Manitoba, federal governments promise $20M each to search Prairie Green landfill for human remains

WARNING: This story con‐ tains distressing details about missing and mur‐ dered Indigenous women.

The federal and provincial governments have commit‐ ted $20 million each toward searching the Prairie Green landfill for the remains of two Indigenous women.

"A lot of money has been spent to convince govern‐ ments to do the right thing, and today, meeting with the federal government and provincial government, there was a commitment from them to search the landfills," Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said at a news confer‐ ence Friday afternoon.

"Today's a very bitter‐ sweet day. It's a sense of re‐ lief, but yet work needs to be done."

Spokespeople for both governments confirmed the funding Friday afternoon in separate emails, just before the start of the news confer‐ ence with Merrick and Cam‐ bria Harris, the daughter of Morgan Harris. The remains of Harris and Marcedes Myran are believed to be in the landfill.

The provincial govern‐ ment also committed $500,000 to help the families during the trial of the man accused of killing them and two other women, while the federal government promised another $200,000 for the mental well-being of the families, Merrick said.

The families have accused the provincial government of delays and inaction since it promised during last fall's election campaign that there would be a search of the landfill.

Cambria Harris said Friday that she's grateful first to the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs for helping her, but also to the provincial and federal governments for agreeing to fund the search.

Harris also said she'll con‐ tinue to push forward for a search of the landfill not just for her mother, Morgan, but for "every little Indigenous kid out there who never had a say growing up." Harris said her mother was once one of those kids.

"It's about showing that our Indigenous women, our indigenous people, that we're worth it," said Harris. "That we're valued, that we're loved and we're more than worth searching for."

Harris also said she's ex‐ perienced "every emotion out there" over the last year, but is using her pain and grief to "turn it into some‐ thing beautiful.

"I was sick of people con‐ trolling my narrative, I was sick of people telling me what they will and will not do with my mother's body," she said. "And so it was time for me to take that back, for not only me, not only for my mother, but for my people and for my communities."

WATCH | Cambria Harris reacts to government fund‐ ing commitments:

The search won't start un‐ til after the trial of Jeremy Skibicki, who is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Harris, Myran, Re‐ becca Contois, whose partial remains were found in a dif‐ ferent landfill, and an unidentified woman Indige‐ nous leaders have named Buffalo Woman, whose re‐ mains have not been found.

Skibicki's jury trial is scheduled for 28 days start‐ ing April 29.

While the trial is happen‐ ing, preparations for the search can be made, includ‐ ing hiring and training staff, Merrick said.

An Indigenous-led com‐ mittee commissioned two re‐ ports on the feasibility of a search, which has been esti‐ mated to cost $90 million if completed within a year.

Merrick said they asked whether they would have to return to ask for more mon‐ ey if the amount that's com‐ mitted is insufficient.

"We don't want to go back and back again," she said. "We want to see this work be completed. We want to en‐ sure that we find the loved ones that have been there for 15 months now."

Merrick also called the completion of those reports historic during Friday's news conference and said there have been searches of other landfills where those con‐ ducting the search weren't asked to produce a feasibility study to see how worthwhile or costly it would be.

Merrick said $500,000 in funding from the federal gov‐ ernment was given to con‐ duct the first feasibility study.

The federal government then provided $740,000 to further research how to conduct a search safely after the feasi‐ bility study, also funded by the federal government, found it would be possible, but that toxic materials could pose a risk to workers.

"A lot of money has been spent to convince govern‐ ments to do the right thing," said Merrick.

WATCH | Grand chief talks about the work that led to Friday's announce‐ ment:

Harris said Manitoba Pre‐ mier Wab Kinew promised a thorough search would be done.

"Wab Kinew, in his words, said that we are going to search every cubic metre of Cell 13 [of the landfill] where my mother, Morgan and Marcedes are laying."

Kinew said in a statement Friday the NDP's commit‐ ment to search the landfill has been "unrelenting" and that the provincial govern‐ ment is "glad to move for‐ ward with the funds neces‐ sary to search every cubic metre of the relevant space."

The statement also said while it's unknown if the search will be successful, "we have to try. Thar's our com‐ mitment to these families."

Support is available for anyone affected by details of this case. If you require sup‐ port, you can contact Ka Ni Kanichihk's Medicine Bear Counselling, Support and El‐ der Services at 204-594-6500, ext. 102 or 104 (within Win‐ nipeg), or 1-888-953-5264 (outside Winnipeg).

Support is also available via Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Liaison unit at 1-800-442-0488 or 204677-1648.

People outside Manitoba can call 1-844-413-6649, an independent, national, tollfree support call line that provides emotional assis‐ tance.