Miles Morrisseau
ICT
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Canada — More than 100 protesters turned out for a Rally for Justice after Canadian authorities approved early release from prison for a serial killer convicted in the deaths of two Indigenous women and linked to the death of a third.
Family, friends and supporters gathered at Union Station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Thursday, Nov. 13, to protest the early release of Shawn Lamb, who served only 13 years for manslaughter convictions in in the deaths of 18-year-old Lorna Blacksmith from Pimicikamak Cree Nation and 25-year-old Carolyn Sinclair from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation.
Lamb was also charged in the killing of Tanya Nepinak, Pine Creek First Nation, but the charges were stayed due to lack of evidence, officials have said.
It is believed that Nepinak’s remains may be in the Brady Landfill near Winnipeg, where a search is expected to start next month. The Brady Landfill and nearby Prairie Green Landfill have already been searched for the remains of victims of another serial killer who targeted Indigenous women. The remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were found in Prairie Green earlier this year.
Paige Paupanakis, Blacksmith’s sister, said she went to the rally Thursday to speak against the failure of the system to bring justice to her family and to others who have lost loved ones.
“Here we are again today, we are gathered here because our women can’t get justice,” Paupanakis said.
Nepinak’s daughter, Jasmine Mann, was also among those gathered Thursday at the station. She said she could not believe that the man implicated in her mother’s death would be released before the search for her remains had even begun.
“He was released today, and they start the landfill search in December, so they haven’t even started to search for my mom and he’s going to be walking the streets freely and likely to re-offend again. It’s his past history,” Mann told the crowd. “I think when I first found out, I didn’t know how to process it. I was angry and I was scared, but I’m glad to know that we’re keeping their names alive and going to keep fighting for justice.”
Brenda Frogg, a council member for Pimicikamak Cree Nation, broke down Lamb’s sentence of 13 years for the women he killed or is accused of killing.
“Four years and three months for each of our women,” she said. “The justice system failed again and it’s absolutely disgusting. They allow this man to be free and be upon our streets.”
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and First Nations organizations called on Friday, Nov. 14, for review of the release.
“How does this help the general public’s sense of safety? How does this help victims’ family members heal and feel secure in the community? How does this help foster a feeling that our justice system actually delivers justice? Kinew said. “There is a need to confront the bigger picture questions about the justice system, the way parole is administered and the broader systemic issues like (missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls).”
Grand Chief Garrison Settee of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak said the decision to let Lamb go continues to make Canada unsafe for Indigenous women. The organization represents First Nations in northern Manitoba, including Pimicikamak and Mathias Colomb.
“It is a dangerous thing to be an Indigenous woman in this country, because what has happened today is an atrocity and it’s an insult to our families. It’s an insult to our people,” Settee told the gathering. “This cannot go on, and we’ll stand together. We need to make sure that there’s reform or change in the system, because it’s harming our people. It is hurting our people.”
The Grand Chief called out the justice system for falling First Nations and offered continued support for the families.
“There is no justice because no justice has been served for our fallen sisters,” Settee said. “And I’m here to share your grief. I’m here to share your heartbreak. This is simply wrong. This is not right. But we’re here to stand together with the families and let you know that you’re not alone. We will walk with you. We will support you, because this is something that we cannot accept.”
Paupanakis wants people to know that the protests and rallies are not just for Indigenous people but for all women.
“When people see this protest and rally and round dance, they immediately think, ‘Oh, we’re advocating for First Nations women only,’” she said. “We’re not advocating for only First Nations women. We’re advocating for every woman in this city. This man is dangerous, and he’s out there right now, and it’s so scary.”
Despite her loss and the shock of finding out that the man who killed her sister is free, she encouraged everyone to keep up the fight for justice.
“I just want to tell everyone out there that you don’t need to be a leader to make a change or make a voice or make a stand,” she said. “You can be any single First Nations person out there to get your word out. … You need to be seen and you need to be heard. We need to stop being walked on. This man getting out, that’s a slap in the face.”
Authorities have said Lamb killed both women in 2012. Sinclair’s body was found in March 2012 near a dumpster in Winnipeg; Blacksmith’s body was found three months later about six blocks away in the backyard of a home, the CBC reported.
Lamb was also charged in the death of Nepinak, 31, who went missing in 2011. Those charges were dropped, however, and the others were reduced to manslaughter as part of a plea deal, CBC reported. In 2013, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, minus time served.
He was granted “statutory release” on Thursday. Under Canada law, federal offenders who have served two-thirds of their sentence should be released with supervision, though authorities can deny release in certain cases.
Another serial killer has also been convicted for targeting Indigenous women in Winnipeg.
Jeremy Skibicki, of Winnipeg, confessed and was convicted in July 2024 of four counts of first-degree murder in the killings of four women – Harris, Myran, Rebecca Contois, and a woman identified at the time only as Buffalo Woman. She was later identified through DNA as 31-year-old Ashlee Christine Shingoose of St. Theresa Point Anishinew Nation.
The cases also stirred protests after officials initially refused to search the landfills where remains of two of the women were later found.