Done ‘begging’ for landfill search Protesters demand premier fulfil campaign promise By: Malak Abas Posted: 7:45 AM CST Friday, Mar. 8, 2024 Last Modified: 7:04 PM CST Friday, Mar. 8, 2024 Updates

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Protesters demanding a landfill be searched for the remains of victims of an accused serial killer gathered downtown Friday morning, with a grand chief saying they are done “begging.”

The protest, held on International Women’s Day, began with remarks and a round dance that shut down Portage and Main for about an hour. Several hundred people then marched and gathered at the legislative grounds.

Speakers called on Premier Wab Kinew to make good on his promise to search the landfill and said they are tired of waiting for the government to act. Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick was among the speakers on the steps of the legislative building.

“We are going to quit begging. No more begging. Do the f———g work,” she said to applause from the crowd. “Spring is coming around the corner. It’s going to get warm… the federal government, the provincial government, hear us, because we are coming.”

We are going to quit begging. No more begging. Do the f———g work”–Grand Chief Cathy Merrick

Jeremy Anthony Michael Skibicki, 36, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the 2022 slayings of Marcedes Myran, 26, Morgan Harris, 39, Rebecca Contois, 24, and an unidentified victim given the name Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, by the First Nations community.

The remains of Myran and Harris are believed to be buried in Prairie Green Landfill, a private site north of Winnipeg. The AMC has lobbied the federal and provincial governments to fund a search for human remains at Winnipeg-area landfills, with the cost estimated at $90 million to $180 million.

Melissa Robinson, a cousin of Morgan Harris, also spoke to the crowd.

“We voted this NDP government in based on promises that were made to us, that were made to my family, that were made to the Myran family. We sat down with him,” she said of Kinew, gesturing at the legislative building, as protesters chanted “Bring them home,” “Do your job” and “Where are you Wab?”

Robinson said Kinew has been “talking a good game” since his NDP government was elected.

“He needs to put his money where his mouth is,” she said.

A meeting has been scheduled for March 25 with Kinew, Mayor Scott Gillingham, federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Gary Anandasangaree and the families of the victims, Cambria Harris — a daughter of Morgan Harris — said.

Harris said the last time family members heard from the province was after the AMC submitted the most recent landfill feasibility study in January. She said it was “disheartening” when the province offered no feedback on the study or next steps.

“It’s bureaucracy and jurisdiction. It’s them pointing fingers back and forth between different levels of government going, ‘This is your problem.’ ‘No, this is your problem.’ ‘No, this is your problem.’ We shouldn’t be anyone’s problem,” she said.

Kinew, speaking with reporters that afternoon, would not provide any updates on the timeline for searching the landfill.

“I don’t know that there’s been any holdup or that there’s been any advancement,” he said, adding the government is committed to searching the landfill.

“I don’t know that there’s been any holdup or that there’s been any advancement”–Wab Kinew

Kinew did not say whether the province was any closer to doing the search than it was in January.

“The evidence is that we’ve delivered on a number of election commitments already, and we will continue to do so,” he said.

Kinew said he won’t be briefing the public after the March 25 meeting on the next steps toward a search. When asked when he would be ready to update the public, Kinew said, “when the various details that I’m not at liberty to share with you today are in a position to move ahead.”

When asked whether he still hopes the search will begin this year, Kinew said he was focusing on supporting the families through Skibicki’s trial, scheduled to start April 29, and would provide the AMC $500,000 to put toward family and victim support at that time.

“It’s going to be a difficult few months upcoming, and we are going to come forward with resources to support the families,” he said.

Kinew said the funding to AMC would be used for “emotional, cultural, spiritual supports, supports for transportation costs, and the little logistical details that need to be addressed in order to assure ensure the full participation of families.”

Manitoba Justice has a victim services unit tasked with supporting victims of serious crimes, including a financial compensation program.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Malak Abas
Reporter

Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak.

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