THUNDER BAY - A project started three years ago by a constable with the Thunder Bay Police Service to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is now being marked by other police services across the province.
“Slowly it is taking off,” said Const. Sharlene Bourdeau of the Thunder Bay Police Service. “We are hoping most police services across the province of Ontario light trees next year, and from there we will target another province.”
The third tree in the Tree of Hope Project was decorated on Tuesday in front of the Thunder Bay Police Service headquarters on Balmoral Street with the help of Thunder Bay Fire Rescue in preparation of the lighting ceremony to take place on Nov. 14.
The Tree of Hope Project began in 2019 to honour MMIWG and this will be the third lighting ceremony to take place. But Bourdeau said this year will also be a little different from past ceremonies.
“This year we are lighting two trees, a third tree for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Tree of Hope Project to honour all missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada,” she said.
“So we have one more tree to go. But this year we are also doing a special tree lighting for the Every Child Matters campaign to honour the first 215 remains that were discovered in Kamloops.”
This year will also see other police services across the province lighting trees in honour of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, including the Sudbury Police Service, Timmins Police Service, Barrie Police Service, and the Union of Chiefs and Council of Manitoulin Island, which represents six Indigenous police services.
“It’s quite overwhelming,” Bourdeau said. “For this year, I wasn’t excepting that many police services to jump on board. It’s all in the name of honouring missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and I just don’t want anyone to forget the women and the children that were lost. And also with the 215 children found in Kamloops.”
The first tree lighting ceremony saw more than 250 people participate. Last year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the gathering was much smaller but with restrictions mostly lifted Bourdeau is expecting a much larger turnout this year.
A fourth tree will be lit next year and Bourdeau said has other plans for moving the campaign forward in the future.
The tree lighting ceremony will take place on Sunday Nov. 14 at the Thunder Bay Police Service Headquarters. It will open with an opening prayer, smudge, and song at 5:30 p.m. with the tree lighting at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend.
