Family of homicide victim opposes reopening Winnipeg landfill without search for remains

The daughter of a woman believed to have been the victim of an alleged serial killer says she's opposed to the reopening of a dump that had been blocked by protesters calling for a search for human remains there.

The City of Winnipeg reopened public access to the Brady Road landfill, in the city's south end, on Friday. It had been closed since the first half of December due to a blockade by people who wanted it searched for the remains of missing people. 

Cambria Harris said she and other family members don't agree with the decision to reopen.

She's the daughter of Morgan Harris, one of four women Winnipeg police believe were killed in 2022 by Jeremy Skibicki.

Police have said they think Morgan Harris's remains, and those of Marcedes Myran, another woman they allege was killed by Skibicki, were taken to the privately owned Prairie Green landfill, north of Winnipeg.

Cambria Harris said the issue isn't only about Brady and Prairie Green — it's about landfills across Canada, and all missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

"If our women are missing and we're not finding them, then where are they? And my mind goes immediately to the landfill or a highway," Harris told CBC News Friday. 

"That horrifies me and it makes me wonder how many other women could possibly be sitting at in the bottom of the landfill without their family knowing."

The remains of Rebecca Contois, 24 — another of the women police believe was killed by Skibicki — were found at the Brady landfill in June.

He's also accused of killing a fourth woman, who hasn't yet been identified but has been given the name Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe (Buffalo Woman) by people in the community. Investigators have previously said they do not know where her remains are.

Skibicki is charged with four counts of first-degree murder. His lawyer has said his client plans to plead not guilty. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

'Compromise' reached to reopen landfill: city

On Thursday, the city said it reached a "compromise" to reopen Brady Landfill after positive discussions with family, people in the community and the First Nation Indigenous Warriors, who have organized an encampment that will remain at the landfill.

A spokesperson said the city committed to staying in touch with family and community members once the details of the police investigation in the deaths of the four women emerged late last year. 

Information about landfill operations was shared, and some were taken on a tour of Brady landfill, the city spokesperson said.

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs — one of several groups on a committee that has been formed to review the feasibility of a possible landfill search — suggested in a statement on Friday the committee is "pursuing a full search" of both the Brady and Prairie Green landfills.

Winnipeg police previously suggested it wasn't feasible to search the Prairie Green site, but the city and other partners later decided to study the possibility.

In December, the federal government said it would pay for a study assessing the feasibility of a search at Prairie Green in particular.

"Funding from the Canadian government requires a feasibility study for each site in order to grant funding required to support the search effort," AMC said in its Friday statement.

AMC said representation on the committee also includes members of Long Plain First Nation's leadership, the MMIWG2S+ Implementation Committee, a forensic anthropologist, a forensic consultant, Winnipeg police, RCMP and city and provincial officials, as well as family of victims.

Harris said one of her family members sits on the committee.

The Harris family released a statement Friday that called on the city "to begin transparent efforts to create or update procedures/operations at Brady landfill that will address this issue and prevent tragedies such as this from happening in the future."

Harris said she also wants the city and Winnipeg police to get involved with more front-line work with vulnerable people who are homeless, to warn them about dangerous situations and help them spot the signs of predators. 

Morgan Harris, Myran and Contois all used shelters in the Main Street area, according to numerous sources CBC spoke with last month who use and work in shelters. They also alleged Skibicki preyed on vulnerable women at shelters.

A Winnipeg police spokesperson said the police service works with several city partners, such as the Downtown Community Safety Partnership and Street Reach, but could not comment further on Friday.

Harris said she also wants to see stricter procedures around dumping at landfills. That includes adopting more GPS tracking technology, so the dates and locations of individual loads dumped at landfills can be tracked by investigators if need be.

"I would like to call upon the City of Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Police Service to … ensure that this does not happen again — in four or five years from now, you're not sitting down with another family and telling them that you're not going to search the landfill," said Harris.

"I want every lot searched."

The City of Winnipeg uses "very defined plans and processes to manage garbage disposal" at the Brady landfill, said corporate communications manager David Driedger.

Garbage trucks contracted by the city do have GPS, which allows tracking where specific loads are dumped at Brady, he said.

Once a cell in a dump fills up, which typically takes two years, a metre of clay and soil is laid over top and compacted, Driedger said. An approval process is required before building out a new landfill cell, he said.

The cell where Contois's remains were located in June hasn't been in use since.

"We have also provided assurances that no material would be deposited in this area," Driedger said in a statement.