Camp Morgan extinguishing sacred fire after two years in wake of Manitoba landfill search

After two years of activity, advocates who called on the government to search a Manitoba landfill for the remains of two Indigenous women are extinguishing a sacred fire that has been burning at the site.

Camp Morgan, which is set up outside of the Brady Landfill in Winnipeg, will extinguish its sacred fire at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

“We've been here for two whole years and it's time that we get some spiritual rest,” said Tre Delaronde with Camp Morgan.

“We also have to let the women that are in that landfill, our sisters, rest as well.”

 

Camp Morgan is seen in Winnipeg on Dec. 18, 2024. The camp, which was built two years ago to advocate for a landfill search, is coming down Wednesday night. (Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg)

Advocates created the camp in December 2022 to call for the provincial government to search the nearby Prairie Green landfill for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, two Indigenous women murdered by serial killer Jeremy Skibicki in 2022. The remains of the two are believed to be in the landfill.

The sacred fire had been burning at the camp even after Skibicki’s guilty verdict in the summer of 2024.

“It's our connection to our Creator. It's our connection to the spiritual world,” Delaronde said. “It helps the women and those who have passed away - not just in the landfill, but also on the Highway of Tears and drowning and being found in the Red River and other places - it's a huge symbol for them to come to the sacred fire when it's lit. For that reason, it connects them to the other side, where the Creator is, and that's where they get to rest.”

While the sacred fire will be extinguished, some elements of the camp will remain standing at the site.

The search of the Prairie Green Landfill began in December 2024.