Meeting with premier on landfill search for women's remains felt like 'slap in the face,' say families
Province announced on Wednesday it won't help search for 2 women's remains, citing safety concerns
The families of two First Nations women whose remains are believed to be in a Winnipeg-area landfill say they're disheartened by the Manitoba government's decision not to help pay for a search that could bring their loved ones home.
"I am absolutely baffled at how things went down and how little to no respect was shown," Cambria Harris said Thursday.
Police believe the remains of her mother, 39-year-old Morgan Harris, were taken to the privately run Prairie Green landfill north of the city in May 2022, along with the remains of 26-year-old Marcedes Myran. Both women are believed to have been among the victims of an alleged serial killer.
Cambria Harris and Melissa Robinson, Morgan's cousin, said at points, discussions during a Wednesday meeting to discuss the search with Premier Heather Stefanson and other provincial and First Nations leaders felt like "a slap in the face."
That included the province's assertion that while it would not help fund a search for the women's remains, it would support a memorial and offer the families support in their healing process.
"I ended up getting up and walking out," Robinson said Thursday. "I was upset yesterday — today, I'm angry."
Donna Bartlett, Myran's grandmother, said she was hurt to hear that the premier told her family members the Manitoba government wouldn't help them search.
"If it was her daughter or her granddaughter, I'm pretty sure she would be out there right away looking," said Bartlett, who said she raised her granddaughter for part of her life. "There would be no questions asked."
Robinson said she still has faith the federal government will come through to help fund a search, but Bartlett fears Ottawa will now follow the Manitoba government's lead.
A spokesperson for federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said the minister will have more comments on the study after he is done reviewing it. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs says it has asked for a response by the end of July.
Decision about safety of searchers: premier
Earlier Thursday, Premier Stefanson reiterated that her government's decision not to help pay for the search was based strictly on safety concerns for those who would be sifting through the materials.
"This is not about funding…. This is about the safety of those individuals who would be conducting the search," Stefanson told reporters in a scrum following an unrelated morning news conference in downtown Winnipeg.
"The landfill is full of toxic waste and, you know, that is identified in the report."
The feasibility report Stefanson referred to was completed in May, and looked at the logistics of searching the landfill for Harris and Myran's remains.
The report was prepared by a working group that included First Nations leaders, family members, police and other officials.
It outlined concerns about health and safety with a possible search, and recommended on-site hazardous materials teams monitor air quality, act as safety officers and perform decontamination of personnel who work closely with evacuated materials.
It also found that a successful search could cost up to $184 million and take up to three years to complete — but that not doing it could cause considerable distress to the victims' family members and Indigenous communities across the country.
However, there would be no guarantee of finding the women's remains, the report said.
Stefanson's comments were her first made publicly since the province released a statement Wednesday afternoon, following its meeting with families, saying it "cannot knowingly risk Manitoba workers' health and safety for a search without a guarantee" of finding remains.
Shortly after that announcement, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick dismissed the province's explanation, saying the safety concerns were addressed in the feasibility report.
The victims' family members also said they didn't buy that reasoning on Thursday.
"My belief is they know that there is much more in that landfill than just Morgan and Marcedes," said Robinson. "Once they start uncovering things, how bad is that going to make our city look?"
Premier briefed on report
When asked whether she had read the 55-page feasibility report in its entirety, Stefanson said her officials have gone through it and briefed her on its contents.
"That's what happens with all reports — that's the process it goes through," she said.
Harris said the premier told family members at their meeting that she had only gotten the report that morning.
"Essentially, she just skimmed through it in a few hours and only saw dollar signs and risks. And my mother is not a risk," she said.
A provincial spokesperson later said the province has "thoroughly reviewed" the report after receiving it on May 1.
When asked whether the premier has read it herself, the spokesperson said Stefanson is "familiar with the entirety of the report" through "extensive briefings and her own review."
Looking forward, Stefanson said the decision on whether to move ahead with a landfill search ultimately lies with the federal government — and if they decide to fund a search, she would want to have discussions with them about how they would ensure safety for the workers involved.
For Harris, finding her mother's remains is about more than just knowing what happened to her — it's about finally giving her a home.
"She had been homeless all her life and [was] treated and discarded of like trash … quite literally," which "breaks my heart," she said.
The premier said her heart goes out to the families of the victims. The provincial government also said it is continuing to "address the many sources of violence against Indigenous women and girls."
Jeremy Skibicki is charged with first degree-murder in both Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran's deaths, as well as those of 24-year-old Rebecca Contois and a fourth unidentified woman, whom community members have named Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, or Buffalo Woman.
Contois's partial remains were found last year in Winnipeg's Brady Road landfill. Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe's remains have not been found.
Skibicki's trial is scheduled to begin in April 2024.
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With files from Josh Crabb and Ian Froese