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This article was published 21/12/2011 (3206 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS At 7 Wednesday morning, Manitoba Conservation officers informed the three individuals in the tents at the Occupy Winnipeg camp that their protest was over in Memorial Park and the tents and belongings were hauled away in trailers and were gone by 8. The items will be returned later to owners.

Occupy Winnipeg is over.

At 7 a.m., more than a dozen police and provincial parks officers swooped down on the longest encampment of the Occupy movement and dismantled the last of the tents.

"I was surprised, actually," said Terry Weaymouth, one of the last three protesters left at the ragtag site that has occupied Memorial Park for more than 40 days.

"We’ve been very co-operative... They said we weren’t under arrest, but they checked us for weapons, and put us in a police car," Weaymouth said, while the officers tossed tents, lawn chairs, rugs, hay bales and assorted debris into trucks.

Manitoba Conservation’s Joe Johanneson explained that several fires had occurred in the provincial park, and the site had become "an unmanageable risk."

The province made the decision to close it down Tuesday.

Conservation Minister Dave Chomiak said the province evicted the protesters because of safety concerns. He told reporters Wednesday afternoon that the province received a report from the Office of the Fire Commissioner on Tuesday stating that "conditions were unsafe" at the Memorial Park site.

"We respect people’s right to their opinions. We respect people’s right to protest…But when it comes to a situation that the fire commissioner says that it is not safe, it’s our duty to protect people. And that’s why the action was taken."

He said if the Occupiers were to put up more tents this winter, they would be immediately removed. He deflected questions on whether the movement would be allowed to set up tents once again in spring.

A police spokeswoman said she was not aware of any calls related to criminal activity at the site.

"The Winnipeg Police Service was in attendance today to assist Conservation while the Occupy site was dismantled, to keep the peace if required. There were no issues of concern, the individuals on site were cooperative," said a statement by the Winnipeg Police Service. "The Winnipeg Police Service has monitored the Occupy site to ensure the safety of both the public and protestors throughout the entire event."

However, the Arson Strike Force is involved in investigating fires that happened there.