MMIWG advocates praise families' love, strength after remains found in Manitoba landfill search

Tessa Adamski · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 08, 2025 3:02 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Advocates for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse radical are praising the spot and determination of the families of 2 First Nations women who fought for a hunt of a Winnipeg-area landfill for their loved ones' remains.

Sheila North, the erstwhile expansive main of bluish First Nations advocacy enactment Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, said she was flooded with emotion Friday evening, erstwhile the household of Morgan Harris and the provincial authorities confirmed Harris's remains had been recovered astatine the Prairie Green landfill.

The state said connected Feb. 26 that imaginable remains had been recovered astatine the landfill, northbound of Winnipeg. On Friday night, it confirmed those were the remains of Harris. The state besides said a 2nd acceptable of quality remains had been recovered there, but the individuality of that idiosyncratic has not yet been confirmed.

Speaking with CBC Manitoba's Weekend Morning Show on Saturday, North became affectional arsenic she acknowledged the emotion and spot of the families who have tirelessly pushed to find their loved ones' remains and laic them to rest.

"They took america connected a travel that we each needed arsenic a state — not conscionable arsenic a city, but arsenic a federation — to amusement america that the combat is worthy it and that the combat is hard, but you know, this is what happens erstwhile we don't springiness up," she said. 

"This is simply a triumph for the families, for the allies, for the friends that worked hard, but besides for different radical that person kept the combat up each these years arsenic well."

Excavation began astatine the privately tally landfill in December, arsenic portion of the hunt for the remains of Harris, 39, and Marcedes Myran, 26, some from Long Plain First Nation.

They were among 4 First Nations women, on with 24-year-old Rebecca Contois from O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation and a still-unidentified pistillate fixed the sanction Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, oregon Buffalo Woman, who were murdered by serial slayer Jeremy Skibicki successful Winnipeg successful early 2022. 

He was convicted past July of 4 counts of first-degree murder.

While it was agelong believed the remains of Harris and Myran had been near successful a Winnipeg dumpster and taken to the landfill aft they were killed successful May 2022, both Winnipeg constabulary and Manitoba's erstwhile Progressive Conservative authorities argued against searching the landfill, citing safety concerns and the feasibility of a search.

North called that decision "cruel," and said she hopes those progressive successful denying the hunt will reflect connected it, and enactment to marque amends with the families and communities wounded by their actions. 

Earlier this week, Wayne Ewasko, the interim person of the present Opposition PCs, extended an apology successful the Manitoba Legislature for the Tory government's decision, which became portion of the 2023 provincial predetermination that led to the party's defeat. The NDP, which won the election, had promised a hunt during the campaign.

In a connection emailed to CBC connected Saturday, Ewasko extended "deepest condolences to the household and friends of Morgan Harris," and said helium hopes the confirmation "will commencement to bring closure for the household and to this tragic section successful our province's history."

In a societal media station Friday night, Premier Wab Kinew said, "Morgan Harris we honour you."

A connection emailed to CBC connected behalf of Gene Bowers, who was announced Friday arsenic the incoming main of the Winnipeg Police Service, offered condolences to the families of Skibicki's victims and "all families who are awaiting connection connected their missing loved ones."

Bowers said arsenic chief, helium wants the constabulary work to "become leaders successful reconciliation," and "the first measurement connected that travel volition beryllium … [speaking] straight with the Harris and Myran families and their respective supports successful the Indigenous assemblage earlier immoderate nationalist remark is made."

CBC News has besides reached retired to former Manitoba premier Heather Stefanson for comment.

CBC was incapable to scope erstwhile Winnipeg constabulary main Danny Smyth.

Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Gary Anandasangaree said successful a connection Saturday the national authorities "remains committed to our concern with Manitoba arsenic the hunt continues for Marcedes Myran and Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe (Buffalo Woman)."

A bittersweet victory: advocate

Sandra DeLaronde, who was among the Indigenous leaders and advocates who urged the national authorities to money a landfill search, said the remains wouldn't person been discovered without a corporate effort, including from the federal Liberal authorities and the current provincial government, some of which supported the search.

"I deliberation for the remainder of Canada and the remainder of the world, they present cognize however Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse radical person to combat for their lives and combat for equity each day," DeLaronde said. 

She besides said the bittersweet triumph is an accidental for governments to reappraisal steps they're taking to assistance support marginalized and susceptible people, and perpetrate to the 231 calls for justice from the last study of the 2019 National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Many families, including those of Myran, Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe and Tanya Nepinak — a pistillate from Pine Creek First Nation whose remains were unsuccessfully searched for astatine Winnipeg's Brady Road landfill successful 2012 — are inactive waiting for closure, said DeLaronde, and the find of quality remains tin trigger ongoing trauma and grief for families inactive searching.

WATCH | Advocate says Morgan Harris 'finally coming home':

Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, seat of the National Family and Survivors Circle, said erstwhile she heard astir the find astatine Prairie Green, she instantly thought of Harris's children, and their much than two-year fight to springiness their parent a due burial.

"I conscionable privation them to consciousness supported by community, and to cognize that they're loved and that the assemblage volition situation them … during this precise hard clip arsenic they bring their parent home," Anderson-Pyrz said. 

She asked Manitobans to deliberation astir what they would bash if their mother, daughter, sister, aunt oregon grandma was successful the landfill. 

"You would bash everything successful your powerfulness to guarantee that your loved 1 was brought location and buried successful ceremony," she said.

Anderson-Pyrz echoed the request for enactment from governments to support susceptible groups, including supporting spaces similar shelters to forestall cases like this — wherever a serial slayer preyed on susceptible Indigenous women — from happening.