The City of Winnipeg orders protesters at the landfill to restore access by noon Monday
WINNIPEG – The city of Winnipeg has ordered protesters who blocked access to a landfill in support of a search for the remains of two Indigenous women to leave the area.
In an email, the city says it has issued an evacuation order in accordance with the Emergency Management Bylaw to protesters late Friday afternoon, requiring them to restore full access to the Brady Road landfill by noon Monday.
The email says full operation of the landfill and depot is essential “for waste collection to prevent contamination of the environment and nearby groundwater.”
It also says the blockade violates both city ordinances and provisions of provincial law, and puts the city at risk of violating environmental permit requirements.
The blockade began Thursday following the Manitoba government’s decision against searching a separate landfill site north of the city called Prairie Green Landfill, where the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were believed to have been dumped.
Jeremy Skibicki is charged with first-degree murder in their deaths, as well as for the death of Rebecca Contois, whose partial remains were found last year in the city-owned Brady Road dump.
“Participants in the blockade have confirmed that they do not plan to allow access to the facility any time soon,” the email from the city reads, noting that a road to the Brady landfill has been completely blocked.
“In the past, we have worked with the individuals who conducted peaceful protests in a way that did not pose a risk to the environment or the public. We have determined that these actions constitute an emergency for the health and safety of Winnipeg residents and facility users.”
The City of Winnipeg had posted a notice on its website earlier this week saying the Brady Landfill was closed until further notice, but did not say why.
Last fall, Ottawa funded a feasibility study into a possible search for the Prairie Green private landfill. That investigation was conducted by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs following widespread backlash over the police decision not to search the dump.
The findings of that study released last month said a search was feasible, but it wouldn’t guarantee the women’s remains would be found. It said searchers would have to sift through piles of hazardous materials and the total effort could take up to three years and cost about $184 million.
It also said failure to search for the women would cause “considerable distress” to their families and send the wrong signal to the wider Indigenous community, who the report says “do not deserve to be told we are trash”.
Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said the province would not support a search for the women there due to health and safety concerns.
On Thursday, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs condemned the decision not to search the landfill.
“The AMC firmly believes that the government’s inaction and refusal to provide funds sends a distressing message to the province and country that the lives of First Nations do not matter to the provincial government.”
“The refusal to provide funding for the search perpetuates the pain and anguish experienced by the families of the victims. It undermines efforts for reconciliation and meaningful partnerships between the government and First Nations.”
It adds that safety concerns were addressed in the feasibility study and were not raised by provincial officials when the study was drafted.
The former head of the RCMP, Brenda Lucki, said last year that police were not equipped to handle the complexities of searching the dump.
Lucki, who resigned as commissioner in March, said in documents obtained by The Canadian Press through a request under the Access to Information Act, that the landfill contained asbestos and other toxic gases, including ammonia.
First Nations leaders and community members have called for the Brady Road landfill to be closed permanently.
An unidentified woman Indigenous leaders have named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, and is believed to also be one of Skibicki’s victims. Police say they do not know where her remains are.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 8, 2023.
