Local event marks 34th anniversary of Montreal massacre

The 34th anniversary of the Montreal massacre was observed in cities across Canada on Wednesday, with a local service held at the Art Gallery of Algoma.

The event was hosted on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by the local chapter of Women in Crisis. 

Created to remember the 14 women killed on Dec. 6, 1989 at L'École Polytechnique in Montreal, this year's event held additional significance locally because of a number of femicides that have occurred recently in Sault Ste. Marie.

"Today is a time to think not only about the 14 women who lost their lives that day, but also to remember all of the women and children who live daily with the threat of violence and to remember those whose lives were affected," said Jenna Van Hoek, a Women In Crisis sexual assault and abuse crisis counsellor, in her opening remarks.

Among those in attendance were Dan Jennings, whose daughter Caitlin was killed earlier this year in London, Ont., as well as Renee Buczel and Lindsay Stewart , childhood friends of Angie Sweeney, who was killed Oct. 23 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Angie Sweeney's father Brian Sweeney is taking part in the vigil being held today in Montreal for the anniversary of the massacre.

A slide show with the names of 800 women and children murdered in Ontario played in the background for the duration of the event held Wednesday in the Sault.

As the names of the women killed that day were read aloud, 14 candles were lit one by one in their memory. The youngest four of those women were each 21 at the time of their deaths and would have been 55 years old had they lived to present day.

Special remarks were provided during the event by Robin Kerr, executive director of Victim Services of Algoma.

Kerr told the crowd of about 25 people she was going to focus her message on the recent femicides that occurred in Sault Ste. Marie. but decided to focus on the positives that came out of those tragedies.

"The outpouring of support from across Canada to this community after the femicide in October was beyond anything I have ever seen before," said Kerr. 

She received words of encouragement from Victim Services agencies from as far away as B.C. and the Yukon. Provincial sites sent lunches to ensure the staff was eating and neighbouring Victim Services sites offered to step in and help with the workload in the Sault.

That was in addition to the support Victim Services of Algoma received from local partner agencies, said Kerr.

"It gave us the strength we needed to carry on and, in turn, the strength to support our clients," she said.

She ended with words of support for the workers of local partner agencies who were in attendance.

"As we view this day, the National Day of Remembrance, and we remember the 14 women who were killed because they were women, and we remember the lives lost here in Sault Ste. Marie due to femicide, we also need to remember that someone out there feels better because we exist.