Brady Road landfill closure cost City of Winnipeg $1.5M, report states

The month-long blockade of the Brady Road Landfill cost the City of Winnipegjust over $1.5 million dollars, water and waste officials say in a new report to council's finance committee.

Demonstrators forced the closure of the city-run landfill from Dec. 11 to Jan. 6 to protest and draw attention toward the manner in which the Winnipeg Police Service investigated cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

Police found partial remains of Rebecca Contois at Brady Road in June, shortly after arresting Jeremy Skibicki, who now faces first-degree murder charges in the deaths of four women.

The area where Contois'remains were found has been closed to dumping ever since, according to the city.

Police believe the remains of two other women, Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, ended up at the Prairie Green landfill, north of Winnipeg. The identity and location of a fourth victim, known asMashkode Bizhiki'ikweor Buffalo Woman, are not known.

In February, thecityestimated the Brady closure cost slightly more than $900,000. In a new report, water and waste department assistant controller Melissa Bunkowskyadjusted that figure.

The blockade deprived the city of $800,000 in landfill revenue and required the city to spend $700,000, Bunkowsky states in the report.

Those costs includeddiverting solid waste to the Prairie Green as well asthe Mid Canada Landfill southeast of the city, putting up signs and hiring security at Brady Road and changing waste collection.