Hundreds rally, march in downtown Winnipeg to demand search of landfill for women's remains

Chants to search a landfill for the remains of two First Nations women rang out across downtown Winnipeg on Thursday, as hundreds of people flooded the city's most famous intersection for a round dance.

CBC News counted about 200 people gathered at Portage and Main just after 2 p.m. CT. A red dress was painted on the ground of the intersection before the round dance began, and people stood chanting "search the landfill," before forming into circles.

Some people at the rally carried signs painted with red handprints that said: "justice for our sisters," "enough is enough" and "am I next?"

Rainey Raven, one attendee, said events like Thursday's rally bring awareness to the city.

"It's showing the government that we can come together as a whole," she told CBC News. "We're not giving up."

The chants continued as marchers made their way through the city's downtown, with some drivers honking their horns in support.

They arrived at the provincial legislative building shortly before 3 p.m., where people called out for action. Some had red handprints painted over their mouths, and children were seen painting red handprints on the building's front steps.

Chants of "heartless Heather" broke out among the crowd at the front of the legislative building.

The push to search the privately-run Prairie Green landfill for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran has been growing since December 2022, after Winnipeg police announced that they believe the homicide victims' remains were taken there, but said it would not have been feasible to search for them by the time that determination was made.

The pressure intensified when Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said last month that her government would not support a search of the landfill north of the city, because it could expose searchers to toxic material. A feasibility study completed in May determined a successful search could take up to three years and cost up to $184 million.

The families of Harris and Myran met earlier in the day with federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree, who was appointed to the post last week.

"Canada is committed to acting, however, we cannot do this work alone," a spokesperson for Anandasangaree said in a Thursday statement.

"The federal government has no control over the daily operations at the landfill ... It is impossible to move forward without the cooperation of the province."

Melissa Robinson, Harris's cousin, was part of the meeting with Anandasangaree and said she walked away feeling optimistic.