Manitoba

Winnipeg landfill reopens weeks after protest blocked entrance amid calls for search for human remains

The Brady Road landfill will reopen to members of the public Friday for normal business hours, though an encampment will remain near the entrance of the facility, the city says.

Public may access Brady Road landfill, 4R Winnipeg Depot starting Jan. 6, city says

Protesters, some holding flags and others wearing reflective vests, stand outside.
A group of protesters gathered at the Brady Road landfill on Dec. 11, demanding a search of the landfill for the remains of missing people. The city says public access reopened on Jan. 6. (Ron Boileau/Radio-Canada)

The Brady Road landfill will reopen to members of the public Friday for normal business hours, though an encampment will remain near the entrance of the facility, the City of Winnipeg says.

The news comes after protesters calling for a search of the landfill for the remains of missing people blocked access to the south Winnipeg dump in the first half of December.

"The City of Winnipeg is grateful for the positive discussions with family members, the First Nation Indigenous Warriors, as well as other community stakeholders and is committed to maintaining ongoing, open dialogue," the city said in a news release Thursday.

The city said it was through discussions with protesters that a compromise was reached to allow public access to the facility.

Protesters gathered outside the landfill and blocked traffic on Dec. 11, demanding it be searched for remains. That came after revelations from Winnipeg police about the deaths of women allegedly killed by Jeremy Skibicki.

Some of the remains of Rebecca Contois, 24, were recovered at the landfill in June. She is one of the four people police now allege were killed by Skibicki. 

The remains of two others — Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran — are believed to be at the privately owned Prairie Green landfill, north of Winnipeg.

The location of the remains of a fourth unidentified woman, whom the community has named as Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe (Buffalo Woman), remain unknown.