This story contains distressing details. Please read with care.
The Manitoba government unveiled a five-stage plan to search the Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of Marcedes Myran and Morgan Harris Thursday.
The search to find the remains of two slain First Nations women is scheduled to begin in late fall, said Premier Wab Kinew.
Kinew told a news conference the team has entered Stage 2 of the project that involves preparing the site and building temporary structures.
He described the search as a “compassionate mission.”
“It’s not about delivering evidence and other pieces of information that can be argued in court,” he told reporters. “This is about bringing loved ones home.
“This is about returning, with respect and dignity, two women two Manitoba families have lost.”
Amna Mackin, assistant deputy minister of cabinet delivery and strategic priorities, spoke about the progress so far.
“It marks a very critical milestone for the search,” she said. “In regards to permitting, we first needed a development permit to start our on-site work [at the landfill]. That permit has now been issued.”
Mackin told said “we’ll also be very focused on safety.”
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UN reminds Canada, Manitoba they’re breaching international law by not searching landfill
The government announced last week that environmental regulators had given it the green light to search the landfill for human remains.
The province’s former Progressive Conservative government refused a search, saying asbestos and other toxic materials at the landfill were too great a health risk.
Jeremy Skibicki has admitted to killing Harris, Myran and two other Indigenous women, but his lawyers have told a murder trial he should be found not criminally responsible due to mental illness. The judge reserved his decision until next month.
Support is available for anyone affected by these reports and the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people. Immediate emotional assistance and crisis support are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through a national hotline at 1-844-413-6649.
