One year later: Activist reflects on years of advocacy leading to Lemay Forest expropriation
Posted April 18, 2026 5:56 pm.
Advocate reflects on years of community efforts to protect Lemay Forest as they mark one year since expropriation by the province.
Lemay Forest is over 22 acres of public land in Winnipeg’s St. Norbert neighbourhood. The land has been a matter of dispute for years
Catari Macaulay Gauthier, one of the local residents, was advocating against deforestation in the area.
“Last year at this time, I thought we are going to be in it for a few years for sure,” said Macaulay Gauthier.
In April of 2025, the provincial government announced the expropriation of the land and is now planning to create a provincial park in Lemay Forest.
In March, the province invited community members to get a glimpse of plans for the site.
“The thing that I heard the most is ‘Leave it as it is,’” said Macaulay Gauthier
A year after the expropriation announcement, John Wintrup, a planner working with the developer, says there has been no further communication on that matter.
Wintrup adds that further legal proceedings are planned for December of this year for the land value appraisal commission to determine the compensation to the developer.
“We had a meeting with them a couple of weeks later, maybe a month later, and walked the lands with them to show what they were acquiring,” said Wintrup.
Lemay Forest also hosts a cemetery site for the Asile Ritchot orphanage, where at least 3,383 children died between 1904 and 1948. According to Wintrup, the developer was working on plans to mark the graves.
“We were very excited because we were preparing to roll out the plans to look for the unmarked graves,” said Wintrup.
The coalition to save Lemay Forest also created a photobook representing the five years of activism to protect the forest.
Gauthier says, since the beginning of spring this year, she has been out in the Lemay Forest almost every day.
“It’s so peaceful. And we don’t have to worry about the sound of chainsaws,” said Macaulay Gauthier.
CityNews reached out to the province for a comment, but we did not hear back in time for broadcast.
