Community unveils playground honouring slain family

CARMAN — With tears in her eyes, Nancy Clearwater cradled the neck of a bronze turtle sculpture in her hands and planted a kiss on the top of its head, reflecting on the lives and loss of her daughter and grandchildren.

The sculpture, and four turtles of increasing sizes, form part of a memorial dedicated to the victims of a mass slaying that rocked this rural Manitoba community more than 19 months ago.

Clearwater and dozens of others gathered Wednesday at the Friends and Family Playground to unveil the sculptures in honour of 30-year-old Amanda Clearwater and her children — Bethany, 6, Jayven, 4, and Isabella, two months.

“That’s my daughter,” Clearwater told the Winnipeg Free Press after the ceremony, pointing toward the sculpture she kissed.

“It’s very special to me.”

The family, and Amanda’s cousin Myah-Lee Gratton, 17, were allegedly killed by the children’s father, Ryan Manoakeesick, 30, on Feb. 11, 2024.

He was charged with five counts of first-degree murder and is awaiting trial.

Carman united in the wake of the slayings, providing support for grieving family members, Clearwater said.

“This community has been overwhelmingly kind,” she said.

“I don’t think I have to worry about anything. Everybody’s going to be watching out.”

Part of that support included a commitment to include the memorial in a redevelopment of the playground, where Amanda once brought her children to play.

“We had started the improvement project already (before the slayings), but that gave it a new focus,” said Leora Collingridge, a volunteer with Carman Communities in Bloom who helped spearhead the project.

“You can’t change the terrible tragedy that happened, and we can’t make it better. But, we can try … Maybe doing this, and acknowledging what happened, maybe it will help people in the future.”

Along with the sculptures, the development included new playground equipment, landscaping, trees, rubber matting and shade structures.

It also features a granite plaque engraved with a QR code, directing people to a webpage with photos of the Clearwater family and resources for victims of domestic abuse.

“They were beautiful, bouncing, vibrant people with unique personalities, and likes and dislikes and loves,” Collingridge said.

“Perhaps we can remember them better as we watch innocent children laugh and tumble and play on these new structures and lovely turtles.”

The development cost about $110,000 and was made possible with provincial funding and support from community members and organizations, including Carman Communities in Bloom, Carman Wellness Connections, the Boine River Keepers, the local chamber of commerce and the municipal government, she said.

Shortly after the slayings, Premier Wab Kinew pledged funding toward the memorial. He made the trip to Carman to see it unveiled Wednesday, alongside Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine and other members of the Manitoba legislature.

The premier spoke of the significance of turtles in Indigenous culture, noting they are a symbol of the passage of time.

“We’re going to remember your girl, we are going to remember your grandkids, we’re going to remember your relative,” Kinew said during the ceremony, speaking directly to Clearwater and her husband, Marvin, seated in the crowd.

“Everyone would agree when we say that they are gone too soon, but this is a beautiful legacy, and this is a legacy that will live on for a long, long, time.”

Clearwater said she is now bracing herself for Manoakeesick’s trial, for which dates have not yet been set.

Provincial politicians and community dignitaries were among the attendees at Wednesday’s ceremony.

In the interim, she plans to return to the playground to visit the memorial as often as possible, she said.

» Winnipeg Free Press