Protesters say 'other warriors will take action' as city removes landfill blockade

The blockade at Winnipeg's Brady Landfill has been removed, nearly two weeks after protesters set it up demanding a search of a landfill north of the city for the remains of two Indigenous women.

Insp. Gord Spado with the Winnipeg Police Service said Tuesday morning that he and another officer arrived at the blockade to discuss its removal and reopen the road to the landfill.

He said their goal was to resolve the matter peacefully.

"The people that were here for the blockade were very cooperative. I interacted with the leader of the group and we gained an understanding of what was going to happen today. It was kept peaceful," said Spado.

After an agreement was made to have the blockade removed, Spado said city crews brought in equipment like front-end loaders and other machinery to remove what was on the road.

Protesters have been blocking the area since early July after Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson announced the province would not search Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two women who are believed to be in the landfill – Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran.

At the time, Stefanson said the potential health and safety risks for searchers were the main reason she won't support a search, citing the finds of a feasibility study that said workers could encounter toxic material and that there is no guarantee anything will be found.

Last Friday, a Manitoba judge granted a temporary injunction, authorizing police to remove the blockade. Spado said police were at the blockade Friday, but decided it was not the right time to take action.

"Emotions were high. I wanted to give it an opportunity to settle down a little bit and we came today to have a conversation," Spado said. "Publicly, the camp had indicated that they were prepared to remove things for the city to come in and clean things up and that's what we did today."

Police and the leaders of the camp had been in contact throughout the weekend Spado said, and by Tuesday morning, the leaders knew it was the right time to remove the blockade.

The camp next to the road leading to the landfill will remain where it is as well as the red dress mural that has been painted on the road. However, Spado noted the mural will eventually disappear due to traffic driving on the road again.

Cleaners are coming in to help remove nails and screws from the road and then it will be open again for public access to the landfill.

There has been a war of words between the Manitoba government and federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller after Stefanson made the decision on the landfill. Miller criticized her decision, calling it "heartless."

Indigenous leaders, also joined experts who were consulted in the feasibility study, said on Monday that risks could be mitigated and a search could be done safely.

Following Spado's comments Tuesday, Harrison Powder, one of the protesters at the blockade, said this isn't over yet.

"Other activists, other warriors will take action and this is nothing. There will be another blockade. We will blockade railways, we will blockade highways," said Powder. "We will do whatever we have to do to keep this in the news, to keep this cause alive. This is bigger than us."

He said the federal government and Miller needs to step up to fund a search.

"The feds have to take control. This premier is useless, she's useless. We've got to go above her, but that means we have to step up the action and go above the police as well and that will be done. Mark my words."

Jeremy Skibicki is facing four charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of four women, including Harris and Myran, Rebecca Contois, whose remains were found at the Brady Landfill, and a woman who has not been identified and Indigenous leaders have called Buffalo Woman – Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe.

-With files from The Canadian Press