WINNIPEG — The interim leader of Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives apologized Wednesday to the families of two slain First Nations women after refusing to search a landfill for their remains.
Wayne Ewasko made the apology in the house to the families of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, following last week’s discovery of potential human remains at the Winnipeg-area landfill.
“We lost our way in regards to empathy and also lost our way in regards to closure being brought forward to the families of the victims,” he said.
“We will … be better as a party moving forward, and you have my word on that.”
It’s believed the remains of Harris and Myran ended up at the landfill in May 2022. Jeremy Skibicki was arrested in the killings of the women and two others and was later convicted of first-degree murder.
The Progressive Conservatives were in government at the time, and the families presented them with a feasibility study for a search after police refused due to safety concerns.
The Tories later cited the same reasons for not supporting the search. They also ran ads during the 2023 provincial election campaign that touted their decision.
The NDP government, elected that year, promised a search and with the federal government funded the effort that began in December.
The province announced last week that possible human remains had been found but that it could take weeks for coroners to make an identification.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2025.
Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
