Supporters hold their ground at Winnipeg landfill blockade as noon deadline to leave passes

Dozens of people outside Winnipeg's Brady Road landfill have built barricades and are signalling their unwillingness to leave, despite a noon deadline from the city to vacate the area and the possibility of legal action.

Cambria Harris, whose mother's remains are believed to be in the Prairie Green landfill north of Winnipeg, is one of the people who called for the blockade to be erected and for others to join the demonstration at the Brady Road landfill.

The blockade of the city-run Brady Road landfill began Thursday after Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said the province would not support a search of the privately owned Prairie Green Landfill north of the city, where the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were believed to have been dumped last year.

"When you say you won't move forward with the search, you're telling my community that it's OK and that you condone the continuous dumping of Indigenous women," Harris said in an interview on Monday.

Jeremy Skibicki has been charged with first-degree murder in those deaths, as well as in the death of Rebecca Contois, whose partial remains were found last year at Brady Road, and an unidentified woman whom Indigenous leaders are calling Buffalo Woman and whose remains have not been found.

Late last week, the City of Winnipeg delivered an order to demonstrators to vacate the area by noon Monday, but chief administrative officer Michael Jack said at a news conference at the deadline time that the city wouldn't move to remove people forcibly.

"We're going to evaluate what further discussions might be had today … and if we can't reach a resolution, then we'll need to escalate our own efforts. That very likely means applying to court," Jack said.

There are environmental hazards, such as toxic materials leaching into the soil, tied to any disruption in landfill operations, Jack said.

He said the city could soon be at risk of violating its environmental licences and polluting the surrounding area.

The city hasn't applied for an injunction yet, but that's something the municipality is "strongly considering," Jack said.

The push to search the Prairie Green landfill has gone on for months, and the federal government funded a study this year that concluded a canvass of the site is feasible.

The study warned that there are risks due to exposure to toxic chemicals and asbestos. The search could take up to three years and cost $184 million with no guarantee of success. However, the report also said forgoing a search could be more harmful for the women's families.

That includes Cambria Harris.

"We're fighting for a cause. We're fighting to get these women home. Why are you so against that? Why will you not even acknowledge the families and their cries and their pleas?" Harris said. "It's quite frankly disrespectful."