Staff
An annual candlelight vigil and service, once again being held to honour the women of Rainy River District who lost their lives due to violence, is set for tomorrow (Dec. 6) at 2 p.m. at Knox United Church here.
Known as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada, Dec. 6 marks the anniversary of the 1989 murders of 14 young women at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal, who were killed simply because they were women.
Not only are the lives of those women commemorated, as well as those locally, but the event brings to light the ongoing issue of gender violence.
“The day remains the same but . . . each year we’re adding a new name and face to our remembrance—someone whose roots are within the Rainy River District is murdered as a result of violence,” said Peggy Loyie of the Rainy River District Victims Services Program, which is organizing the event along with the Sunset Country Métis, United Native Friendship Centre, and Rainy River District Shelter of Hope.
“That’s why we keep holding this event,” she noted. “And we will keep doing it until we are making headway in the whole issue on violence against women.
“We are not making headway—we’re raising awareness but the numbers aren’t changing,” she added.
Loyie said the vigil seems to draw more and more attendees each year.
“We’ve gone from a small gathering in front of the courthouse to inside the Knox United Church, where the last few years we’ve average in excess of 70-100 participants,” she noted.
“People are recognizing that this is not something that is going on outside of the Rainy River District.
“This is real—we are talking about people we know,” Loyie stressed.
The “Faceless Doll” project, made by students at St. Francis School, also will be on display tomorrow.
It is a hands-on art project, originally developed by the Native Women’s Association of Canada, that has been adapted for the Métis Nation of Ontario to commemorate the lives of missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls.
Loyie said everyone is invited to attend the candlelight vigil.
Refreshments will be available after the service.
For more information, call 274-5687.
