The city of Winnipeg on Friday obtained an injunction to end a protest against the blocking of access to the city’s main landfill. Activists are condemning the province’s decision not to pay for a search to find a landfill site believed to contain the bodies of murdered tribal women.
Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Judge Sheldon Lanchbery accepted the city government’s arguments and issued the restraining order shortly after 1 p.m. Friday. This comes into effect at 6 p.m. on Friday.
Several conditions have been added. In particular, the judge pointed out that protesters must be able to remain on the premises or nearby, and that they also have the right to distribute leaflets to motorists.
The Winnipeg Police Service has full authority to enforce the restraining order, the judge said. The city must be able to operate the landfill, he added.
No police intervention on Friday night, the restraining order was burning
At the time of writing these lines on Friday evening, no police intervention had taken place despite the temporary injunction that had been decided a few hours earlier.
The tension there was still palpable. Unmarked police vehicles were seen near the closure. The demonstrators reiterated that they wanted to avoid violence.
At around 7:30 p.m., a group burned the restraining order posted at the entrance to the landfill.
The judge had previously requested that this legal document be posted at the entrance to the facility.
If the police came to tell them to leave, the demonstrators are already considering setting up Camp Morgan at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, a key figure in the blockade movement, activist Joseph Munroe, explains on his Facebook Live.
The activist was also able to have multiple exchanges with an intermediary who worked with the police when the injunction was in place.
Activists who supported the start of the excavations expressed their anger as they exited the court. A protester promises to continue the blockade despite the injunction. We’re being arrested at the dump at 6 p.m. today. We need all the support we can get.
At the cordon, Diane Bousquet, another protester, said she was briefed on the restraining order the judge issued to the city. I hope that we can find a peaceful solution. We will play the drums, light the sacred fire, tell each other stories and not rob each other.
Nahanni Fontaine, MLA for the New Manitoba Democratic Party, also came to the blockade to deliver a double message to protesters. I have come to show my support for the protesters, but above all to ensure their safety is a priority and there is no escalation [des tensions]She says.
The hearing had been postponed several times since Wednesday.
The city of Winnipeg had ordered protesters to leave by noon Monday, but that deadline was ignored.
Winnipeg is concerned about environmental risks
In an affidavit filed Tuesday in Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench, the city said it was concerned about environmental and safety risks, as well as financial losses that would cause irreparable damage to residents and businesses if the injunction is not enforced.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Mayor Scott Gillingham indicated that it is his responsibility to continue with waste collection.
Disruption to landfill operations could result in toxic materials leaching into the soil and pose a risk to the city that could violate its environmental licenses, city manager Michael Jack said Monday.
Protesters have been blocking access to the landfill since last Thursday after the Manitoba government announced it would not fund excavation at the Prairie Green landfill to search for the remains of two missing Indigenous women. According to the provincial government, these excavations could pose health risks to those involved in this research.
Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson has repeatedly reiterated her government’s decision not to fund the excavation of the Prairie Green landfill.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State for Crown Indigenous Relations Marc Miller lamented the Manitoba government’s decision, calling it heartless.
Search for the victims of a suspected serial killer
Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran and an unknown woman named Mashkode Bizihiki’kwe, or Buffalo Woman, are the victims of a suspected serial killer. The remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran are believed to be at the Prairie Green landfill.
In June 2022, the remains of Rebecca Contois, another victim of the alleged serial killer, were found at the Brady Road landfill. Police do not know the whereabouts of Mashkode Bizihiki’kwe’s remains.
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Activists gather around a street mural honoring missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls near the Brady Road landfill on Monday.
Photo: Radio Canada / Anne-Charlotte Carignan
Over the weekend, demonstrators said they were ready to leave. However, they decided to continue their movement after a man threw debris at a floor painting they were making in the street on Sunday.
Between December 11, 2022 and January 6, 2023, another Brady Road landfill blockade cost the city of Winnipeg $1.5 million.
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Demonstrators set up a barricade on Monday.
Photo: Radio Canada / Anne-Charlotte Carignan
Since then, a group of protesters had moved to the edge of the landfill without blocking it to raise awareness of the murdered and missing tribal women and girls.