City negotiating with activists blocking access to Winnipeg landfill

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.

Demonstrators began blocking the Brady Road Landfill on Sunday, calling for a search of both Brady Road and the privately-owned Prairie Green Landfill north of the city.

Winnipeg city councillor Brian Mayes, who chairs the city’s water and waste committee, says the talks are making progress.

“We've got people from the city who have certainly been engaged in discussions. And it seems like it's more optimistic today than yesterday,” he said on Wednesday. “So that's positive.

“There's no deadline for this to resolve, it's kind of an ongoing situation. But hopefully, we can build on these talks and get this resolved and get the landfill reopened.”

Mayes said he believes an agreement has been reached for city workers to get in and pump leachate (liquid that is present in a landfill) every few days from Brady, saying it’s a step in the right direction.

The partial remains of Rebecca Contois were found in Brady Road Landfill this summer, while police believe the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran are at Prairie Road.

The three women, along with an unidentified woman given the name Buffalo Woman, are alleged to have been killed by Jeremy Skibecki, who has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder. The charges have not been proven in court.

The Winnipeg Police Service’s initial decision to not search the Prairie Green Landfill has led to criticism from Indigenous organizations. According to the Canadian Press, Police cited the passage of time, the amount of refuse dumped in the area, and the fact that trash at the landfill is compacted with heavy clay as reasons against the search.

An Indigenous-led group is conducting a feasibility study to determine whether to search the landfill. Operations at Prairie Green have been paused indefinitely.

Mayes said they are currently transporting trash to other nearby landfills, but says it is a short-term solution.

“We don't have another landfill within the city,” he said. "There's 36 closed ones, but the only open one is Brady,” he said. “So eventually, we've got to get that working again.”