Landfill pauses operations amid calls to search for slain women’s remains Premier, mayor to meet with Indigenous community, experts on ‘next steps’ to help families of alleged serial killer’s victims By: Joyanne Pursaga Posted: 7:00 PM CST Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022

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Prairie Green Landfill north of the city is pausing operations after a request from the province, as calls to search the site where police believe the remains of two slain women are located grow louder by the day.

Premier Heather Stefanson and Mayor Scott Gillingham told media the facility in the RM of Rosser will temporarily stop accepting material while officials determine the next steps in the investigation that has led to an alleged serial killer being charged first-degree murder in the slayings of four Indigenous women last spring.

The premier and mayor said Thursday the pause will allow elected officials to meet with Indigenous community members and experts to help determine possible “next steps,” including whether a search can still be conducted.

The daughters of one of the women and First Nations groups are calling for Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth’s resignation. He said earlier in the week that a search of the landfill for victims’ remains is not feasible.

“It’s an absolutely horrific tragedy that has taken place out there and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of these victims…. While we take the time to work behind the scenes to see what else and what the next steps are, (we’ll be) working with Indigenous communities to make sure that we get to the bottom of this,” said Stefanson.

Gillingham said he reached out to the premier after Indigenous leaders asked him to pause the landfill’s operations.

“Today is about the premier and I coming together… to try to recognize the need that families have and to try to work with Indigenous communities, as well, and Indigenous leaders to assist them in the next steps of this really horrific, horrific tragedy,” the mayor said.

“Today is about the premier and I coming together… to try to recognize the need that families have and to try to work with Indigenous communities, as well, and Indigenous leaders to assist them in the next steps of this really horrific, horrific tragedy.”–Mayor Scott Gillingham

Police said there is “no hope” of locating the remains of Morgan Harris, 39, and Marcedes Myran, 26; investigators believe they were left at the landfill on May 16.

Jeremy Skibicki, 35, is charged with murder in the deaths of Harris, Myran, 24-year-old Rebecca Contois and an unidentified woman who has been named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe (Buffalo Woman) by Indigenous elders.

WPS said it would face severe challenges in searching the four-acre facility, including safety hazards and an abundance of material that has arrived there since May. Waste has been compacted with 9,000 tonnes of wet clay to a depth of about 12 metres at the site, police said.

During a Thursday interview on CJOB radio, Smyth said police don’t have the right skills for the job, but he’s open to discussing the possibility that someone else could conduct a search.

“It would be closer to a very hazardous archeological dig…. If we’re going to seriously look at a recovery mission… I think the right people need to be the lead on that and that’s not a police skill,” he said.

There is no set timeline for how long operations at Prairie Green will be paused.

Winnipeg Police Board member Damon Johnston said he agrees a search would be complicated but believes one is necessary.

“On the community side of the equation, these people have lost family, they’ve lost loved ones and if we put ourselves in that situation we, too, would probably want the persons found,” said Johnston, noting he doesn’t speak on behalf of the entire board.

Board chairman Markus Chambers noted WPS previously searched for Contois’ remains at the Brady Road landfill, but said the circumstances at Prairie Green would be quite different.

“We do have to remember that the service did search Brady landfill and were able to find remains for Rebecca Contois and her family. It does show the fact that the service is willing to do what is necessary to bring those (responsible for crimes) to justice,” he said.

“We do have to remember that the service did search Brady landfill and were able to find remains for Rebecca Contois and her family. It does show the fact that the service is willing to do what is necessary to bring those (responsible for crimes) to justice.”–Board chairman Markus Chambers

“In this particular situation, with the (Prairie Green) landfill, the scope of the search, in terms of not knowing where the starting point is, as well as the other safety factors, the asbestos that’s there and the fact that the landfill is mixed with animal remains as well, it just becomes very difficult, if not near-impossible.”

However, he stressed the final decision must also factor in the trauma endured by the Indigenous community, who recently experienced the discovery of unmarked graves at former residential schools.

“The community is still healing and we have to be sensitive to that. So, when we see that there are… women whose remains are still missing and out there somewhere, we have to be sensitive to what the entire community is going through and looking at it from that perspective, as well,” he said.

The premier said any decision will address potential health risks related to conducting a search.

“We don’t want to put anyone’s health in harm’s way as a result of this,” she said. “I think that information needs to come forward before we make any decisions on who’s best to do what (and) when.”

Earlier in the day, during her state of the province address, Stefanson said the community has been “shaken to the core.”

“These women had families, they had friends, they had loved ones and they deserve to be safe in their communities,” she said. “I can only imagine how horrific and devastating, as a woman and a mother myself, it must have been to get that news about their loved ones. This is tragic. It is absolutely unacceptable.”

— with files from Carol Sanders

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga

Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Joyanne loves to tell the stories of this city, especially when politics is involved. Joyanne became the city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press in early 2020.

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