Landfill search for women's remains could begin in April, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs says
Federal government this week committed $500K to examine feasibility of searching Winnipeg-area landfill
WARNING: This story contains distressing details.
A search for remains at a landfill north of Winnipeg could begin as early as April, the grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said Friday.
Cathy Merrick said once the organization gets the $500,000 the federal government announced this week, it's expected to take four to six weeks to complete the final report on whether it's possible to recover remains from the Prairie Green landfill.
That's in line with the First Nations advocacy group's previous estimate that the study would be done by March 31 — and means the search could start shortly after that, she said.
"I think it would be safe to say that probably in April, that the work can actually really be done and get going on that," Merrick said at a news conference.
Ottawa this week put a dollar amount on a December pledge to cover the cost of the feasibility study, following calls to search the privately owned landfill for the remains of two women believed to be victims of an alleged serial killer.
Merrick said both city and provincial governments have promised additional funds for a search if needed, although no amount has been determined.
A spokesperson for the mayor's office said in an email that while Scott Gillingham was pleased to see Ottawa's funding announcement, "there has been no specific ask at this point" for financial help from the city.
Premier Heather Stefanson offered to contribute financially to the study in December. A spokesperson for the premier said on Friday it has not received a request for funding, although the province has been providing technical advice, which has financial implications.
The spokesperson said further financial assistance will be assessed once the feasibility study is completed and reviewed.
Calls to search
Public pressure for the search began after police announced in December that a man previously charged with first-degree murder in one woman's death had also been charged in the killings of three others.
Police said the bodies of two of those women, Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, were believed to have been taken to the Prairie Green site.
At the time, they said it wasn't feasible to search for the First Nations women's remains, because of the amount of debris dumped in the area between when they believe the bodies were taken there in May to when they determined that in June.
A landfill search committee including First Nations leaders, family members, forensic experts, police and government was later created to guide the process of a potential search.
Kirstin Witwicki, Morgan Harris's cousin, said she's not dwelling on the idea that the process could have begun earlier.
"All we can do is move forward and try to do things to the best of our ability," she said at the news conference alongside Harris's daughter, Elle.
"That's where my focus is going to be."
Last month, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said it had learned no garbage has been dumped in the targeted section of the landfill since June.
The partial remains of Rebecca Contois, the first woman whose death Jeremy Skibicki was charged in, were found at Winnipeg's Brady Road landfill in June, after some of the First Nations woman's remains were discovered near a North Kildonan apartment building a month earlier.
Police have not been able to identify or determine the location of the body of the fourth woman, whom Indigenous leaders have named Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, or Buffalo Woman. Police have said they believe she was Indigenous and in her mid-20s.
Merrick said she hopes a search at Prairie Green will also help locate the remains of Buffalo Woman. If no remains are found at the site, the group is prepared to create a proposal to also search the Brady Road landfill, she said.
Skibicki's lawyer, Leonard Tailleur, said his client intends to plead not guilty to all four counts of first-degree murder. Tailleur said the trial is scheduled to begin in April 2024.
Next steps
Merrick said forensic experts involved in the landfill search committee have consulted similar cases, including that of Robert Pickton.
Pickton was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder in 2007 after the remains or DNA of 33 women were found on his pig farm in Port Coquitlam, B.C., about 25 kilometres east of Vancouver. Many of those victims were Indigenous women.
Merrick said that search's success makes her optimistic about the chances of the Prairie Green search finding remains.
"There was so much work that was done over a long period of time, but they did manage to be able to find the loved ones of our women out in B.C.," she said.
Kristin Flattery, women's co-ordinator for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said the group is aiming to search through the debris on site instead of transporting 72,000 cubic metres of waste to another location.
Flattery said the group is also reaching out to vendors that could help bring in a conveyor belt, which has been identified as the most efficient way to search. It's also exploring involving a recycling plant that offered to help lift any metal debris, she said.
"We're looking for better technology as well right now on the best way … and the quickest way that we can bring these family members home," said Flattery, who also sits on the feasibility committee.
She said she doesn't know yet how many people will be needed for a search.
Support is available for anyone affected by details of these cases. If you require support, you can contact Ka Ni Kanichihk's Medicine Bear Counselling, Support and Elder Services at 204-594-6500, ext. 102 or 104, (within Winnipeg) or 1-888-953-5264 (outside Winnipeg).
Support is also available via Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Liaison unit at 1-800-442-0488 or 204-677-1648.
Mental health counselling and crisis support are also available to Indigenous people across Canada 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat.
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