December 6th is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women and vigils are being held locally.
People will gather to remember the anniversary of the Ecole Polytechnique shooting in Montreal in 1989 where 14 women were separated from the men and murdered. 10 more women and four men were injured before the shooter killed himself.
Each year, chapters of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) hold vigils to remember the women and to bring awareness to their communities about violence against women and intimate partner violence.
Statistics Canada says, “In 2024, more than one-quarter (28%) of all victims of violent crime were victimized by an intimate partner. Of the 128,175 victims aged 12 and older of police-reported intimate partner violence in 2024, nearly 8 in 10 victims (78%) were women and girls.”
In Owen Sound a vigil will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday, December 5th behind the Farmers Market.
In Saugeen Shores, a vigil will be held on December 6th at noon in the Rotary Hall at the Plex in Port Elgin.
Saugeen Shores CFUW vigil committee member Cheryl Kryzaniwsky says, “The CFUW took a resolution to council (Saugeen Shores) earlier this year which they passed to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic, and when they passed that resolution they joined over 100 other municipalities in the province who had already declared it.”
Kryzaniwsky hopes it will push the provincial government to do the same, which she says it has not done. She says when a municipality declares it an epidemic it helps to put resources towards it, and creates a sense of urgency and awareness.
She says, “The CFUW certainly believes that if the province came out and declared it, more municipalities would come on board, more money would flow to the issue, more awareness would be raised.”
She wants people to email Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson to advocate for the province to make the declaration.
Kryzaniwsky says Saugeen Shores Police have been providing annual intimate partner violence numbers to the CFUW. This year, police responded to 62 domestic violence calls, 15 calls about sexual violence and six calls about human trafficking.
The Saugeen Shores vigil will feature guest speaker Gwen Lamont, who is a local author who has written a book called, “The View from Coffin Ridge: A Childhood Exhumed.”
Kryzaniwsky says, “Lamont has been doing tours all over Ontario with the book and she believes so strongly in this issue– it’s raised in her book.”
According to Kryzaniwsky, police, council members and workers from the shelters usually attend the vigil. She says, “Especially, I think if a woman can get there who is maybe struggling who has questions, who isn’t sure where to turn, there will be people there certainly that she can reach out to.”
She adds, “Awareness is key. There’s no question. Education is key. So we urge people to talk to their children and their grandchildren and certainly come out and talk to any of us that will be at the vigil on Saturday.”
There will be a donation box at the Saugeen Shores vigil where you can donate to the three local women’s shelters in Grey Bruce.
Flags at Owen Sound City facilities will be at half-mast in honour of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on December 6.