Violence against women is still an issue.
On Dec. 6, 1989, Marc Lepine opened fire at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique, killing 14 women before turning the gun on himself in the worst single-day massacre in Canada’s history.
Schools and community groups throughout Thunder Bay were holding ceremonies Tuesday to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the shootings and to remind people that violence against women is still happening.
“Violence against women is not an issue of the past,” said Lakehead University Gender Issues Centre director Emily Lauzon before a candle-light vigil at the school Tuesday.
“It’s something that still continues today. It happens in Thunder Bay and it happens all over the country, all over the world. So it’s important for us to remember that.”
Confederation College also had a candle-lighting ceremony to remember the victims of the massacre.
Student Union administrator of wellness and diversity Thomas Russell said the day needs to be remembered.
“As the Montreal massacre slides further and further into memory, it’s more important that we introduce this concept to our students, to our communities and keep it fresh in their minds that violence against women, armed violence, any violence, verbal violence is unacceptable,” he said.
The issue is still very much on the mind of Faye Peterson Transitional House executive director Debbie Zweep.
Zweep again called for an inquest into the death of Murillo’s Antoinette Lavoie.
Lavoie was shot and killed by her husband in December of 2010 before killing himself.
An inquest into the events surrounding the death was denied in November. But the gaps in how those events were handled by police leave a lot of questions unanswered, Zweep said.
And the case isn’t isolated.
About 360 court cases were identified in 2009 that showed cases of violence against women and high-risk men where the accused were not kept in custody.
“We’re wondering why we keep pointing at the same factors and nothing is changing,” Zweep said.
