Brady landfill to reopen Friday after city reaches compromise with demonstrators

A sign shows the Brady Landfill as closed on Dec. 21, 2022. The City of Winnipeg is currently negotiating with activists who are blocking access to its only operating landfill, demanding searches for the remains of Indigenous women killed by an alleged serial killer. (CTV News Winnipeg Photo)

The Brady Landfill is set to reopen for the first time since mid-December.

The city announced Thursday evening it had reached a compromise with demonstrators at the landfill, allowing the facility to reopen on Friday and operate during normal business hours.

The landfill was closed in the middle of December, after demonstrators blocked the entrance, calling for police to search the landfill for the remains of Indigenous women killed by an alleged serial killer.

Winnipeg police found the remains of 24-year-old Rebecca Contois at the site in June. Police believe the remains of two other women, Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran are at the privately owned Prairie Green Landfill, which has been closed since Dec. 8.

Those three women and a fourth unidentified woman given the name Buffalo Woman, are all believed to have been killed by Jeremy Skibicki. He has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder. The charges have not been tested in court.

The city said demonstrators will still remain near the entrance, but residential and commercial customers will be able to access the area.

"The City of Winnipeg is grateful for the positive discussions with family members, the First Nation Indigenous Warriors, as well as other community stakeholders, and is committed to maintaining ongoing, open dialogue," the city said in a news release.

"It’s through these discussions and through their cooperation that we were able to reach a compromise, one which supports the right to peacefully protest while allowing the Brady Road Resource Management Facility to reopen to members of the public."