THUNDER BAY — Thousands of red lights were hung at Thunder Bay Police Service headquarters, each representing an Indigenous women, girl or two spirit person who is missing and murdered in Canada.
On Sunday, the Tree of Hope was lit in front of the police station on Balmoral Street.
“It's not going to stop there. This is going to continue," said Sharlene Bourdeau, the retired officer who started the initiative in 2019.
Her idea has since been picked up across the province.
“Currently, there's close to 30 police services in the province of Ontario that light trees in honour and in memory of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and two-spirited.
“What we're hoping to do is bring it to Parliament Hill, bring it to Ottawa. And once we do that, I would like to light trees from coast to coast to coast. And afterwards, if I can accomplish that, I would like to go into the United States,” she said.
Bourdeau thanks the community for supporting her vision.
“You can plan anything you want to plan, but if people don't show up then that vision dies.
“I'd like to thank all the police services that have joined us in this project because they see the vision that I see, they see the vision that Thunder Bay police see in helping to bring awareness to this incident,” she said.
Bordeau said there is a reason for calling it the Tree of Hope.
“My hope is to have every missing Indigenous persons case solved as well as every unsolved homicide.
“I want to let the families, extended families and friends of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and 2 spirited that we will never forget your loved ones,” Bordeau said.
When she brought the project idea forward at the general meeting of the Thunder Bay Police Association back in 2019, Boudreau said she was met with support.
“I've been with the police service for 31 years and I retired July 1. When the reports came out about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit and the reports about the Thunder Bay Police Service, I felt that there needed to be more awareness and to educate the public," said Boudreau.
She went to Canadian Tire, asking if they would be willing to donate 4,000 red lights.
“They were more than willing to help us out. From there it took off and then the fire department actually helped us put the lights on the larger trees,” she said.
Cora McGuire-Cyrette, CEO of the Ontario Native Women’s Association, said holding this event is important to draw attention to the violence faced by Indigenous women, girls and two spirit people.
“That's the first step of addressing violence, is breaking that silence.
“Being able to address this issue here as systems and as partners to be able to talk about it, to look at how we can do better as a community. That's really what we're seeing here is that response to the violence that we as Indigenous women are facing, not only just here in Thunder Bay as a community, but the violence that we're facing every single day here in Canada,” she said.
“It's been over five years since the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released their report," said McGuire-Cyrette.
She said 95 municipalities in Ontario have declared intimate partner violence an epidemic.
"That’s the systemic racism, discrimination that we're facing," she said. "When you have municipalities all across Ontario to recognize the violence that non-Indigenous women are facing.
“As sisters, we're looking for that same response to addressing the violence that we're facing. We're looking for how communities and how municipalities and how police services are building safer communities all across Ontario.”
McGuire-Cyrette would like to challenge everyone to act on one of the national inquiry's calls to justice.
“To be able to look at us as a community to be able to look at the truth and reconciliation, calls to action, to be able to look at the national inquiries, to be able to pick up one of these reports and read the report to understand the issue. That is one positive step in the right direction as is also picking up one of those recommendations and acting it in your own community.
“That's what we're seeing happen here in Thunder Bay, is the police services recognizing and reconciling their relationship with Indigenous women by participating and hosting events like this and challenging and inviting in other police services all across Ontario to join them,” she said.
