Report details cost estimates, risks of proposed Manitoba landfill search for remains
CTV
The proposed search of a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two slain First Nations women could cost $90 million -- about half the projected maximum in an earlier estimate -- although searchers could face a "very high risk" from asbestos, a new report says.
The proposed search of a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two slain First Nations women could cost $90 million -- about half the projected maximum in an earlier estimate -- although searchers could face a "very high risk" from asbestos, a new report says.
The operational planning report is a detailed followup to a feasibility study last year into a possible search of the Prairie Green Landfill. The privately run facility north of Winnipeg is where the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran are believed to have been taken after they were killed in the spring of 2022.
The 153-page report was prepared by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and ISN Maskwa, an Indigenous-owned company that provides emergency response training and services. A copy of the report, which has not been released publicly, was obtained by The Canadian Press.
"The initiation of a thorough and complete search demands intervention from both the Manitoba premier's office and the federal government to close gaps in bureaucratic systems and to ensure immediate funding," the report says.
"If this is not done, the search will be held off indefinitely."
The earlier study determined a search was feasible, despite some risks from asbestos and other toxic material, and would not be guaranteed to succeed. It also said a search could take up to three years and cost anywhere between $84 million and $184 million.
The new report estimates the cost is closer to $90 million, if the search can be done within one year. The document lays out specific amounts, such as $3.25 million for machinery and operators, although it adds overall costs could rise.
