'They don't care': family walks out of meeting with Premier over landfill search

The Manitoba government says it won’t support a search of a landfill outside of Winnipeg where the remains of two Indigenous women who were murdered are believed to be located.

In a statement sent Wednesday afternoon, Premier Heather Stefanson said the province won’t knowingly risk the health and safety of Manitoba workers for a search of the Prairie Green Landfill without a guarantee.

“We understand the desire to leave no stone unturned. However, the search process described in the report is complex, and comes with long-term human health and safety concerns that simply cannot be ignored,” Stefanson said in a statement.

“Based on the report, we cannot knowingly risk Manitoba workers’ health and safety for a search without a guarantee.”

The province also indicated it would support a memorial in the area and hopes other levels of government and Indigenous leaders support it too.

Stefanson’s release followed a meeting with Indigenous leaders and family members of the victims on Wednesday.

The bodies of Marcedes Myran and Morgan Harris are believed to be in the Prairie Green Landfill, located near Stony Mountain.

Families have been calling for the search of the landfill after Winnipeg police found the partial remains of Rebecca Contois last year in Winnipeg’s Brady Landfill.

Melissa Robinson, the cousin of Harris, said she was hopeful a meeting with Stefanson would bring her one step closer to bringing Harris home.

"We've waited long enough," she said. Instead, she left the meeting frustrated and disheartened.

"My thought is to leave my cousin there, and say that it is okay, (but) it is not okay…I don't know how she could sit there across from us and look at us in the face and say that they are not going to do anything. It is upsetting."

Robinson said she had to leave the meeting because of how upset she was by the decision.

Jeremy Skibicki has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Contois, Harris, Myran and an unidentified woman Indigenous leaders have named Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, or Buffalo Woman. Her remains have not been located.

The results of an Indigenous-led feasibility study were made public in May, saying a search could take up to three years and cost approximately $184 million.

It warned of risks due to exposure to toxic chemicals, but said forgoing a search could be harmful to the families of the victims.

The federal government is currently reviewing the feasibility study.

Kyra Wilson, chief of Long Plain First Nation, is not happy with the province’s decision.

"What that tells me is that they don’t care,” Wilson said. “They don’t care and that it is just a stall tactic. And that is really all that it is right now."

She said the premier told them she only got the feasibility study Wednesday morning and that the province is reviewing it.

"The fact remains that they did not take the initiative to ask for the feasibility study and they only received it this morning, but yet as you had mentioned, the feasibility study has been done for two months now.

“They don’t care and quite frankly, I’m pretty much done asking the province for support at this point in time, just given the fact that they are continually giving us excuses time and time again of how they’re not going to support the landfill search.”

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick said she wants to see real action.

"It's very disheartening that we have to be a political yo-yo between the federal government and the provincial government in terms of the feasibility study that was completed," said Merrick.

Merrick said they offered a letter to the premier outlining what they are looking for, but the premier didn't offer any response to it.

"There was no positive or no concrete response to it."

Robinson said she will not stop until a search is done.

"My cousin has been in that landfill for over a year now. It is about time she comes home. We need to bring her home," said Robinson.

The province said it is awaiting the federal government's review of the feasibility study. CTV News reached out to the federal government for comment and was given the same statement as last month.

The office of the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations said they are reviewing the study diligently and more comments will be provided when the review has been completed.