Above all, the fight for Lemay forest showed us that the systems in place don’t govern for people and nature. It took tremendous personal sacrifice for folks to stand up and save this precious, irreplaceable forest… and now they’re paying the price for their service. You can help the land defenders and reflect on how we need to change city policy.    

Bearing Witness

The Wilderness Committee chose to not practice civil disobedience a long time ago. For most of 45 years our actions have stayed within the law of the land. Yet we know some laws are unjust, and the path to changing them is not as simple as writing a letter. 

People choose their own paths to civil disobedience, based upon their values and their desire for change. While the Wilderness Committee doesn’t participate in civil disobedience, we don’t condemn non-violent civil disobedience by others. Reasoned and thoughtful resistance through civil disobedience can often serve as a check on the political system and prevent serious departures from justice. 

We bear witness to these actions, helping spread stories about the brave people who put themselves in legal peril for nature and a better world. From Clayquot Sound in the 1990s to Burnaby Mountain in the 2010s to Fairy Creek in 2020s, we amplify what people value and what they're willing to sacrifice to change the world.

Aggressively pushed to peril

Between December 2024 and April 2025, a group — primarily women — stood up for Lemay Forest, keeping the chainsaws away from the trees by standing in the way of destruction. Their actions saved Lemay Forest. But this positive outcome for the public was paid for by their personal loss.

We knew that the Lemay Forest developer was keen to charge protesters in the past, using costly legal action as a means to bully the public. On the last day, when the developer lost Lemay Forest, his outlandish public comments about needing protection from protesters laid bare his strategy of exaggeration to try and garner public support. His statements about needing the nine squad cars we witnessed on site to access the forest is an absolute fallacy. There were only two people at the ceremonial fire when the chainsaws showed up: a man in his 60s who walks with a limp and a young Indigenous mother. 

The developer’s actions, presumably authorized by the land owner, inflamed a grievous situation as the public and Lemay Forest defenders were learning of the trauma this sacred land has witnessed. Without aggression from the developer, people standing up for the forest wouldn’t be facing legal jeopardy. Although Premier Wab Kinew ultimately stepped in to make the right decision, land defenders are still paying the price for this new park. 

Supporting success in the forest

Louise May, who brought the private prosecution under the Cemeteries Act that kept the trees standing through March, has now been convicted of contempt and fined $15,000. There are legal actions outstanding against the people who stood up for the forest as well as the Coalition to Save Lemay Forest. There is a Land Defenders Legal Fund being organized so people can support the folks being prosecuted for saving the forest. While the Wilderness Committee doesn’t participate in civil disobedience, we know these actions were an effective and morally justifiable way to save Lemay Forest in an unjust system.

To the province’s credit, Premier Kinew’s government brought in ant-SLAPP legislation this year, which will help limit moneyed developers from skewing actions against the public good. Unfortunately the Lemay Forest campaign— the Wilderness Committee’s first campaign inside the City of Winnipeg— laid bare the lack of municipal policy to care for forests and nature, and exposed gross cowardice from the majority of city elected officials in the face of bullying developers. We have much to improve so the City of Winnipeg becomes the vibrant green city we need. 

If you’re able to support and follow the Land Defenders Legal Fund, please do so. Then stay engaged with the Wilderness Committee as we work with our ally organizations to build a city system where nature and people matter.