – that is their right to be here on the Legislative grounds but we want to ensure safety first," she said.

"It is not a place to be staying overnight. It is a place for peaceful protest. We believe that, but again, it is going to be up to law enforcement as to how they go about moving that along."

In a statement to CTV News, the provincial Justice Department said justice officials are in constant communication with law enforcement and are the lead on all interactions with the encampments. It confirmed the eviction notices were issued Wednesday to the encampments on the grounds.