A hotel in downtown Winnipeg that was the focus of a protest on Sunday is now closed to the public.
Signs posted on the front doors of the Marlborough Hotel say “Due to maintenance – Hotel is out of order.”
It’s not clear if the hotel has been cleared of paying guests – or if it’s not accepting new ones.
On Wednesday, police could be seen coming and going from the establishment – locking the doors each time.
The hotel is the focus of an investigation after a video of a First Nations woman with her hands tied behind her back surfaced on social media. According to the hotel and police, she drew a knife on staff.
But in the comments section of the video, a woman who claims to be the one in the video, alleged that there was an attempt to take her to the basement of the building while she was unconscious. She says she was waiting for her brother to pick her up.
The comment was enough to send protesters into the basement of the hotel where they broke through several locked doors and lockers.
On Sunday, Winnipeg police issued a statement that said: “There are serious allegations being made and we commit to investigating them. We are committed to sharing factual and accurate information as the investigation progresses.”
The Marlborough is used by the federal government as a place to put up First Nations and Inuit people from remote locations who are in Winnipeg for appointments.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said it ended business with the hotel. Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) Grand Chief Garrison Settee said all MKO citizens staying at the hotel can move.
“You have the right to move,” he said in a statement, “The First Nations Inuit Health Branch has approved your move from the Marlborough Hotel effective immediately.”
The Marlborough Hotel hasn’t responded to requests for comment from APTN News and nothing was posted on its website about the closure.
