(film reel clattering) ♪ [mellow music] - We're directly behind the human rights museum right now.

Yeah.

And, if you want to come, you could actually use this road here and drop off stuff, if you would like.

And, if you would like to come and participate in artwork, go ahead.

If you wanna bring your art, go ahead.

We'll put it up for you.

- [Narrator, Frank] On Route 57, just as Provencher Boulevard crosses over the Red River in Winnipeg, Manitoba lies Camp Marcedes.

A collection of protectors, defenders, and family members, they are often referred to as protestors by the non-native media outlets that have given them attention.

The camp, named after Marcedes Myran, exists to take a stand against local authorities who have decided not to search for and recover the bodies of murdered indigenous women whom they believe are dumped in local landfills.

♪ - So, why I'm here is because we demand justice and we are the voice for those families that are tired and sick of the way the government's treating them.

We just want our sisters out of the landfill.

We want 'em out of that landfill in a proper burial, not in a garbage dump where trash is being thrown on constantly, even today.

We demand that the landfills to be searched, and we demand them to be shut down immediately.

We go back to, Tanya Nepinak in 2012, where she was dumped in the landfill here in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

And, you compare that with the man that was found at the Toronto landfills.

Took eight months, and then they found him.

But, we compare that with the three days, or the four days that they tried to search for Tanya Nepinak here in 2012.

They never succeeded on finding our sister and bringing her home in a proper burial.

And so, this is why we're here.

We demand justice for the family.

- [Frank] Behind Waabishka Maaiigan are several red dresses, a representation of the women who have gone missing, or have who have been confirmed murdered.

Maaiigan references the eight-month search for Nathaniel Brettell, a 57-year-old Caucasian man whose body was recovered from a half-mile square acre landfill in Toronto.

In contrast, Manitoba authorities have refused to continue searching in a significantly smaller 200-by-100 meter space at the Prairie Green Landfill citing health risks for workers.

Some community members believe race to be a factor, and are suspicious of their decisions, and their motives.

- They just keep coming up with excuses, one after the other.

"It costs too much," or "there's asbestos."

But, in reality, the government does not wanna look because not only is-- they're in there, but there's other people in there.

They don't wanna-- they're gonna have to explain things.

Like, when they went to go look for some of them, they found someone else's body.

And, it just confirms the suspicion that a lot of people have in the city is that a lot of the missing people, where did they go?

Right?

And, there's a reason why they won't search it.

Anybody, any common sense person would wanna search that.

It doesn't matter whose child it is.

It's a child and they're in there, and we gotta get 'em.

Can't leave them there.

Leave no one behind.

- For us to have to stand and say, you know, "we are not trash" and still not be heard.

It really needs to be connected, Canada's lack of respect.

And, we need everybody to stand up to amplify the voices that are saying and declaring, "Hey, we're not trash.

"And, our lives are worth saving and standing up and defending" even if we have to fight for them ourselves.

Fight for our own lives.

And, I'm honored to stand with these men who stand in protection.

- [Frank] Ida spoke from Camp Morgan, just outside of the Brady Landfill.

Both Camp Morgan, named after Morgan Harris, and Camp Marcedes aim to put pressure on authorities to alter their decision not to recover the bodies they suspect are in the landfill.

Yet, there are those in the community who agree with the authorities.

An unidentified passerby who claimed to be Métis from Red River, is opposed to the cost and risk of a search, but offered thoughts on an alternative.

- With the searching of the dump for $184 million and possibly injuring or hurting people that are going to be searching it, why not just close it down, make it into a memorial park for these women, [loud bird calls/ ratcheting sound] and have it as your land?

And then, have the government give the owners of the dump some land somewhere else?

And, we just shut it all down.

- [Frank] If it was your daughter-?

Just question.

If it was your daughter, you would be okay with them not-- - Look!

- Not finding her?

- Listen.

There's other people that have lost-- - [Frank] I'm asking you.

- Our minister-- - If it was your daughter-- - lost a brother.

- If it was your daughter-?

- [Frank] The passerby would not directly answer if he would feel the same if it was his family member inside the landfill.

Instead, he cited Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau's brother Michael Trudeau, who was lost in an avalanche.

In that instance, however, the search for Trudeau's body was only called off after extensive efforts to find him.

The conversation escalated.

- Our prime minister lost a brother swept out to sea, never recovered, never got the brother.

A lot of people disappear in landslides.

In, in-?

(stammers) You know?

They go skiing-- - They looked for him, though.

- They go skiing where they shouldn't and they're swept away and they're never found.

It happens.

But, I agree with you that it's a tragic situation.

But, it's a tragic situation for a lot of other people.

So, why not just close that dump down?

Make it a memorial park?

Make it a memorial for them.

Put up statues.

Get pictures of them.

Carve them and put them up there, and say, this is what-- this is what is, and this is what was.

Let's try to make sure it never happens.

But, let's also not draw attention away from the fact that-- - You actually don't understand.

You know what?

You need to start looking after your children!

- [Pamela] WHAT?!

- Mother?

This is the mother, eh?

- Yeah.

- This guy?

This guy's from... - Look, man.

- This claims he's Métis, but he-- - [Pamela] WHAT?!

- I'm not saying you.

- Look after your children!

But, I'm saying a lot of people-- - Look after your children.

- You have to look after your children.

- [Frank] Pamela Myran, whose daughter Marcedes Myran is believed by police to be in the Prairie Green Landfill took offense to the bystander's comments.

- I'm fighting for my baby to have a proper burial.

I'm fighting for all those people to have a proper burial.

What are we supposed to do?

Put flowers in that landfill?

- [Frank] Pamela described to us the day police told her Marcedes' body was in the landfill.

- December 1st.

They came with the-- (snuffs nose) [ambient traffic sounds] (shaky) They came with-- you know, those guys that find people?

Said she was in a landfill.

And, I know where she is.

They know where she is, but they don't wanna get her out.

- [Frank] Cheyenne and Arapaho TV producer, Darren Brown, confirms in disbelief.

- [Darren] Are you telling me that they know that Marcedes is there?

- Yeah.

- And, they won't go look?

- Yes, Marcedes and Morgan Harris in the same area, and the Buffalo woman and that other woman in the same area.

They won't go in there because I'm pretty sure they'll find more people.

- [Frank] In December of 2022, authorities charged suspected serial killer, Jeremy Anthony Michael Skibicki for the murders of four indigenous women, killings they believe took place between March and May of that year.

Marcedes Myran, Morgan Harris, Rebecca Contois, and an unidentified female known as Buffalo Woman, are among the known victims.

Only Contois' body has been recovered.

Both Camp Marcedes and Morgan plan to remain in operation until the landfills are searched and the bodies of all the women can be laid to rest in proper burials.

Acoma Pueblo journalist, Rhonda LeValdo, host of Native Spirit Radio on KKFI, Kansas City, visited both camps with anchor producer of National Native News, Antonia Gonzales.

- Hearing from their personal stories of why they were there camping out and felt committed to try and raise awareness of what was going on, you know, their voices and hearing the pain in their voice really impacted me.

And then, being at the landfill itself?

Like, that really-- I was getting some really strong emotions myself, thinking that there's people in-- not far away from us.

And, it was-- it was pretty sad.

Like, I just could feel this immense sadness from thinking about what was going on.

And also, one of the tepees had burned down.

They didn't know how it started, but they left it up so it would be what they call the Ghost Tepee.

And, hearing again, the pain and anger of their government not wanting to help and not wanting to look in the landfills was really impactful.

And, you know, just talking to them and asking-- they were asking for help.

They want more people to know about what's going on.

They were out there in the winter when it was snowing.

So, I can't imagine that they're gonna be doing that again.

Well, they probably will be doing that again, but not even just in the winter.

But, you know, in the summer heat, as well.

- [Frank] Should the camps be successful in getting the landfills searched, and should that lead to the discovery of other missing women, it will be the silent voices of Marcedes Myran, Morgan Harris, and Buffalo Woman, that help make that happen.

- [Pamela] Before my daughter died, she told me she's gonna be famous.

I thought she was going to, like, have a singing career, an acting career.

I didn't want this.

I did not want this.

- [Darren] No one deserves this.

- "I was just gonna bring everybody out", is what she said.

That's what my baby said.

♪ (snuffs nose) - [Frank] A feasibility study published in August believes risks can be mitigated, [background music] and proposed a pathway with high probability of recovery.

Media relations for the Winnipeg Police Department did not directly respond to questions about their continued stance not to search the landfill.

♪ Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson's office responded by directing us to the province's website, but she has stated in the past that she would not support a landfill search, despite calls to reconsider from the Assembly of First Nations, a political organization of chiefs representing First Nations citizens.

A special thanks to story contributors, Antonia Gonzales, Rhonda LeValdo, Darren Brown, and to our broadcast partner, Cheyenne and Arapaho Television.

For FNX NOW, this is Frank Blanquet.

[inspirational music] ♪ [hip-hop beat]