Despite months of community opposition, controversial developer cuts down trees during bird breeding season

WINNIPEG / TREATY 1 TERRITORY AND HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS NATION — After months of heated debate and widespread public backlash over the fate of the Lemay Forest in south Winnipeg, work crews for the owner and developer have begun cutting trees here this morning. The Wilderness Committee is blaming all levels of government for failing to protect this historic forest over decades.

Community members and Indigenous leaders have been calling for the protection of Lemay for months, maintaining a presence near this sacred forest site while hosting several walks and demonstrations around the area and at the Manitoba legislature. Documentation about the abandoned Asile Ritchot Cemetery indicates unmarked graves in this forest.

“Manitobans should be horrified by the callous inaction by every level of government, which has led to this tragedy,” said Wilderness and Water Campaigner Eric Reder. “No government has been willing to fix the mistakes that have allowed an Indigenous sacred site and cemetery with the documented remains of children, including those of victims of the residential school system, to be cut down for private profit.“

Additionally, the tree felling underway in the Lemay Forest this morning comes during breeding season for the pileated woodpecker and other migratory birds, during which trees in nesting areas are protected by federal law. Federal Migratory Bird Regulations prohibit any destruction of nesting areas starting mid-April and documentation this past weekend has confirmed a significant amount of birds arriving in Manitoba for breeding. 

“The federal government needs to be on site right now to end cutting during the breeding season. This ancient forest is an irreplaceable ecological gem with over 200 year old trees. If they don’t act today, we'll lose something we cannot get back,” said Reder.”

The Wilderness Committee is calling on the province and the City of Winnipeg to rezone the Lemay Forest to recognize this is a cemetery and a burial site, not agricultural land. The province must immediately issue a notice of intent to designate the Lemay Forest a heritage site. The group is also calling on the federal government to initiate proper Indigenous consultation as per section 35 of Canada's Constitution Act, rather than leaving it to the developer.

The Wilderness Committee has identified the Lemay Forest as a prime candidate for a badly-needed urban protected area, and has worked actively with community members to document the threat to the forest and opposition to its development. Staff with the group are on site this morning to document the destruction underway, and will continue to monitor the situation and advocate for the forest’s protection.

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For more information, please contact:

Eric Reder | Wilderness and Water Campaigner
204-997-8584, eric@wildernesscommittee.org