The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) held a press conference Thursday morning in response to the discovery of potential human remains at the Prairie Green Landfill near Winnipeg.
The families of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran — who were murdered by a serial killer in 2022, and whose remains are believed to be in the landfill — spoke to media alongside Grand Chief Kyra Wilson and elder Geraldine Shingoose.
After months of controversy, which included a potential landfill search becoming a divisive issue in the 2023 provincial election, the province began searching a targeted zone — 20,300 cubic metres of waste — at the landfill last December.
Premier Wab Kinew said Wednesday that there’s still some uncertainty as to what was discovered in the search, but Manitoba RCMP have begun an investigation in an effort to identify the remains that were discovered.
Melissa Robinson, a cousin of Morgan Harris, said getting the call about the discovery of potential remains was a very emotional situation for her family.
“That scary movie we’ve been living for the last couple of years has become a reality,” she said.
“I think the shock of everything has finally hit me, because I woke up this morning and… I’m a little shaky, and I’m a little uneasy. Usually it takes a lot to break me, but I’m pretty emotional today.”
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The news, Robinson said, is a rebuke to those who criticized the idea of searching the landfill, or who put roadblocks in the path of a journey that has taken years to get to where it is today.
“The Winnipeg police told us no. The government, (former premier) Heather Stefanson told us no, that it couldn’t be done and that it wouldn’t be done.
“You know, to hell with all you guys, because it got done — and it’s just beginning. We’re going to continue pushing the search. We’re just going to continue lifting each other up and being there for each other.”
AMC Grand Chief Wilson credited the families, members of the community, and her predecessor — the late Grand Chief Cathy Merrick — for their tireless efforts in making sure a search happened despite numerous obstacles.
“The search has always been about human dignity. You know, we can never, ever leave somebody in the landfill. If we know somebody is there, we can never, ever leave them there,” Wilson said.
“And this case is two First Nations women that were suspected of being in the landfill. And yesterday we received the answers that we never thought would be, a reality.”
The results of the landfill search, she said, should act as a catalyst for systemic changes across the country.
“As we move forward, we must acknowledge the deeper crisis that we deal with. First Nations women, girls, two-spirit people, men and boys… they continue to go missing and are murdered at unacceptable rates.
“This is a major reason why we need to look at systemic, change. And it needs to happen immediately. The violence against our First Nations people, it continues. And we can’t ignore this crisis anymore.
“If this isn’t an obvious, reason to change the systems, I don’t know what else is … because this is, an unfortunate reality for our families as First Nations people, that we have to search landfills for our loved ones. And it’s an awful, awful reality. So as we sit here today, we grieve, but we also stand here in our strength, and I acknowledge the strength of our families here.”
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