Dozens of people attended a candlelight vigil to honour and remember women who have been victims of abuse.
The vigil was organized by the North Island Crisis and Counseling Centre (NICC) and held at Sacred Wolf Friendship Centre in Port Hardy.
It was held on the anniversary of l’École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal in 1989 when Marc Lépine shot 28 people, 24 of them women, before killing himself.
The purpose of the annual vigil is to raise awareness of violence against women.
“We do a lot of work with women who are experiencing violence in their relationships and we want women to know that they’re not alone,” said Michelle Guenter, counselor for women and children at NICC. The Dec 6 vigil began with opening prayers and an account of the Montreal Massacre, followed by presentations of poetry, traditional First Nations songs, and further information about violence and abuse against women, and a moment of silence to remember the murdered women at Montreal.
The participants sat or stood in a circle, each holding a lit candle where each flame represented someone who cares and is willing to make a difference.