MOFA Statement in support of #SearchTheLandfill
The Manitoba Organization of Faculty Organizations (MOFA) is joining a chorus of growing voices and the families of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran in calling for a search of the Prairie Green landfill. MOFA calls on all levels of government to work constructively together to provide closure to the families, as well as Indigenous communities across our country.
“The families of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran deserve better from our premier and our provincial government,” said MOFA President Allison McCulloch. “The very least that our provincial government can do is to work collaboratively with other levels of government to bring closure for the families. A failure to do so would symbolize a tremendous step backward for reconciliation in Manitoba.”
In particular, MOFA calls on Premier Heather Stefanson to listen to the experts retained by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs for their feasibility studies, who include faculty members in Manitoba. We urge the Premier to reconsider her stance on this matter, and work with the federal government, the City of Winnipeg, and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
“Nothing about the proposed search at Prairie Green Landfill as detailed in the Final Report, is easy. By its very nature, a search of a landfill is complicated and there are a number of unknowns,” said Emily Holland, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Brandon University, forensic anthropologist, and Co-Chair of the Technical Subcommittee. “The search method proposed in the Final Report is one that we determined to have the highest probability of recovery while ensuring the health and safety of the workers involved. The Subcommittee worked to consider as many variables as possible. The only way to move forward is to continue the conversation.”
The Manitoba Organization of Faculty Associations (MOFA) is comprised of members of faculty associations from Brandon University, Université de Saint-Boniface, University of Manitoba, and University of Winnipeg representing over 1,600 individual academic staff. MOFA is a proud member of the Canadian Association of University Teachers. We are based on both Treaty 1 and Treaty 2 territories, and the homeland of the Métis Nation.