Area of interest at Manitoba landfill has been clear of waste since June: committee

WINNIPEG -

An Indigenous-led committee tasked with determining whether it's possible to recover the remains of two First Nations women from a landfill says there hasn't been waste deposited at an area of interest there since last summer.

Members of the team met with the owner of Prairie Green landfill earlier this month to discuss the status of operations at the privately run landfill just outside Winnipeg.

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs say in a statement that no additional materials have been deposited to the landfill cell that police marked as an area of interest since June, meaning there is less waste to remove if a search is conducted.

Police have said they would not search the landfill for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, citing the passage of time and a large volume of material deposited at the site.

Police have charged Jeremy Skibicki with first-degree murder in the deaths of Harris, Myran, Rebecca Contois and an unidentified woman, whom Indigenous leaders have named Buffalo Woman.

The partial remains of Contois were found in June at a separate city-run landfill.

The committee has submitted a funding proposal to the federal government for the feasibility study and expects it to be completed by the end of March.

   This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2023.