Investigators sort through contents recovered from the Saskatoon landfill in Saskatoon, Sask., on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Investigators updated the public on a planned search of the City of Saskatoon landfill, relevant to the Mackenzie Trottier missing persons investigation. he Saskatchewan government says it will pay $1 million to help cover the costs of a landfill search that found the remains of a missing woman. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards

SASKATOON - The Saskatchewan government will pay $1 million to help cover the cost of a landfill search for the remains of a missing woman, the province announced Thursday.

Saskatoon police have said it cost $1.5 million to look through a section of the city landfill where the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier were discovered last week.

"We are pleased to support the Saskatoon Police Service with the costs of this search, and our government is happy to recognize their truly exceptional efforts in bringing closure to the Trottier family," Policing Minister Paul Merriman said in a statement.

"Policing is challenging work, and this investigation brings that to light all too well. We are truly proud of the Saskatoon Police Service and every officer involved in this investigation."

Police Chief Cameron McBride, who requested financial aid from Saskatchewan and Ottawa, said he's incredibly appreciative of the funding.

Officers spent 93 days searching the site, going through 5,000 tonnes of garbage.

"Throughout this landfill search, and based on the evidence collected, we maintained that continuing to search for Mackenzie was the right thing to do," McBride said.

The federal government says it has been in contact with Saskatchewan and is awaiting a formal funding proposal.

“Our thoughts are first and foremost with the family of Mackenzie Trottier," said a spokesperson for federal Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

"We want to commend the Saskatoon Police Service for their tremendous work in this investigation and hope that this helps bring some measure of closure to Mackenzie Trottier’s loved ones."

McBride has said an autopsy could not determine the cause of Trottier's death and the case has been turned over to the Saskatchewan Coroners Service.

Trottier was last seen in December 2020.

Police say a suspect in her disappearance died of a drug overdose last year. His identity is not being released because police can't lay charges against him.

The investigation found Trottier and the suspect knew each other, and Trottier had often stayed at the man's home.

It was data from the man's cellphone combined with the city's ability to track waste that pointed investigators to the landfill.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2024.

-- By Jeremy Simes in Regina

News from © The Canadian Press, 2024