Latest news with #MMIWG2S+
CTV News
06-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Red Dress Day marked in Manitoba
Red Dress Day marked in Manitoba Funding support for the families of MMIWG2S+ and a march to honour their memories helped mark Red Dress Day in the province.
CBC
05-05-2025
- CBC
5 Indigenous-led community groups to distribute $350K from Manitoba MMIWG2S endowment fund
Family members of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people in Manitoba can now access an endowment fund to cover costs associated with a search, court proceedings or healing opportunities, Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine says. Five Indigenous-led organizations will distribute $350,000 from the Manitoba MMIWG2S+ healing and empowerment endowment fund to family members of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. The money will help families access "a wide range" of low-barrier and direct support, Fontaine said at a news conference on Monday. The province set up the fund a year ago through an initial $15-million investment, generating $650,000 in just six months, Fontaine said. The community organizations will be given responsibility for distributing two-thirds of the fund's revenue each year. The province will direct the rest to similar organizations. Eligible costs that can be covered by the endowment fund may include search costs, gas, hotel bills, funeral expenses, headstones, food and even tuition, Fontaine said. "I think it's really important for Manitobans to know and to be proud of the fact that we are the only jurisdiction across Canada that has set up a MMIWG2S+ endowment fund to operate in perpetuity for families and communities," Fontaine said at the news conference. "No matter what government is in power, this endowment fund will exist for years to come." Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, the Southern Chiefs' Organization and Giganawenimaanaanig — the province's MMIWG2S+ implementation committee — will each receive about $90,000, the province said. The Manitoba Métis Federation's Infinity Women's Secretariat will get around $40,000, and the Tunngasugit Inuit Resource Centre in Winnipeg will get $25,000. The endowment fund, managed by the Winnipeg Foundation, is currently near $25 million, Fontaine said. The goal is to eventually double that, which could result in upwards of $2 million in revenue generated each year, she said.
CBC
05-05-2025
- CBC
What is something that you learned about MMIWG2S+ on Red Dress Day?
You tell us CONTENT WARNING: This story contains information about violence against Indigenous people. Consider reading it with a trusted adult. It's common to have an emotional reaction to the news. Every month, we take a deep dive into a topic that's been making headlines in a series called KN Explains. We then ask you to Have Your Say by sharing your own experiences and opinions. Fill out the form to submit your answer to this month's question. Then check again next week to see if your thoughts are featured. What is something that you learned about MMIWG2S+ on Red Dress Day? That is our question for you this month. MMIWG2S+ stands for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. In 2016, the federal government launched an inquiry, or investigation, to try to find solutions to why this group has faced an increased rate of violence. This inquiry came as a result of years of protests and advocacy by families of victims. According to commissioners who led the inquiry, the violence and injustice Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people face is a 'national crisis.' In 2019, the commissioners of the inquiry, known as the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, published their final report. They suggested 231 calls for justice to help put an end to the crisis. We want to know: What is something you learned from watching the video that you didn't know before? Tell us what new pieces of information stood out to you. Share your thoughts with CBC Kids News. Want to know more before you answer? Check out these other articles on MMIWG2S+ and Red Dress Day: Red Dress Day: What it is and how it began What's being done to help missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls? Boys commit to ending violence against women through Moose Hide Campaign You can read the answers to the last Have Your Say question here: Do you need support? Individuals impacted by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls are encouraged to contact the MMIWG Crisis Line toll-free at 1-844-413-6649. Kids can also call the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868. Have more questions? Want to tell us how we're doing? Use the 'send us feedback' link below. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Winnipeg Free Press
05-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Trying to engage as wide as we can'
A pilot project for an alert system for missing Indigenous women and girls is underway in Manitoba. The Red Dress Alert pilot project, which is run by Giganawenimaanaanig, Manitoba's MMIWG2S+ implementation committee, could be online as early as the fall. 'Families have known that a Red Dress Alert has been needed for a number of decades. So it's nice to see that we're moving quite fast in the development,' said Alaya McIvor, who is involved in the venture. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan introduced a motion in the House of Commons last year to declare missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls a nationwide emergency. Similar to an Amber or Silver Alert, the system will send out alerts when an Indigenous woman or girl goes missing. The project will be developed in three phases and is currently in its first phase. The project team has been engaging with various communities since December to determine the specific need in each community. It kicked off by engaging with several First Nations and northern communities where the number of Indigenous women and girls is highest in the province, including Thompson, The Pas, Flin Flon and South Indian Lake. Kim McPherson, another member of the team, said remote communities face their own challenges. • On May 5 the University of Manitoba will be hosting a ceremony and keynote address from Cambria Harris, whose mother, Morgan Harris, was killed by convicted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki. The event begins at 1:30. More information at: • The annual Red Dress Day memorial walk and ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. at Memorial Park. The walk will go to Oodena Circle at the Forks for a ceremony and guest speakers, followed by a healing jingle dress dance 'The infrastructure is very different from the city. If the loved one goes missing outside a community, like say in an urban centre like Thompson, you know, there's unique challenges that they face,' she said. 'We're trying to engage as wide as we can to hear from everybody that will help to inform this Red Dress Alert development.' Denise Cook, an activist and project organizer, said the team is working to find a way to make the alert system regional so communities can respond to alerts close to home. Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan introduced a motion in the House of Commons last year to declare missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls a nationwide emergency. The motion led to a committee study on a Canada-wide alert system. In May 2024, the federal government announced the Red Dress Alert system would undergo a pilot in Manitoba, and in October it promised $1.3 million toward the project. Gazan did not respond to requests for comment from the Free Press. Donna Bartlett, whose granddaughter Marcedes Myran was killed by serial killer Jeremy Skibicki, called the alert system a good idea but is skeptical it will make a difference. 'How many times have women gone missing, they put it on TV and that's it?' she said. 'They can send it out and everything, but how many people are actually going to listen to it?' Bartlett said the alerts should include Indigenous men and boys, too. 'They're not invincible,' she said. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. Cook said the alert is only one way of addressing the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and education and awareness must be a continuous aspect. Cook pointed to the 231 calls for justice made by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls's final report in 2019 and events such as today's Red Dress Day as ways to carry on the conversation. 'People who want to build awareness and understanding can go to those events, be present and be more aware,' she said. 'Even having conversations at the kitchen table with families or having conversation with their circles to bring them in the know, this is something that should be a concern for everyone in the community.' Feedback on the project can be submitted via a survey at Nicole BuffieMultimedia producer Nicole Buffie is a multimedia producer who reports for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College's Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom in 2023. Read more about Nicole. Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
20-04-2025
- General
- CBC
Family of First Nations woman believed to be in Brady Road landfill holds pipe ceremony to pray for her return
'I wanted her to know that I ain't giving up': Tanya Nepinak's aunt Sue Caribou Image | Brady Road landfill pipe ceremony Caption: Posters with the face of Tanya Nepinak and teddy bears were hung on the fence at the Brady Road landfill during a pipe ceremony in the memory of the Pine Creek First Nation woman whose remains are believed to be on the Winnipeg site. (Geraldine Shingoose/Facebook) Over the years, Sue Caribou has brought her drum with her to Brady Road Landfill to sing for her niece Tanya Nepinak, whose remains are believed to be on the site. Caribou feels her loved one closer every time she drums at Brady Road. This year, she wanted to share that experience with others and prayed for the search of Nepinak's remains in the landfill, holding a pipe ceremony on Saturday. "There was a lot of support … it was very special," Caribou said on Sunday. Around 50 people gathered for the ceremony, led by Ojibway grandmother Geraldine Shingoose, who prepared a medicine bundle wrapped in a red cloth, along with a spirit plate for Nepinak. Before the ceremony started, Caribou said there was a light breeze, but once the pipe was lit and the drummer began playing, the wind picked up with strong gusts. "It was a powerful ceremony. That was the first time I had experienced something that powerful," she said. "I walked around the gate with my drum and I sang for my beautiful Tanya." Image | Geraldine Shingoose and Sue Caribou Caption: About 50 attended the pipe ceremony on Sunday, led by Ojibway grandmother Geraldine Shingoose, left, and organized by Tanya Nepinak's aunt Sue Caribou, right. (Geraldine Shingoose/Facebook) Open Image in New Tab Posters with Nepinak's face were plastered around the landfill's front entrance, while teddy bears were hung on the fence. "I wanted to do something special on Easter … I wanted her to know that I ain't giving up," Caribou said. "I can't give up, she needs to be brought home." Among those in the crowd were family and friends of Nepinak, MMIWG2S+ advocates and Winnipeg police Supt. Bonnie Emerson. Caribou said the officer went in lieu of Chief Gene Bowers who had been invited. Robyn Johnston helped Caribou, a friend of hers, to organize the ceremony by contacting Shingoose and spreading the word on social media. "I wanted Tanya to take the landfill back," Johnston said. "It was important for Sue and Tanya to be recognized, to not be ignored anymore and to be put in the forefront." Johnston said it is part of the work to make the search of the Brady Road landfill for her remains a reality "rather than keep hiding it." 'I feel like she was forgotten' It's been more than 13 years since Nepinak, who was originally from Pine Creek First Nation, went missing after she left her home on Winnipeg's Sherbrook Street in September 2011. In June 2012, Shawn Lamb was charged with second-degree murder in connection with her death and disappearance, but those charges were later stayed. Winnipeg police have said they believed Nepinak's body was dumped in a garbage bin and taken to the Brady Road landfill. Even though a search for her remains was launched in October 2012, it was cancelled after six days with no evidence located. Manitoba committed to search the Brady Road landfill for the remains of Ashlee Shingoose, who was recently identified as one of the four First Nations women murdered by a Winnipeg serial killer in 2022. Caribou has been pushing for that search to also include recovery efforts for Nepinak. Earlier this month she brought her plea directly to Premier Wab Kinew, although there wasn't an official confirmation on the search then. Caribou is still slated to talk with Kinew in May. Potential search at landfill reopens old wounds for aunt of Winnipeg woman who went missing over a decade ago "I'm kind of scared that they might not [do it] … that it's just going to be so wrong," she said. For now, another reason behind hosting ceremonies like Saturday's is to prevent Nepinak's memory from fading again after the last search for her was called off. "I feel like she was forgotten … It broke my heart that they didn't do that kind of effort for my loved one," she said, referring to the search of the Prairie Green Landfill that led to the recovery of remains belonging to Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran earlier this year. "It was heartbreaking … knowing that she was left behind," Caribou said. But she is praying that this time Nepinak's remains will be returned home and put to rest. "She deserves to be in a proper burial ground," Caribou said. "They can't just leave her up there."
