Mounties in Manitoba, B.C. estimate their share of summer manhunt cost $1.5 million

Mounties in Manitoba and British Columbiaspent about $1.5 million combined on last summer's hunt for two fugitives wanted for three B.C. killings.

B.C.RCMPestimatetheyspent $750,000 to investigatethe triple homicidescommittedbyKamMcLeod, 19, andBryerSchmegelsky, 18.In an email to CBC,Sgt. Janelle Shoihet said the costs include the major crime investigation, the specialized support services, overtime and logistics.

Meanwhile,Manitoba RCMP spent less than $800,000 on theexpansive search in the province's northern wilderness a cheaper price tag than the province's top Mountie was banking on.

"I'll be honest with you, I was expecting about a million bucks, and that's kind of what I had in my mind," RCMPAssistant Commander Jane MacLatchysaid in an interview.

"That wasthe amount thatI was willing togo to on thisto get it done."

The military said Wednesday they were still finalizing their bill to deploy two aircraft and their personnel.

The manhunt in Gillam, Man., which ended with the discovery of the suspects' bodies on Aug. 7,lasted around 16days.

In videos before McLeod and Schmegelskykilled themselves, the lifelong friends admitted to the murders ofbotanist Leonard Dyck, AmericanChynna Deeseand her Australian boyfriendLucas Fowler.

Police descended on Gillamonce officials realized a burned-out vehicle had been driven by the two suspects.

Manitoba's top Mountie shared insightsinto the police hunt at a Winnipeg disaster management conference on Wednesday.

Duo likely died, police thought

By the end of the first week, she said RCMP believed the suspects either fled whichseemed improbable because there were nocredible sightings outside the Gillam area or haddied.

"If they were out there, alive somewhere, we had no reason to believe the killings were going to stop."

MacLatchy said community members were a tremendous help, but at the same time, those same people, gripped by fear and overwhelmed by the international attention, needed support themselves.

In hindsight, she wishes the RCMPwas helping people to process what happened not only after the manhunt, but during it.

"It's not a RCMP responsibility to bring in resources for mental health," MacLatchysaid, "but I certainly would have liked to facilitateor help the communitygetthe supports they needed.

She also said the RCMPshould have had media spokespeople on site in Gillam to handle questions.

MacLatchyadded police was fortunate to have a Manitoba Hydro generating station in the Gillam area to serve asaccommodations for their members.

Dinners to thank community

She credited the community for their guidance and said the RCMP would holdappreciation dinners in the Gillam area and Winnipeg to thank all individuals for their help.

"I am so thankful to this day that we were successful in that search, because imagine if we hadn't found them," she said.

"The people of Gillam, the people in that whole northern Manitoba areawould still be afraid of who's walking around in the woods and they'd still be locking their doors some of them probably still are."

Gillam Mayor Dwayne Forman told the conference the worry among residents persists.

When one man realized the suspects were spotted nearby, he started sleeping on his couch at home with a gun nearby.

"He no longer sleeps with a gun, but he still cannot sleep in the bed. He still needs to be in the living room to protect his family," Forman said. "The emotions are still there."

The cost of the manhunt to the Manitoba RCMP is still being finalized, but it's "expected to be well under $800,000," spokesperson Robert Cyrenne said in an email.

Significant expenses include overtime costs and backfilling the positions of employees sent to the Gillam area, MacLatchy said. The RCMP paid Manitoba Hydro around $40,000 for overnight accommodationsat a generating station and other needs.

"Even though we were putting a lot of resources on this thing, we were very cognizant that we were spending taxpayers' money," MacLatchy said. "We wanted to make sure that we got the best bang for the buck."

Forman said he tried his best during the chaotic search to keep his community at ease,but said it was a "huge lapse" in judgment that it took 10 days to hold a community meeting.

After his speech to the audience of municipal officials, one person approached a microphone at the Winnipeg ballroom.

"I happened to be at your town hall.You sell yourself short, my man," he said to applause.