By Canadian Press

‘Heartless’: federal minister criticizes Manitoba government’s decision not to search landfill

Jul 12, 2023 | 3:55 PM

The federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations says Manitoba’s government is standing in the way of a search for the remains of two slain Indigenous women believed to be in a landfill.

“We are willing to play a role, a very important role in this,” Marc Miller said Wednesday at the Assembly of First Nations general meeting in Halifax.

“But the reality of where we’re working is that the Government of Canada can’t nationalize the garbage dump or the waste disposal system of the City of Winnipeg.”

Dozens of protesters have blocked the main road of the Brady Road landfill demanding a search of a different landfill north of Winnipeg, called Prairie Green, where it’s believed the remains of two Indigenous women were dumped last year.

The blockade began last week after Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said the province would not support a search of Prairie Green, pointing to a study that said it could cost $184 million, pose safety risks and not have guaranteed success.

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Stefanson said Wednesday that the decision was difficult but she stands by it.

“My heart goes out to the families. It’s a horrific situation that they are facing,” Stefanson told a news conference at the annual premiers’ meeting in Winnipeg.

Miller said he will be speaking with Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham about the search later Wednesday.

But, he said, the decision by Stefanson’s Progressive Conservative government not to search the landfill makes arriving at a decision this summer “logistically impossible.”

“This has been dealt with in a very heartless way, quite frankly,” Miller said.

Meanwhile, the city filed an application Tuesday to the Court of King’s Bench seeking the removal of protesters from the Brady Road landfill. The court is to hear the request Thursday.

A city official said earlier this week the blockade was preventing maintenance work from being done and the city was at risk of violating its environmental licence.

Winnipeg’s mayor has said he hopes for dialogue with the protesters but the City of Winnipeg must make sure that garbage continues to be collected and there is access through the road.

Jeremy Skibicki has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of the two women — Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran — whose remains are believed to be at the private Prairie Green landfill.

He has also been charged in the death of Rebecca Contois, whose remains were found last year at the city-owned Brady Road landfill, and an unidentified woman Indigenous leaders are calling Buffalo Woman, whose remains have not been found.

The federally funded study into the possibility of a search warned there are risks due to exposure of toxic chemicals and asbestos. It also said forgoing a search could be harmful for the women’s families.

Miller said Stefanson is correct in noting there are health and safety concerns. However, the minister said landfills have been searched before and remediation projects have been carried out on mines.

“We’re standing here today willing to work with our partner in the government of Manitoba, but they’re not there, and that’s unfortunate.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2023.

— with files from Steve Lambert in Winnipeg, Colette Derworiz in Calgary and Stephanie Taylor in Ottawa.

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press