May 12 2023
Manitoba's Indigenous leaders are calling on Winnipeg police and all three levels of government to move forward with a comprehensive search of the Prairie Green landfill to find the bodies of two Indigenous women believed to be deposited there.
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''The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) held a media conference Friday in partnership with Long Plain First Nation and the families of Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris, and Marcedes Myran.
All three women are believed to be the victims of alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki. Contois' remains were found in the Brady Road landfill last year. The remains of Harris and Myran have not yet been found, but police have said their bodies may have been deposited in West St. Paul's Prairie Green landfill in May 2022.''
"The First Nations community would not stand for those explanations. We knew that position was sending a dark message to First Nation women and girls," said Cathy Merrick, AMC Grand Chief.
"How do you look at these young girls and say 'I'm sorry,' that you won't even attempt to recover their mothers?" she added.
Merrick said the study had two goals: to determine if the search was feasible, and if so, how to go about doing it. The study found that a search of the Prairie Green landfill was possible, and would take up to three years to complete at a cost of $84 million - $184 million.
"Using the findings from our feasibility study, we've proven that a humane search of Prairie Green landfill for Marcedes Myran, Morgan Harris, and Buffalo Woman is feasible," Merrick said.''
WINNIPEG — A search for the remains of two First Nations women at a Winnipeg-area landfill could take up to three years and cost $184 million, but family members and Indigenous leaders say it must go ahead.
www.moosejawtoday.com
''Police believe the women's remains were left in a garbage bin three days apart in early May 2022, says the report. The contents of the dumpster were sent to the Prairie Green Landfill on May 16.
Jeremy Skibicki has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of the two women, as well as two others: Rebecca Contois, whose remains were found at the Brady Landfill, and an unidentified women Indigenous leaders have named Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, or Buffalo Woman. Police have also not found her remains.
Miller's office said the government is also reviewing a proposal from the committee to search the city-run Brady landfill.
Some of the biggest concerns outlined in the report were around health and safety. Hazardous materials teams are recommended to be on site at all times to monitor air quality, act as safety officers and perform decontamination of personnel who are in an excavation pit or working closely with excavated materials.
The committee says using a conveyor belt to search through debris would be the best option.
In order to proceed with a search, Prairie Green would need to submit a proposal to a regulatory body to approve the excavation and transportation of materials.
The study also calls for increased funding for social supports and homeless shelters. It recommends mandatory GPS tracking systems and rear-facing cameras in garbage trucks in Canada, as well as surveillance video installed at entrances and exits at landfills. ''