Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs withdraws business from Winnipeg hotel after video of restrained woman

The head of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs says the organization has cut business ties with Winnipeg's Marlborough Hotel, after a video shared widely on social media showed a young First Nations woman in the lobby who appeared to have her hands restrained behind her back.

Cathy Merrick, grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, says her organization moved most of the people who'd been staying there under Jordan's Principle a federal policy which ensures First Nations kids can swiftly access essential products and services to other hotels.

"That's something that we're recommending to leadership, [to] withdraw their services from the Marlborough at this point in time," she told CBC News on Monday.

Merrick says the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefswrote a letter to management of the Marlborough Hotel after a video of a woman who appeared to berestrainedin the hotel's lobbywas widely circulated on social media.

The video, filmed on Dec. 25, shows a woman with her hands bound behind her back repeatedly trying to leave the hotel while several men prevented her from doing so.

The woman, who is seen crying with her hands restrained behind her back, then walks toward the front door as one of the men tries to direct her away from it. She can be heard calling him a "pervert," saying she was punched in the face and touched in her "private spot."

The woman in the video had allegedly held a knife and attempted to stab a hotel staff member, before another employee put zip ties on her until police arrived, according toConst. Claude Chancy of the Winnipeg Police Service.

She was later arrested and charged with assault with a weapon,police said. An investigation intothe woman's allegations of abuse by hotel staff in the video is also underway.

WARNING | This video contains distressing content:

Video appears to show Winnipeg woman restrained in hotel after allegedly attempting to stab employee

9 months ago

Duration 2:25

WARNING: This video contains distressing content. Winnipeg police are investigating footage from Dec. 25, 2023, where video appears to show a First Nations woman restrained with zip-ties at the Marlborough Hotel. Police allege she had brandished a knife and attempted to stab an employee and was charged that day with assault with a weapon. At several points throughout the video, the woman accuses hotel staff of assaulting her. Police are not releasing the woman's age or name due to privacy concerns; CBC News has blurred the woman's face in the video.

Wrist ties are "not preferred but acceptable" when used to restrain and prevent people from harming themselves or others during citizen's arrests, Chancy said Sunday, notinghe was speaking in general terms about those kinds of arrests and not in connection with the video.

Merrick would not comment on the video itself since the incident is under police investigation, but said it shows "an abuse of power" by hotel management and its employees.

"If she's been treated like that, are they treating our other people like that?"

The woman in the video was staying at the hotel for a medical appointment and has since returned to her home community, which is a First Nation in northern Manitoba, Merrick said.

CBC News asked Indigenous Services Canada on Monday for more information about how it selects and oversees hotels for First Nations individuals making medical appointments, but was told ISC could not provide that information before publication.

On Monday evening, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak which represents dozens of First Nations in northern Manitoba wrote on social media that any of its members currently staying at the Marlborough Hotel while they seek medical treatment havethe right to move.

"The First Nations Inuit Health Branch has approved your move, effective immediately," the post states in part.

Merrick says the chief and council of the woman's First Nation have reached out to her to see what support she may need. Arrangements are also currently being made for the woman to return to Winnipeg and share her story with Merrick.

Merrick says it's time for health care services to be offered in northern Manitoba First Nations, so people there don't have to travel hundreds of kilometres for services as simple as getting an X-ray.

Until that changes, she says people from First Nations will continue to be put at risk.

"We need to do better for our people. It's not their fault that they have to come to the city to seek medical attention."

She also says security personnel need cultural sensitivity training to deal with Indigenous people, and women security guards should be used in situations involving women.

"We can train our own people to be security guards, and to be culturally sensitive to our own people," she said.

"I hope that we are able to rectify the situation and to ensure that it never happens again."

Hotel damaged during rally: police

On Sunday afternoon, dozens of protesters gathered shoulder-to-shoulder inside the hotel's lobby to show support for the woman and call for answers about what happened.

Videos circulating on social media appeared to show people going downstairs during the rally and ransacking the hotel's basement area, including breaking open storage lockers.

Winnipeg police told CBC News on Monday that they are early into an investigation looking at "aspects of the protest" which resulted in damages to the hotel.

Police also said on social media Monday afternoon that they are aware of online discussions surrounding the initial video of the woman, as well as the Sunday rally.

"There are serious allegations being made andwe commit to investigating them," police said in the post, adding that factual information related to the incident will be sharedas their investigation continues.

Rakib Hoque, general manager of the Marlborough Hotel, declined to comment on the matter to CBC News on Monday due to the ongoing police investigation.