Protesters at Winnipeg landfill hoist flag targeting ‘Heartless Heather,’ remain steadfast despite injunction

A new flag with a message for Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson was raised Monday morning by protesters who continue to block access to the Winnipeg landfill in spite of a court injunction.

Across the provincial flag protesters painted the phrase “Heartless Heather” in black letters. It was attached to the top of a makeshift flagpole made from a stripped-down tree.

“The reason for that would be denying these families justice, dignity, the ability to grieve,” said protester Melanie Berestin, who stood with other demonstrators blocking the main road to the city’s Brady Road Landfill.

Stefanson has said her government won’t pay for a search of the Prairie Green landfill, north of Winnipeg, where police believe the remains of two First Nations women — Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran — were taken last year.

On July 6, protesters established a blockade on the main road to Brady in response to her decision. More than a dozen remained there Monday, in spite of an interim court injunction that went into effect at 6 p.m. CT Friday.

Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Justice Sheldon Lanchbery said the protest is valid — and can continue — but the roadway can no longer be blocked. The city must be allowed to operate the landfill.

In response, protesters burned a copy of the injunction at the blockade site.

Melissa Robinson, Harris’ cousin, says a second encampment will be set up at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights as early as Monday evening.

“They are more than excited to have us there. They know that this is a human rights issue. They stand with us, they support us and they want to see us there. So we’re excited to be starting a second encampment to bring awareness,” Robinson said at an Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs news conference on Monday.

Robinson added that second camp will be called Camp Marcedes, in honour of Marcedes Myran.

Demonstrator Diane Bousquet says a number of things are planned as the group has no intention of going anywhere. A powwow is set to take place Monday while elders are conducting ceremonies and Bousquet is arranging for some beading lessons, so people can learn to bead red dresses.

“We want our community members to come out and just refocus on our culture, the healing ceremonies that need to take place on this land,” she said.

“Lots have taken place here and you can feel the energy shift since Friday.”

Bousquet has also heard of other camps possibly being set up around the country in support of the blockage, and she fully supports them.

“[Let’s] continue to bring the energy and focus to this until this land gets searched and our girls get the proper burials that they deserve.”

Intent for peaceful resolution: WPS

The Winnipeg Police Service is authorized to arrest people who are in violation of the injunction.

Police won’t go into details about how they’ll enforce the court order, but a spokesperson said in an email Monday that the intent is to achieve a peaceful resolution.

Demonstrators are being asked to abide by the injunction and leave the roadway.

Robinson wouldn’t say if the blockade would be taken down, but said the encampment will continue to stand.

“Camp Morgan at Brady is not going anywhere until our landfills are searched,” she said.

Harris and Myran are two of four victims of an alleged serial killer, police say. The others are Rebecca Contois, whose partial remains were found at Brady in June 2022, and a fourth woman whose identity is not known, and has been named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman.

Police have linked her to the same alleged killer, though her remains have not been located.

A protest encampment, dubbed Camp Morgan, has been set up near the landfill since December to bring awareness to the issue of murdered and missing Indigenous women.

Stefanson has said her decision not to search Prairie Green is based on safety concerns associated with sifting through toxic materials, as outlined in a search feasibility report.

The federal government funded the feasibility study earlier this year, to examine the logistics of searching the privately-run Prairie Green landfill.

The report from the study was completed in May and was still being reviewed by government when a copy was leaked at the end of June.

The report warned there are risks due to exposure to toxic chemicals and asbestos and that a search could take up to three years and cost $184 million with no guarantee of success.

However, it also said forgoing a search could be more harmful for the women’s families.

Asked on Monday about the ongoing protest and demand for a landfill search, a government spokesperson said “our hearts go out to the families, who are dealing with unimaginable grief, but leadership requires difficult decisions.

“There is no guarantee of finding remains, and immediate and long-term health and safety risks are real and cannot be ignored. We must preserve the integrity of the justice proceedings,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

“Our government continues to offer supports for the families, and has offered to work with all levels of government on building a memorial in honour of the victims.”