Sask. Gov. provides $1M towards Mackenzie Trottier landfill search

The 93-day search of the Saskatoon landfill for Mackenzie Trottier ended late last week as her remains were found. 

Now the total cost of the search is becoming clear.

The project began with a budget that was just over $300,000 but as the search went on so did the cost.

The final tally is estimated to be $1.5 million, but the provincial government has agreed to cover $1 Million of the final cost.

Paul Merriman, Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, said there were a few reasons that made it important the government helped out.

“We wanted to make sure the police service was not in distress from this financial obligation,” said Merriman. “We knew how important it (the case) was to the Saskatoon community and we thought as a provincial government we should step in and do the right thing.”

Merriman said that if the Saskatoon Police Service were to cover the entire cost, they would have to pull funding out of different resources.

“We need the police out in our community, we need those boots on the ground, we need the cars rolling to make sure our communities are safer,” said Merriman.

The search began at the beginning of May and was only slated to be 33 days long.

But Cam McBride, Saskatoon Police Chief said there were a few reasons as to why they extended the search.

“We relied on the reassurance given, and it was twofold. First from our investigative team, we were told repeatedly ‘Mackenzie is there,’,” said McBride. “Then from our search team who were boots on the ground doing the work saying with confidence ‘If she’s there, we will find her,’.”

McBride said the human resource cost was one of the most significant reasons the investigation increased by more than $1.2 Million.

“This was not something we budgeted for,” said McBride. “We didn’t have the luxury of extra staff to apply to this project, so we did have to ask for volunteers to come out and offer their time.”

McBride said those volunteers were compensated for coming out and helping.

In total 44 officers searched through five tonnes of garbage and waste in the landfill.

McBride said he went to the provincial government near the later part of the search asking for money.

“The ask was just seeking financial assistance,” said McBride. “We still didn’t really know when it might end or what the end result might be in terms of financial obligation.”

McBride said when it comes to covering the rest of the cost, he is going to rely on the financial team with the Saskatoon Police Service to determine if this is more of a long-term recoup or short-term recoup of resources.