Several dozen people gathered on the grounds of City Hall in Nelson today in a vigil to commemorate the 14 women murdered at the École Polytechnique de Montréal on December 6, 1989.
The event featured a clothesline display of shirts decorated to represent women's experience of violence. Mounted on the courthouse fence were photos of the 14 Montreal women with a brief statement about each.
The names of the 14 Montreal women were individually read as a red rose was placed for each one at the base of the cenotaph.
The vigil was organized by the Nelson Violence Against Women in Relationships (VAWIR) committee and was presided over by Nina Hamilton, who runs police-based victim services with the Nelson Police Department and the RCMP.
She told the Nelson Star that working with women in violence relationships is "day-to-day work" for her.
"It's very meaningful for me, this annual event, because we need to come together to understand the need for awareness around gender based violence. These are women and girls that I work with on a daily basis locally. They are not always reported to police (because) sometimes we are providing that support through other organizations. The need is great."
Honor Rozee is a teacher at Trafalgar Middle School who attended the early part of the vigil with 24 Grade 9 students.
"Every year we do a lesson on violence against women," she said. "I did not learn about the Montreal massacre until I was an adult. Sharing it with the youth is important. Seeing the faces of the 14 women from 1989 and reading about their stories is super impactful for them."
She said their homework is to talk to someone outside their class, or at home, about the vigil.
Constable Derek Pitt of the RCMP is a member of VAWIR committee.
"Violence against women is a big issue for us and we are here to support this cause," he said. "I hope people take a moment today to think about violence against women and what everyone could do as an individual to make a change."
