Front Burner - A landfill blockade and demands to find Indigenous women’s remains

Episode Date: July 14, 2023

It's been a week since protesters began a blockade of the Brady Road landfill in Winnipeg. They're calling on the government to search the Prairie Green landfill — a privately owned dump outside the city — for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, two murdered Indigenous women. But the government says that, despite police believing the two women's remains are there, the site won't be searched, primarily due to safety concerns. But for Cambria Harris, that's not good enough. Her mother Morgan, along with Myran and two other women whose remains were found at the Brady Road landfill, are believed to be the victim of an alleged serial killer, Jeremy Skibicki. He’s been charged with four counts of first-degree murder in connection to their deaths. In refusing to search the landfill, Harris says the government is perpetuating a long history of systemic racism that has led to the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) in Canada. With tensions flaring as the city seeks an injunction to remove the protesters, CBC reporter Josh Crabb takes us inside the story, and where things could be headed next. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. This is a CBC Podcast. Hi, I'm Tamara Kendacker. A warning, today's episode contains descriptions of violence against Indigenous women, so please listen with care. What I want from them is for them to finally sit down in those chairs, do their jobs instead of making the families do their jobs for them. And if you're not going to, step the hell down and

let my chiefs in so that they can get something done. Thank you very much. That is Cambria Harris. She and a few dozen other protesters have been blockading the Brady Road landfill in Winnipeg since last week. They've been calling on the province to search another landfill north of the city, the privately owned Prairie Green landfill, another landfill north of the city, the privately owned Prairie Green Landfill, where police believe they might find the bodies of two Indigenous women, women they suspect have been murdered by a serial killer.

One of those women is Cambria's mother. This is disgraceful, and you guys think it's okay for a dump truck that was known to carry remains back last year to drive past a known memorial site? It shouldn't have ever even had to get to that point. Had Heather have just offered those services for counseling like she had promised recently. Where were those resources then? Why is it just being offered now? My mother, Morgan Harris, utilized those resources and now she's dead in the bottom of a landfill

at the blood of your own fucking hands. Protesters have been camped out at the site for months, but the most recent blockade started when the province announced it's not going to go ahead with the search. Premier Heather Stephenson says it's too expensive and too dangerous. We cannot ignore the complexity of the issue and the objective viability of other considerations

and the likelihood and probability of finding the bodies of those individuals who perished. Now, the city of Winnipeg is trying to shut down the blockade, saying it's disrupting the landfill's operations. And tensions are ratcheting up as they're trying to get an injunction to remove the protesters. You sit in these powerful positions, but where are you when your own people need you? Huh? You're scared of facing the victims of the oppression that you have been unfairly bestowing

upon them for hundreds of thousands of years. You should not be proud to be a Canadian. You should not be proud of this country. You should not be proud to be a Canadian. You should not be proud of this country. You should not. Josh Crabb is a reporter with CBC in our Winnipeg station. He's been following the story and he's on the show today. Josh, hi. Thanks so much for being here. Hi. So Josh, I mentioned off the top that these protesters, they're calling for the search of the Prairie Green landfill.

And it's believed that the remains of two murdered Indigenous women might be found there. And we actually talked about this on the show back in September. But for people who don't know or don't remember, can you talk to us a bit about who these women are? Yeah, absolutely. Their names are Mercedes Myron and Morgan Harris. Winnipeg police say they're among four victims of an alleged serial killer last year in Winnipeg. They're both members of Long Plain First Nation, which is just west of Winnipeg, but they had been living in the city prior to their disappearances and deaths. Myron was just 26 years old. She was a mother. Her grandmother, Donna Bartlett, says Myron started

living on the street after her children were put in foster care. And her family last saw her in March 2022 and reported her missing in September 2022. And Donna Bartlett remembers her granddaughter's jokes and big smile. Morgan Harris was 39. Her daughter, Cambria Harris, who's been pushing for a search since this past December, says Morgan was a mother of five and a grandmother who was happy-go-lucky and silly. Both women used homeless shelters in Winnipeg's core. Police believe the women were killed, left in a dumpster, and then their remains were transported to the private landfill just north of Winnipeg. And there are two of the four women allegedly killed by the same man who I'm going to ask you about in just a bit. But first, can you tell me about the other two women?

That's right. The other two women who police believe were killed by Jeremy Skibicki are Rebecca Contois and an unidentified victim given the name Buffalo Woman. Rebecca Contois' partial remains were found in a North Winnipeg garbage bin. Her partial remains were also discovered in the Brady Road landfill, which is where protesters are right now. She was really the first victim identified. We don't know a lot more about Buffalo Woman. People are still trying to identify her. Her remains haven't been located and their whereabouts are not known. So we don't know much about Buffalo Woman, but can you tell me about where that name came from? Yeah, that was a name that community members, elders came up with. they wanted to give this person who, you know, a human being, a name, not just a fourth victim. And so that happened shortly after police announced that, you know, there was an unidentified victim who they believed was, you know, killed by Jeremy Skibicki, along

with Morgan Harris, Mercedes Myron, and Rebecca Contois. And you mentioned Jeremy Skibicki, along with Morgan Harris, Mercedes Myron, and Rebecca Contois. And you mentioned Jeremy Skibicki. This is the man who's been charged with all four of these murders. What do we know about him and his connection to these women? Well, police haven't gone into a lot of specifics, but sources who work at and use homeless shelters in Winnipeg have said that they believe Skibicki was preying on vulnerable women at shelters. Staff say it was well-known Skibiki accessed a variety of shelters and met women there. A friend of his said he went to shelters for meals and that Skibiki had at least 30 women stay with him in his apartment for varying periods of time over the course of eight months in the lead-up to these homicides.

His lawyer says he does plan to plead not guilty on all counts. And when did the Indigenous community first start making their presence known at this landfill? It was really December 2022 early on. And what set it off is police informed families and the public that they believe there were three more victims of Jeremy Skibicki. Remember Rebecca Contois, her remains had been found back in May. The details surrounding her death are traumatic and gruesome. The victim was found dismembered, with parts of her remains tossed into a dumpster on Edison Avenue. The search has now turned to the Brady Road landfill,

where police say canines and drones will be used in what will be a lengthy investigation. That's what prompted people to go to the Brady Road landfill and maintain a presence there. They set up a camp with teepees and shelters with people, you know, staying on site, you know, day and night, and they've really maintained a presence there. It's been a gathering spot. The road hasn't always been closed. We know that's happening now, and it did happen for a period of time back in December and early January of this year. Since December 18th, protesters have set up camp outside the Brady Road landfill.

Despite the cold weather experience last week, protesters say they're setting up camp for the long haul and will remain until a search begins. No justice. And if there's no justice, there's no peace. What I mean by that, we're going to stay here until the voices are heard and that every landfill around here is searched. So there has been a presence there since December, but this most recent blockade, how did that start? What set that off? It was earlier this month, the premier met with families of the victims with Indigenous leaders. Manitoba Premier Heather Stephenson told them that the province wouldn't be paying for or participating in a search of the Prairie Green landfill. And, you know, after that meeting, families were disheartened.

First Nations leaders were angry. I believe that is an excuse. I don't know if I can say a strong statement where that they don't care, but that's what it feels like right now. It's really unfortunate for our people and it's unfortunate for the family. And their hearts are broken in this process and they keep having to relive everything time and time again. And it was a day after that decision that protesters started blocking the road again at Brady. You know, it's a different landfill, but they're using it to send a message that they disagree with this decision

from the Manitoba government and they're blocking a city landfill now. Some of these women's family members have been a big part of these protests. And what have you heard from them about why they're there? Yeah, they have been a big part of it, especially the family of Morgan Harris.

Her daughter Cambria has been outspoken about all of this, along with Morgan's cousin, Melissa Robinson. They've been a presence at the Brady Road blockade. They're actually named in an injunction, which I think we'll talk about a little bit later. But we have heard from them, you know, again, they were disheartened, they were frustrated that the province said it won't search. I mean, there was a feasibility study that was sort of led by a First Nations

group here, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, a leadership group. And, you know, when that study was presented to the province and the province reviewed it and said look we're not going to do this you know they just felt like what more do we have to do to get this search done and they're just really at this point willing to sort of do anything to keep pushing for it. Where is our premier when we need protection? Why is there police presence here, but where were you when we needed you yesterday?

You wonder how these women end up on the streets? Look at your own hands and statistics, because you watch them continue to grow. You watch those statistics rise. But there is no further implementation for change. In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. Hi, it's Ramit Sethi here. You may have seen my money show on Netflix.

I've been talking about money for 20 years. I've talked to millions of people and I have some startling numbers to share with you. Did you know that of the people I speak to, 50% of them do not know their own household income? That's not a typo, 50%. That's because money is confusing. In my new book and podcast, Money for Couples, I help you and your partner create a financial vision together. To listen to this podcast, just search for Money for Couples. I help you and your partner create a financial vision together. To listen to this podcast, just search for Money for Couples. So why not search the dump? Why has the province refused to do that? Yeah, so I mean, the reasons cited by the premier have really been, to this point, the safety of workers.

That is what the premier publicly said. It would be a massive search effort. It would require, you know, excavating a landfill, hauling out materials from that landfill, taking it to a facility which would have to be constructed and then examining the materials using a conveyor belt. So it would be a huge effort, but the Premier has really said it's about safety. We cannot ignore the complexity of the issue and the objective viability of other considerations. Things like toxic and hazardous waste that are in the landfill when it comes to a search. You know, the health and safety considerations of those who would come forward and be those that search the landfill. Is there a cost and a timeline that's

been outlined in the report? How much would it cost and how long would it take? Yeah, so there was the feasibility study I mentioned, which was conducted earlier this year. It would take, study I mentioned, which was conducted earlier this year, it would take, according to the feasibility study, up to three years, and it could cost between $84 and $184 million. So there is a price tag that goes along with this. And while the premier is citing safety, some people feel that this is about money. No one has said that publicly. People are still waiting to find out if the federal government will fund this, but we haven't heard from them yet on what they plan to do. And when it comes to safety, what exactly are the risks to workers who would be sifting through these materials that the premier is citing? Yeah, so toxic chemicals such as methane in landfills,

all kinds of chemicals that could cause harmful human health effects. There's asbestos in the area where police believe the women were dumped, which can cause heart disease and cancer. And so the study does talk about ways to deal with that, having searchers in hazmat suits and taking other precautions, making sure that they're checked on regularly. There are ways that the feasibility study has identified to deal with these risks, but there are significant risks with searching the site. Another one of the concerns that was brought up was there's sort of a slope. And the study says that there's concern if the site is excavated, there could be slope failure and that could cause physical harm to people. So ultimately, what did the report find about the feasibility of the search? Is it possible?

The report did say it is possible to find the remains of Mercedes Myron and Morgan Harris. It did say that obviously there would be risks that would come along with that. But the report also talked about, you know, the risks of not searching and the impact that could have on families and the message that could send to perpetrators that it's okay to dump bodies in landfills and you could do that with impunity. So it really looked at both sides. It looked at the costs of searching and the costs of not searching. It did ultimately find a search would be feasible. Right. And so essentially what's happened is the province has weighed that against the risks and costs associated with this and decided that they're not going to do it. That's right. You know, the province did say through the premier

that, you know, it did review the feasibility study. I mean, they had people who were part of one of the committees that was formed as part of this study, but family members have questioned whether the premier herself read the study. She said that officials have reviewed the document and that this determination has been made. And I just want to note, on Wednesday, the federal Crown Indigenous Relations Minister, Mark Miller, called the province's decision not to search the landfill, quote-unquote, heartless.

This has been dealt with in a very heartless way, quite frankly. And we do absolutely have to try as a federal government. He said that the government would be willing to work with the province to search the dump and that Canada has done these kinds of things before, but that the federal government can't actually do anything right now because this is provincial jurisdiction. can't actually do anything right now because this is provincial jurisdiction. In this space, jurisdiction is a poisonous word that perpetuates the trauma that is leveled on your women and children. The federal government is willing to help.

But the reality of where we're working is that the government of Canada can't nationalize the garbage dump. Right. And on the other hand, the province says the decision ultimately lies with the federal government. So it's sort of a political football at this point. And also there's the city of Winnipeg. I mean, their municipal landfill is being blocked right now. They don't own the Prairie Green landfill, but obviously the city is part of this too. So it seems to protesters that no one wants to deal with this right now, that governments are passing the buck on this. And yes, Minister Miller did say that he feels this has been dealt with in a heartless way and that given the delays, they've sort of run out of time to do a search this summer. They've sort of run out of time to do a search this summer.

So this all started back in December, really actually back in spring of 2022. You know, it's been more than a year that police believe that these women have been in that landfill and families are seeing no action and they're just not sure what to do next. This whole issue has been problematic from the very beginning because it's using the term feasibility. And fortunately, that was the term that was used from the Winnipeg police from the very beginning. And as a result,

what this whole issue has been framed with is are Indigenous women worth looking for? So if this landfill isn't searched and the bodies aren't recovered, I'm wondering, could this end up impacting the trial of Jeremy Skibicki? The fact that this is a murder trial and they don't have two of the bodies? It could be a factor in the trial. Obviously, you know, the Crown, they feel like they have enough evidence without the remains to proceed with charges against Mr. Skibicki. So, you know, we have seen cases where there have been convictions where there's been a homicide and no body found. It's not unprecedented. And in this case, the Crown says that it has a strong case. So the Premier did say that, you know, they don't want to

jeopardize the legal case against Skibicki by searching in any way, maybe suggesting that if the bodies aren't found, that, you know, that could be used as sort of some sort of defense by Mr. Skibiki. But the Crown here has said that they do believe they have enough evidence without the remains. So we're recording this on Thursday afternoon. What's the latest with the blockade at the Brady Road landfill today? The protesters are still there. The main road in is closed. Commercial trucks and personal vehicles

are now using a temporary back road to get into the landfill. So it's still operating, but the city says that's not a long-term solution. Last Friday when the blockade had just started, there was a big rainfall and that road had to be shut down because it became unpassable. So the protesters are still there. The dump is still operating. The protesters say, look, we haven't shut down the dump. We're here maintaining a presence to call for a search of Prairie Green landfill. And really, they want

a search of Brady Road landfill as well for the remains of any other missing and murdered women. And they're still there. The city has gone to court. They want an injunction that would allow police to go there and arrest and remove protesters if necessary. The injunction has not yet been granted, but there's a hearing coming up and we should find out soon. And why does the city want this blockade to end? Why have

they asked for an injunction? Well, they say that this landfill is needed to, you know, collect the waste of three quarters of a million people in Winnipeg and that if the blockade continues and they lose access to the facility there's environmental and safety risks with the buildup of toxic gases and liquids in the landfill which need to be removed if trucks can't get in there to get that stuff out you know it could have environmental impacts and it could lead them to violating their license for operating the landfill. They also say if trucks can't get in there, they may have to divert garbage to other landfills. And then, you know, if other landfills can't accept the garbage, you know, that could impact just the collection of commercial and residential garbage within the city of Winnipeg, which could have a huge impact.

So that's really essentially the case. I mean, there is a cost associated with this too. I mean, the previous blockade, we understand, did shut down the landfill for a period of time. That cost the city about $1.5 million. There also are some added costs to the city. They say they've spent about $125,000 so far this year on security outside of the blockade. And so if this injunction is granted, what have you been able to find out about how the city plans to enforce it? Well, a key piece that stands out to me is it would give police then the power to go in there and remove protesters if necessary. You know, ultimately, it would fall into the hands of police on how they would act on that injunction.

You know, it might not happen immediately. We do understand that police have already been in talks with protesters and, you know, the city issued an order for them to evacuate. This past Monday at noon, you know, the protesters decided they were going to stay. So that's how we got to this injunction. The injunction would essentially give police the power to go in there. I know there's already been some tensions flaring up around this. There was this incident where a man dumped soil on a memorial for the women. Can you tell me a bit about what happened there? Yeah, so that was that happened one morning earlier on this week when only a few protesters were at the site and the man and what ended up happening is there was a video captured of this man shoveling landscaping material onto a red dress mural that

had been painted on the road at the blockade. There were some frustrations expressed by the man, some very racially charged comments. And again, this is all captured on camera. And so, you know, that that really that sort of added to the resolve of protesters, they say. You know, they did feel threatened by that incident. It was quite tense. And, you know, when I was at the site, there was actually another incident where a man drove up with a trailer load of building material and garbage. It was outside of the blockade, but, you know, he didn't say much. He just parked there and dumped his trailer load of building material and garbage. It was outside of the blockade, but he didn't say much. He just parked there and dumped his trailer load of trash in the middle of the roadway because

he said he couldn't get into the landfill. Wow. Do you think there is a risk of things escalating even further? Yeah. So Wednesday night, there was a situation at a home in Winnipeg where we understand some people went to the home, I believe to be of the man who dumped some of the soil, the landscaping material onto that mural. They went to his house and protested outside of his house. We understand there was a broken window in his house. There were photos of red hands painted on his home, on his door, and there was also some soil and other material dumped on his front step. And we do understand that police were there as well. And so that sort of goes to show how tensions have flared. That sort of goes to show how tensions have flared. I should also mention, I mean, there have been these incidents. I have been there when people have been dropping off donations of food for the protesters and honking in support of their actions there.

So it has been a mix. There have been other incidences where, you know, people have yelled at the protesters for being there. Yeah, there are a lot of tensions. And, you know and it really is a tense time here in Winnipeg. Yeah. And what have the protesters been saying about all of this and what their plans are if the injunction is granted? We've heard sort of mixed reaction. We heard from a family representative outside of court on Wednesday during the first court date for the injunction when it was adjourned. And, you know, she was

asked that question. Her name's Robin Johnston. She appeared in court before a judge. She's not a lawyer, but just a representative for the family. And she said she's not sure how the group will respond if an injunction is granted. You know, I have heard from some other protesters when they've been asked that question. They say they plan to remain peaceful, but they don't plan on going anywhere. So it sort of remains to be seen how this will play out. Okay, Josh, thank you so much for unpacking all of this with us. I appreciate it.

Thank you for having me on. All right, that's all for this week. Front Burner was produced by Derek Vanderwyk, Lauren Donnelly, Rafferty Baker, Joyta Sengupta, Rachel DeGasperis, and Matt Mews. Our sound design was by Sam McNulty. Our music is by Joseph Chabison. Our executive producer Thank you so much for listening, and FrontBurner is back next week.