Landfill debate raising questions about relationship between Indigenous, non-Indigenous Manitobans

Alisha Bigelow walked Thursday with those demanding a search of a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two First Nations women, but also apart.

She marched on the median, in between the westbound protesters and eastbound drivers on Portage Avenue in the downtown core.

She wanted to search the eyes of the drivers who weren't part of their rally calling to search for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran. At one point, she pumped her fist when a motorist honked in support.

"Maybe the people in the cars will not know what's going on, they'll listen to the news tonight and they'll find out what this event is," said Bigelow, a member of White Bear First Nation in Saskatchewan who grew up in Flin Flon, Man., and is now in Winnipeg. 

"I like to be in front, gaining awareness, making eye contact with people." 

Calls to comb through the privately run Prairie Green landfill for the remains of Harris and Myran have intensified in the month since Premier Heather Stefanson announced her government would not support such a search.

Those who want a search, including First Nations leaders and families of the victims, have worked tirelessly to keep the issue in the public eye, blockading another landfill and setting up a protest camp in the shadow of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. 

On Thursday, they stopped afternoon traffic with a round dance at Portage and Main before marching to the Manitoba Legislature.

CBC News sought out people along the route of Thursday's protest, asking them where they think the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people stands today.

While no consensus emerged, there are feelings of hope and frustration.

Called out and celebrated

Kyrra Kematch experienced both emotions on Thursday.

Before the round dance, Kematch, 18, was already wearing her ribbon skirt and a red handprint painted across her face when she visited a store. There, she was confronted by a woman who asked if she'd also search for the white people who had gone missing.

Later, Kematch said she was approaching Portage and Main on the bus, when fellow riders noticed the commotion of people gathering for the round dance.

One passenger asked Kematch why her face was painted red.

"Oh, to search for the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.' And he's like, 'Oh yeah, good for you. Go do that,'" she said.

"So there's those mixed signals," said Kematch, whose late father, Kyle, helped launch Drag the Red, a group that searches the Red River to give closure to families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

Kematch, who is Cree, said it was gratifying to see people who came across the demonstration unexpectedly and stayed.

One such person was Kathleen Harris, who was in downtown Winnipeg to buy ribbon skirts for her granddaughters.

She was pleasantly surprised to see the rally. A member of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, she's been following the story closely.

"It makes me want to get up there and start chanting, 'Our women are not garbage,'" she said.

While the purpose behind the rally resonated with Harris, she questioned whether other people are tuning out. The relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, overall, is deteriorating, she feels.

"I hear a lot of talk out there about that and people just get mad when they see these demonstrations going on — 'those Indians are at it again,'" she said.

"A lot of people think that … [the victims] deserve what happened to them. They're out there living not a great life … and that's how they end up getting murdered or missing," she added. 

Dwayne McGillivary said protests could cause existing tensions to surface, but he feels it's a small blip on the way to greater acceptance. 

Looking out at the round dance, McGillivary, who's from Opaskwayak Cree Nation, was encouraged by the diversity in the crowd.

"I can see it all over this place. I see Black people, I see brown people, Asians. We're pulling together as a people."

Jules Rocque and Nanette Godbout, married educators, came to the demonstration in support.

"I feel that if it was a Caucasian family [that was in the landfill], we wouldn't even be having to demonstrate," Godbout said.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission encouraged them to build relationships and a greater understanding of Indigenous people and the issues they face.

Rocque is optimistic a growing number of non-Indigenous people like them are having those same reflections.

"I know there's always dissident voices, but I'm confident that people's awareness is rising," Rocque said.