A necessary search winds down
It was the right thing to do. It was always the right thing to do. And most Manitobans knew it.
Early this week, Premier Wab Kinew visited the Prairie Green landfill to mark the end of the search for human remains at the site. He was joined by family members of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, by supporters, and by people involved in the search for a ceremony and smudging.
The search was not completely a success — the family of Myran had hoped the search would find a larger part of her remains than were located, and wanted the search to include a larger area — but there is at least the consolation that Myran was found.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
Prairie Green Landfill in the RM of Rosser, Man.
Watching the conclusion of this part of the search for the remains of victims of Jeremy Skibicki — a further search continues at the Brady landfill for Ashlee Shingoose — brings home how important the search was in the first place, and how dispiriting it was that the PC government of the day not only wouldn't launch a search, but actively campaigned on the decision not to search.
There have been plenty of apologies and admissions that the decision was a poor one since then: the Progressive Conservatives have apologized, the Winnipeg Police Service has said it regrets its decision to say that a search was not necessary, and the list goes on.
But what's surprising is that anyone ever thought the matter was up for political debate, that anyone felt that the potential cost of the search was a legitimate reason to say that two women should have their final resting place be a landfill.
Consider this.
George Mallory and Andrew (Sandy) Irvine disappeared while climbing Mount Everest in June of 1924, and there have been questions ever since about whether the pair had made it to the mountain's summit.
Mallory's remains were found in 1999, but nothing was found of Irvine until September, 2024, when a documentary team found a foot inside a boot and sock protruding from a melting glacier. The sock had a label with Irvine's name sewn on it, and the remains are being compared to the DNA of family members for final confirmation.
The film crew that found foot, sock and boot knew how important the discovery was — and not just for understanding more about the Mallory expedition.
'It's the first real evidence of where Sandy ended up,' Jimmy Chin, a National Geographic filmmaker, told National Geographic. 'When someone disappears and there's no evidence of what happened to them, it can be really challenging for families.'
Weekday Evenings
Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening.
Irvine's relative Julie Summers said was 'moved to tears' when she learnt of the boot's existence a report from the PA Media news agency said. 'I have lived with this story since I was a seven-year-old when my father told us about the mystery of Uncle Sandy on Everest.'
It's why we search for the lost. Because it matters.
Because it's important to family members to know what has happened to their relatives, and where those relatives rest. It matters days after someone disappears, and it matters 100 years later, and it continues to matter, no matter how many years pass. All of us should be able to try and put ourselves in others' shoes.
We search for the remains of those lost at sea, lost on land, lost in war and lost in terrorist attacks. Millions of dollars have been spent on all sorts of searches, from hunts for famous explorers and the remains of their expeditions — like those of the Franklin expedition — to searches for individuals who vanish from their vehicles in blizzards, seeking, and failing to find shelter.
Helping find the missing is part of being in the community that we call humanity.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Letters, July 21
Opinion Energy plans Upon seeing the $7-billion price tag for upgrading the hydro system, my first thought was: how much dispersed hydro generation could that buy? And wouldn't that be safer than having so many of our energy eggs in one vulnerable basket? This reminds me of a few years ago when one of the Hydro honchos essentially told us they were in the hydro power business, not the wind and solar power business. My thought then was that a more responsible stance would be to consider themselves to be in the electric energy business — for Manitoba — whatever the source. Indeed, new power technology options are being developed every day. Our myopic reliance on giant hydro plants and long, long transmission corridors might very well become non-primary technology. And the most vulnerable option for our province. I may be missing something in all this, but I am not confident that Hydro has embraced a power generation worldview that isn't literally water/hydro powered. And I still wonder what's their vision on power generation beyond that? And as a Crown corporation, what's their sense of their role and responsibility in all this? Dan O'Dell Winnipeg The detailed analysis in the Free Press confirms what many Manitobans have long suspected but few in government have had the courage to address: Manitoba Hydro is teetering on the edge of a financial precipice. The staggering $20-billion debt load, combined with poor governance, lack of strategic vision, and politically manipulated rates, has created a dangerous imbalance — one that now threatens the financial health of both the utility and the province itself. Projects like Keeyask and Bipole III have ballooned in cost and delivered questionable value. Meanwhile, repeated political interference — from rate suppression to board turnover — has left Hydro rudderless, unable to make sound long-term decisions or invest wisely in future infrastructure. Let's not be misled: low rates have neither attracted major employers nor benefited taxpayers in the long run. In fact, they have effectively masked inefficiencies and delayed a necessary shift toward demand management, conservation, and green energy innovation. The result? Nearly $1 billion in annual interest payments and mounting risk of a credit downgrade. It is time to stop treating Hydro as a political tool and start governing it like the complex, high-stakes utility it is. That means restoring board independence, grounding rate decisions in economic reality, and holding Hydro leadership accountable for productivity and fiscal discipline. Manitobans deserve transparency, not talking points. Yog Rahi Gupta Winnipeg Blending faith and science Re: 100 years later, the Scopes 'Monkey Trial' still resonates (Think Tank, July 17) It is true, as Allan Levine argues, that the supposed conflict between science and the Bible still resonates today. One reason for this is that in our polarized world we tend to view reality through one lens only while excluding other explanations. This too often puts science on the scrimmage line against a particular understanding of the Bible. But science and the Bible, properly understood, are not opposing explanations; they complement one another. Science can be understood as a kind of map with its own way of describing reality. But a map of Canada does not exhaust our understanding of Canada. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights argues that all persons are created with equal dignity and rights. Science can help us understand this conviction, but we need something beyond the maps of science to more fully grasp it. And we need an understanding of the Bible other than creationism in order to engage science with integrity. Yes, this issue does have to do with life's meaning. Ray Harris Winnipeg Talk elsewhere Re: 'Hold your conversation' (Letters, July 15) Bravo to letter writer Ken McLean for voicing the concern that many of us have at live performances and in particular at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. If you must have a conversation, please take it away from the seating area where other people are trying to listen to the performance. Don't just raise your voice so that your friend can hear you above the performer. And, if someone asks you to take your chat elsewhere, please don't look at them as if you're the one who's being inconvenienced. Don Sourisseau Winnipeg Water bill too high We are all enjoying the wonderful summer so far, being at the lake, travelling or at home. If you are living in a house particularly in Winnipeg, please look at your recent water bill statement from the water and waste department. You might be surprised that an unexpected high water bill arrived to be paid within a period of time. Wow! Why am I paying such a high amount for water for a three-month period, I ask myself. What's with this statement? Is the amount due, correct? Is there a possibility of a calculated error? I called the water department recently. Their reply to my question: the city is building a new treatment plant, therefore we need revenue to complete the project. As I see it, to compensate for any losses in construction of this endeavour, Winnipeggers will cover the deficit. From December of 2024 to June of 2025, my water bill has increased by 15 per cent. Why such an increase? If you look at your water bill, the sewer cost ratio is probably almost twice in comparison to the water usage. Did your area have any sewer upgrades? If it did, then the increase justifies the water bill amount. My area hasn't had any sewer work done to substantiate an increase in fees. As Winnipeggers, we are being bombarded this year with a property tax increase, garbage collection increase and a water bill increase, 'three strikes' and many people are out financially. This is unreasonable and unsustainable. Grocery prices are skyrocketing, inflation is growing and imposed tariffs have a negative impact on our economy. Tremendous strain on the citizens of Winnipeg. What is next to swallow? My recommendation to the city, to alleviate the burden of paying the high water bills, is to introduce the same format that Manitoba Hydro operates on, pay monthly not quarterly. People would be able to budget and manage their financial monthly household expense, not get burdened with astronomical water bills. Peter John Manastyrsky Winnipeg Well wishes for columnist Re: Finally at a loss for an opinion (Think Tank, July 12) I am certain I join many readers of these pages in saying a heartfelt 'thank you' to professor Paul Thomas for the huge contribution his thoughtful columns have brought to the public issues of our times. His was always an informative and well-researched voice. I wish him well. Paul Moist Winnipeg
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
A necessary search winds down
Opinion It was the right thing to do. It was always the right thing to do. And most Manitobans knew it. Early this week, Premier Wab Kinew visited the Prairie Green landfill to mark the end of the search for human remains at the site. He was joined by family members of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, by supporters, and by people involved in the search for a ceremony and smudging. The search was not completely a success — the family of Myran had hoped the search would find a larger part of her remains than were located, and wanted the search to include a larger area — but there is at least the consolation that Myran was found. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Prairie Green Landfill in the RM of Rosser, Man. Watching the conclusion of this part of the search for the remains of victims of Jeremy Skibicki — a further search continues at the Brady landfill for Ashlee Shingoose — brings home how important the search was in the first place, and how dispiriting it was that the PC government of the day not only wouldn't launch a search, but actively campaigned on the decision not to search. There have been plenty of apologies and admissions that the decision was a poor one since then: the Progressive Conservatives have apologized, the Winnipeg Police Service has said it regrets its decision to say that a search was not necessary, and the list goes on. But what's surprising is that anyone ever thought the matter was up for political debate, that anyone felt that the potential cost of the search was a legitimate reason to say that two women should have their final resting place be a landfill. Consider this. George Mallory and Andrew (Sandy) Irvine disappeared while climbing Mount Everest in June of 1924, and there have been questions ever since about whether the pair had made it to the mountain's summit. Mallory's remains were found in 1999, but nothing was found of Irvine until September, 2024, when a documentary team found a foot inside a boot and sock protruding from a melting glacier. The sock had a label with Irvine's name sewn on it, and the remains are being compared to the DNA of family members for final confirmation. The film crew that found foot, sock and boot knew how important the discovery was — and not just for understanding more about the Mallory expedition. 'It's the first real evidence of where Sandy ended up,' Jimmy Chin, a National Geographic filmmaker, told National Geographic. 'When someone disappears and there's no evidence of what happened to them, it can be really challenging for families.' Weekday Evenings Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening. Irvine's relative Julie Summers said was 'moved to tears' when she learnt of the boot's existence a report from the PA Media news agency said. 'I have lived with this story since I was a seven-year-old when my father told us about the mystery of Uncle Sandy on Everest.' It's why we search for the lost. Because it matters. Because it's important to family members to know what has happened to their relatives, and where those relatives rest. It matters days after someone disappears, and it matters 100 years later, and it continues to matter, no matter how many years pass. All of us should be able to try and put ourselves in others' shoes. We search for the remains of those lost at sea, lost on land, lost in war and lost in terrorist attacks. Millions of dollars have been spent on all sorts of searches, from hunts for famous explorers and the remains of their expeditions — like those of the Franklin expedition — to searches for individuals who vanish from their vehicles in blizzards, seeking, and failing to find shelter. Helping find the missing is part of being in the community that we call humanity.
National Post
3 days ago
- National Post
Chris Selley: Canadian protectionism is on the march
It gets harder by the week to distinguish Canada's response to U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionism from … well, protectionism, as opposed to something more sophisticated, calculated or intelligent. I argued recently that there's no good reason for BC Ferries to pay over the odds for new vessels if a Chinese shipyard can build them on time and for the best price — but of course I understand the unique sensitivities around China, just as I do those around the United States. Article content Article content But now consider this headline from hell in the Toronto Star this week: 'Everyone wants the new TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) subway cars to be made in Canada.' Article content Article content 'Everyone' in this case is all three levels of government involved: Toronto city council, led by an NDP mayor; the provincial government, led by a Progressive Conservative premier; and the federal government, led by a Liberal prime minister. So, not literally everyone, though I get the sense we're not far away from the latter, even as we're supposedly trying to project a free-trading image to the world. Right and left are united, at least rhetorically, on the 'buy Canadian' thing. When Rob Ford won the Toronto mayoral election in 2010, bringing brother Doug along with him to city council, one of their major complaints against former mayor David Miller was that under his watch, the city had paid far too much for new subway cars in order to ensure they were built by Bombardier in Thunder Bay, Ont. — which is more than a 15-hour drive from Toronto, and which many Torontonians probably couldn't place on a map. Article content Article content As the 'Canada is not for sale' premier, Doug Ford is now David Miller. 'I am requesting that the City of Toronto recognize this historic opportunity and consider a sole-source procurement with Alstom, which would support Ontario workers in Thunder Bay and across our province,' Ford's provincial Transport Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria wrote recently to the city. (Alstom, a French company, gobbled up Bombardier Transportation in 2021.) Article content 'With the procurement of these subway trains, I am supportive of any action that accomplishes a build Canada option in a manner that is consistent with the city of Toronto's legal obligations,' federal Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson wrote to Mayor Olivia Chow this week. Article content Any action? If I'm Alstom right now, I'm seeing nothing but dollar signs. Article content It's one thing to rule out American or Chinese companies. I wouldn't — the best deal is the best deal — but it's at least coherent: China is not a Canadian ally, and Trump is taking dead aim at the Canadian economy. But the past few decades have seen a very welcome move away from protectionism in public-transit procurement.
