PM hopes families find closure after Winnipeg landfill search yields remains of 2 murder victims
Prime Minister Mark Carney says he hopes recovering the remains from a Manitoba landfill of two First Nations women murdered by a serial killer brings closure to their families.
RCMP have confirmed two sets of remains discovered at the Prairie Green landfill in the past month belong to Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran.
A search of the Winnipeg-area landfill began in December in the hopes of finding the two women killed in 2022 by Jeremy Skibicki. He was convicted last year of first-degree murder in the slayings of Harris, Myran and two other Indigenous women.
A trial heard that he targeted them at homeless shelters in Winnipeg and disposed of their bodies in garbage bins.
Carney says he wanted to recognize the gruesome discovery and pay tribute to the women's families who fought to bring them home.
"I just think it's important to acknowledge the findings from the Prairie Green landfill in Winnipeg and express to the families of Marcedes Myran and Morgan Harris, and to everyone who loves these women, recognition of just how horrific it is to relive this tragedy over and over again," Carney said during an unrelated news conference in Iqaluit on Tuesday.
"I hope that this unfortunate event … begins to provide some of that closure."
RCMP confirmed a day earlier that a second set of remains found at the landfill belong to Myran.
The women's families, Indigenous leaders and advocates pushed for years for a search of the area, taking their fight to Parliament Hill and the steps of the Manitoba legislature.
It is believed the remains of Myran and Harris ended up at the privately run landfill after they were killed by Skibicki.
The remains of Rebecca Contois were found in two places: a garbage bin and at a different landfill. An unidentified woman whom Indigenous grassroots community members named Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, has not been found.
Police have not said where she might be.
Police had refused to search the Prairie Green landfill over safety concerns. The Progressive Conservative government at the time also said it wouldn't support a search and touted its decision during the 2023 provincial election campaign.
Kinew promised a search and, after his NDP was elected, the province and federal government put up $20 million to fund a search.
Wayne Ewasko, interim leader of the Progressive Conservatives, apologized in the legislature earlier this month, saying the party had lost its way.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
11 minutes ago
- CTV News
RCMP investigating suspicious death near Grand Coulee, Sask.
An RCMP detachment can be seen in this file photo. (David Prisciak/CTV News) RCMP are investigating after the body of a Regina man was discovered in a rural area near Grand Coulee, Sask. According to police, the body was discovered around 7:25 a.m. on June 10. White Butte RCMP responded and secured the scene soon after. Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes are currently investigating the death, which is considered suspicious at this time. The deceased has been identified as 35-year-old Aron Lunan of Regina. His family has been notified. Lunan was last seen in Regina's North Central neighbourhood. Police are asking for anyone who saw or had contact with Lunan between the afternoon of Monday, June 9 and morning of Tuesday, June 10 to contact RCMP or submit an anonymous tip to Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers. Lunan is described as five foot, three inches tall with a slim build and brown hair. He was last wearing a black hoodie with skulls and grey flames on it, along with black sweatpants with a praying hand design on them and a green jacket with a white sticker on the upper left side of the chest. He was also known to ride a bike – which is described as an all black Supercycle bike. The front tire forks on the bike are painted white and the word 'fox' is handwritten on the front shock absorber. RCMP have not located the bike at this time. Grand Coulee is located approximately 12 kilometres west of Regina.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Safety remains a concern for those affected by Manitoba wildfires
The provincial government has taken over security at an emergency shelter amid persistent safety concerns for evacuees fleeing wildfires far from home. A new security strategy was implemented over the weekend at the Winnipeg Soccer Federation North complex on Leila Avenue. It includes on-site Manitoba Justice and Emergency Social Services staff, along with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, First Nation safety officers and community safety officers, a provincial spokesman said Wednesday. Off-duty members of the Ste. Anne's Police Service and staff from Main Street Project and emergency assistance organization Turtle Team will also be included. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Ronald Kerr, a senior member with Morgan's Warriors, said evacuees at Billy Mosienko Arena could go to them if they had safety concerns but did not feel like they could approach police or security. 'Overall, the goal is to provide a trauma-informed and supportive security response to facilitate a safe, respectful and welcoming environment for evacuees during the evacuation,' the provincial spokesman said in an email. The province has brought in a new private security firm, the spokesman said, but it will work with the other groups as opposed to taking a leading role. He did not name the previous or current security firm involved. The province did not give a reason for the shift in leadership, but community safety has been a point of concern for evacuees, law enforcement and organizations. The Leila soccer complex opened its doors to wildfire evacuees late last month. The province did not say if security measures at other emergency shelters, such as Winnipeg's Century and Eric Coy arenas, have been altered. The RCMP, Winnipeg Police Service, Brandon Police Service and Manitoba First Nation Police Service have produced a pamphlet handed out at evacuation centres on how people can keep themselves safe. The WPS said last week it is sending officers to hold 'proactive, pre-emptive patrols' at shelters and several hotels following discussions with service providers and community leaders. When asked if police had made any arrests or intervened in safety issues at evacuee centres, a police spokesperson said in an email 'calls for service have not increased' and did not elaborate further. One Indigenous-led organization providing front-line support to evacuees says safety remains an issue. 'Overall, the goal is to provide a trauma-informed and supportive security response to facilitate a safe, respectful and welcoming environment for evacuees during the evacuation.'–Spokesman Volunteer-run Morgan's Warriors has held regular community walks and needle cleanups, handed out hundreds of hot meals, and organized weekly searches for missing Manitobans since it was founded in 2024. The group was named after Morgan Harris, one of four Indigenous women killed by convicted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki, and is co-chaired by Harris's sister and cousin. When thousands of evacuees, many of them from First Nations communities, took shelter across Manitoba, the group moved quickly: with the support of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Morgan's Warriors helped co-ordinate a donation drive, and provided transportation, clothing, food and other necessities. When the evacuations began, Morgan's Warriors acted as a security resource at shelters around the city, including Billy Mosienko Arena. Ronald Kerr, a senior member with the group, said evacuees could go to them if they had safety concerns but did not feel like they could approach police or security. 'We were providing security within the centres, making sure that our relatives are safe when they're here, because there have been instances already where there are potentially predatory people that are going after our young girls and women,' said Kerr. 'We are watching for our relatives, and we are watching who is watching them, in a sense,' he said. Kerr said that Morgan's Warriors knew not every incident would be reported, because of what he describes as 'fear within the Indigenous community of non-support' from the police. There was also concerns, Kerr said, from evacuees about private security staff. 'There is always that concern that some of the security companies that are out there, and I'm not going to name names or anything, but there seems to be an insensitive approach to this … maybe there's no intent to create harm, but it's felt that way, so people don't feel safe with that, so that's a concern for us,' he said. Morgan's Warriors is no longer providing security as more evacuees have transitioned into staying at hotels, and is now focusing on other efforts to support evacuees as they wait to return home. 'We're doing things with love and compassion for our community,' he said. 'Our slogan is, 'Helping is healing.' And we really try and live up to that.' 'We are watching for our relatives, and we are watching who is watching them, in a sense.'–Ronald Kerr George McLeod, who is staying at a Winnipeg hotel with his seven-year-old daughter after evacuating their home community of Cross Lake nearly two weeks ago, said he'd like to see culturally informed security stationed at hotels. He said he and his daughter have experienced some conflict with private security staff at the hotel they were staying at and said he's heard similar concerns from some staying at the Leila soccer complex. 'To me, I'm always worried, because I'm a parent,' he said. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Major projects will be slowed by court challenges if rights are violated: First Nations chief
The regional chief of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations said Wednesday that governments should not speed up major projects at the expense of First Nations rights — and warned that projects will be slowed down by court challenges if First Nations are not consulted from the start. "We're asking the government to follow your own laws," Terry Teegee said, citing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that the federal government adopted. The government of Prime Minister Mark Carney introduced major economic legislation last week. The bill has two parts — one to break down federal barriers to internal trade and the other to fast-track major projects. It sets out five criteria to determine whether a project is in the "national interest." Those criteria include the project's likelihood of success, whether it would strengthen the country's resiliency and advance the interests of Indigenous Peoples, and whether it would contribute to economic growth in an environmentally responsible way. WATCH | Teegee pulls out of trade mission over similar B.C. legislation: Why this First Nation chief pulled out of a B.C. trade mission 9 days ago Duration 12:10 Over the weekend, B.C. Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee announced he would not be attending a 10-day trade mission to East Asia with Premier David Eby. Teegee says his withdrawal was due to recent legislation from the province, meant to speed up infrastructure projects, which the chief says is not in compliance with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. But First Nations leaders say their interests weren't considered when the legislation was being drafted and they were given just one week to review and bring comments forward on a briefing document on the bill. "It's probably going to take a lot longer to get approval for some of these projects because we're going to end up in court," Teegee said. "This is where we end up." The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations agreed. "It's not about the bill itself. It's about the process. And I think that ramming something through when you should be hearing from Canadians, from industry, from First Nations … is the wrong way to go," Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said. "You don't want to end back up in court. You don't want to have civil unrest. Why not just invite us to the table?" WATCH | Carney's bill faces blowback: First Nations leaders have warned that widespread protests and blockades are possible if governments don't obtain affected Indigenous communities' free, prior and informed consent, as required by the UN declaration. The federal government has said that declaration doesn't amount to a veto — a statement Justice Minister Sean Fraser walked back last week following criticism from Woodhouse Nepinak. Teegee said "no government has a veto, meaning that when we come to a decision, all governments come into the room to make a decision together." "First Nations, certainly as a part of this, need to be part of the decision-making process," he added. Supporters also raise concerns Even groups that generally support development are raising concerns about the federal government's plan. Mark Podlasly, CEO of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, said he was "surprised" First Nations were only given seven days to review parts of the legislation before it was introduced. "The answer will not automatically be 'no' from First Nations when a project comes along. It's just that Indigenous rights and involvement has to not only be included, but respected. That hasn't happened a lot in the Canadian past," he said. "There's also a question on the environment, and there's a question about who bears the impact of these projects if they're rushed through. It's going to be Indigenous Peoples, especially in parts of the country where there's mining or energy sources [on lands] that are integral to our lifestyle, our cultural practices." Podlasly said that while the federal legislation "seems to have Indigenous participation at its core," it's not clear what that participation will look like, especially under the tight two-year approval timeline the government seeks. He said First Nations can support projects and many do — but they don't want to be "caught at the back end" of decisions made without their knowledge or consent. "We're all operating with seven days' notice. That's what we're operating with. And time will tell," he said. The Assembly of First Nations is holding an emergency chiefs meeting on Monday to discuss what to do next. Woodhouse Nepinak vowed to follow their direction and said a legal review of the legislation is ongoing.
