A Halloween sign at a Tofino landfill has been removed after complaints it was insensitive in light of concerns that human remains might be buried in a Manitoba landfill.
The sign, which has been posted at the West Coast Landfill near Tofino for years at Halloween, says: “Bodies Buried $5.00” and “Really Deep $10.”
Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District staff received a complaint about the sign this week and quickly instructed the contracted landfill operator to remove and destroy it.
The district apologized and expressed regret that the sign was not removed earlier.
Winnipeg police believe the remains of Indigenous women Marcedes Myran and Morgan Harris, victims of the same alleged serial killer, were dumped at Prairie Green landfill in the municipality of Rosser, north of Winnipeg, last year.
Partial remains of another victim were earlier discovered near Winnipeg’s Brady Road landfill.
Daniel Sailland, chief administrative officer for the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, said the district is “acutely aware” of how the sign could have been hurtful for some people.
“I think as we work towards a pathway of truth and reconciliation and an understanding of the very real history of Canada and particularly what was experienced by our First Nations communities, we really have to be mindful of those impacts and be more considerate — and this was an honest mistake, we want to make sure this is clear,” Sailland said in an interview.
The district asked all staff and contractors and service providers to look out for any similar signage.
Tseshaht First Nation Chief Councillor Ken Watts said he appreciated being notified about the sign and that the district was “swift in their response to remove it.”
“I imagine they didn’t mean any disrespect, but I can also imagine it really triggered a lot of people,” said Watts.
“It reminds us all just walk gently and think twice about things.
“For the non-Indigenous world, they may not even have known about what’s happening in Manitoba.”
There are calls for the Manitoba landfill to be searched, which could take years and cost an estimated $84 million to $184 million.
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