No charges after Halloween display depicts municipal politicians hanging from a noose in Manitoba

Manitoba authorities say there will be no charges “at this time” after a gruesome Halloween display went up in a town southeast of Winnipeg believed by some to have been erected to intimidate local politicians.

Manitoba RCMP tell CityNews their investigation into the display has ended. It purportedly featured five nearly life-sized person-shaped figures hanging from a noose in a home’s yard in Ste. Geneviève, in the RM of Taché.

Mounties say the display came down Sunday after Steinbach RCMP received two complaints about it between Oct. 26 and Oct. 29.

Ivan Normandeau, president of the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities, told The Canadian Press the display included a yellow-and-white sign above the figures that said: “Politics All Tricks No Treats.”

Normandeau, who is also the reeve of the nearby municipality of La Broquerie, said four of the figures had the word “ward” written on their legs next to numbers that seem to refer to specific wards in Taché.

Taché Mayor Armand Poirier says his council met over the weekend to discuss the display.

Normandeau said he believed one figure represents Taché’s mayor, noting it wore a red crown and had a sign next to it that said: Taché Muncipal Matters For Sale.

“This is so intimidating and it’s graphic,” Normandeau said.

“I know all the councillors in that municipality … It’s crazy how a person can put this in front of their house and think nothing of it.”

He said he has received threatening phone calls and emails over the years but has never seen a display like the one in Taché in the municipalities he represents.

He said social media has made people more comfortable intimidating government officials.

“I’ve been doing this for 12 years and it wasn’t as bad as the last five or six years with social media. It’s something that needs to be addressed,” he said.

Taché is about 40 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg.