Vancouver vigil mourns Winnipeg murdered Indigenous women

Outrage over a decision by Winnipeg police to not search a landfill for the remains of murdered Indigenous women has spread to Vancouver.

A vigil was held at Grandview Park Sunday in honour of Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, and another identified woman who is being called “Buffalo Woman,” all of whom were believed to be victims of an alleged serial killer.

Advocates gathered in Vancouver’s Grandview Park to mourn the deaths of Indigenous women murdered by an alleged serial killer in Manitoba. (Angela Bower, CityNews)

Harris and Myran’s remains are believed to be in Winnipeg’s Prairie Green Landfill. The partial remains of Contois were found at the same landfill; however, Winnipeg police announced last week that the area will not be searched.

Read More: Morgan Harris’ family protests at Brady Road landfill, wants operations paused

The announcement has prompted outrage from Indigenous communities in Manitoba and across the country, saying the federal government isn’t doing enough to address missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIWG).

The organizer of the vigil, Jerilyn Webster, says not enough is being done to address the gender-based violence.

“We need policing and RCMP to not neglect our [MMIWG] cases, and not neglect our Indigenous people because that gives predators and serial killers permission,” she said. “We need to stand with each other and bring the message that Indigenous women matter and that their lives are worth looking for, even if they’re in a landfill.”

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Webster says what’s happening in Manitoba in the deaths of Buffalo Woman, Harris, Myran and Contois, also happens in B.C.

“We here in the west and in Vancouver, we deal with the same type of behaviours from serial killers and how police mistreat and neglect our Indigenous women in the justice system and it needs to stop,” she said.

Desiree Simeon, who attended the vigil Sunday, says Indigenous groups can’t properly mourn someone’s death when their remains aren’t found.

Advocates gathered in Vancouver’s Grandview Park to mourn the deaths of Indigenous women murdered by an alleged serial killer in Manitoba. (Angela Bower, CityNews)

“Their souls stay grounded on the Earth until they’re buried,” she said of the four women who were killed in Manitoba. “Like any other decent society out there, everybody wants to find their loved ones.”

Simeon says it’s “disrespectful” that police aren’t searching for the womens’ remains.

Dozens of protestors attended the vigil in Vancouver, holding colourful signs calling for justice and more support from the federal government and RCMP to invest more into investigations regarding MMIWG.