Latest news with #RedDressAlert
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wildfire evacuation underscores need for Red Dress Alert system
Opinion The grassroots organization Giganawenimaanaanig released an interim report this week on the progress of the proposed Red Dress Alert, an initiative that would notify the public and help co-ordinate responses when an Indigenous woman, girl, or two-spirit person goes missing. Similar to an Amber Alert, which is issued when a child goes missing, the program responds to the calls for justice in the national inquiry on murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls and the parliamentary motion put forward by Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan in 2023 to create the initiative. After receiving unanimous support in Parliament, a $1.3-million fund was established to research and make recommendations on how the program could be implemented nationally. Manitoba stepped up to take the lead. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES Giganawenimaanaanig called on all governments to implement the Red Dress Alert program by early- to mid-2026. After consulting with 29 urban, rural, and First Nations and Métis communities throughout Manitoba, Giganawenimaanaanig called on all governments to implement the program by early- to mid-2026. 'Every day that the Red Dress Alert is not implemented,' project lead Denise Cook said, 'is a day that someone could go missing.' In the wake of four murders of Indigenous women by a serial killer in Winnipeg, and countless other MMIWG in Manitoba, the value of a Red Dress Alert is obvious. When considered alongside the amount of young women and two-spirit people in the child welfare system, the rise in domestic violence, and a city of Winnipeg police force that called the search for Indigenous female remains at a landfill 'unfeasible,' the initiative is need more than ever. It's needed now, in fact. More than 17,000 evacuees, mostly from northern First Nations, have been displaced owing to wildfires. In excess of 10,000 of them are in hotels or other lodgings in Winnipeg. That means this city has had an influx of thousands of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit peoples — individuals preyed upon by many forces here. It's well-known that when Indigenous peoples are evacuated due to fires, floods, or some other traumatizing disaster, certain considerations in the health, justice, and emergency management systems must take place. For instance, many First Nations are alcohol-free due to a long history of complicated relationships with substance use. This community law is impossible to maintain off-reserve but community leaders combat the issue in other ways: such as by providing extra mental health services, family-building events, and even patrols to support people during their time as refugees. The same could be said about health, justice, and even governance. Simply put, due to a long history of political mistreatment, Indigenous communities require specific considerations when displaced by disasters. The issue of MMIWG2S+ is a disaster, too. Combined with recent fire evacuations, the situation has become critical. All this week, Indigenous social media has been full of individuals working overtime to protect Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit peoples from nefarious forces. 'I'm gathering a crew of helpers this evening,' posted activist Rylee Nepinak of the downtown patrol group Anishiative. 'After speaking to multiple sources (mainly our women), it's clear we need as many boots on the ground watching for any predatory/exploitative signs (and) talk to the kids about safety.' Indigenous leaders are reporting that predators have approached displaced vulnerable individuals online and in person to offer drugs, alcohol, and invite them to 'party' in a private home — where a sexual or physical assault can easily take place. Advocates have created a list of 'safety tips when heading out in Winnipeg' that include: travelling in pairs, informing family and support staff of travel and return plans, and keeping location apps activated on their cellphones. Isabel Daniels, a vulnerable person advocate, warned in a post: 'Nothing is for free: if people are offering FREE substances SAY NO… Please be cautious of the things people are offering, Fentanyl is in a lot of street drugs.' Daniels also posted a dire message: 'People offering you FREE clothing, cellphones and liquor can be human traffickers, ALWAYS SAY NO.' Winnipeg police are joining the fight to educate and keep Indigenous people safe by providing extra officers and visits to evacuee shelters and printing 3,000 pamphlets with emergency contacts and tips to remain safe. Similar situations have been reported in other cities where evacuees are being sheltered, such as Thompson and Brandon. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. Community groups have recommended Indigenous families take photos of their female and two-spirit members in case a missing person report needs to be filed. If one didn't know better, one might see the release of the Red Dress Alert interim report, alongside a real-life emergency related to the safety of Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit individuals, as a well-planned political move. It isn't. It's evidence the issue is urgent, laid bare right before our very eyes, now more than ever. Red Dress Alert report Niigaan SinclairColumnist Niigaan Sinclair is Anishinaabe and is a columnist at the Winnipeg Free Press. Read full biography 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
5 days ago
- General
- CBC
Red Dress Alert program must be in place by May 2026, says report from organization leading project
Social Sharing All levels of government must act quickly to establish a notification system within the next year that would help find missing Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people in Manitoba, the organization spearheading the project says. A Red Dress Alert would prompt notifications to the public whenever an Indigenous woman, girl or two-spirit person goes missing, as an Amber Alert does now for missing children. Giganawenimaanaanig, the Manitoba committee implementing calls for justice from the national MMIWG inquiry, released an interim report on Tuesday detailing the development of the program, which started after Manitoba MP Leah Gazan put forth a motion in Parliament in 2023 to fund an alert system. Survivors and family members, along with leadership and representatives from First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, attended 29 engagement sessions held as of January throughout the province, in both rural and urban communities, the report says. Participants in the engagement sessions stressed the "extreme urgency" of establishing an effective notification system, the report says, and Giganawenimaanaanig is now calling on all three levels of government to get the program running by May 2026 at the latest. "Every day that the Red Dress Alert is not implemented is a day that someone could go missing," project lead Denise Cook said at a Tuesday news conference. A public survey is currently being conducted for those who were unable to attend the engagement sessions, with over 1,000 responses received in the month of May alone, said Sandra DeLaronde, the chair of Giganawenimaanaanig. The program will differ from existing notification systems, since it will be guided by those families and communities, DeLaronde said. "This alert is really going to be built on their words," she said at the news conference. "When a Red Dress Alert saves a life, it's because of all the people who provided their ideas, thoughts and opinions on how this should be done in a good way." The alert system will also need a co-operative and co-ordinated effort across jurisdictions and agencies to keep tabs on youth who've run away from foster care, as well as those experiencing gender-based violence, housing insecurity and/or human trafficking, the report says. The next steps are to meet with those agencies, said Cook. Participants in the engagement sessions overwhelmingly said that they are "not being listened to, not being taken seriously, not being given the resources or the time that they need from those service providers that are there — that are supposed to be there but are not there," said Cook. "There are gaps, and we recognize that individuals and systems do not necessarily … perform in the way that they should be, but it's so significant in the Indigenous community," she said. "A lot of communities have been left to do what they can with what they have." The alert system's success will depend on all Manitobans, said Cook. Evacuees 'vulnerable and targeted' The program is also making considerations for people who go missing after travelling to an urban centre from a remote or northern community, and those who may be vulnerable after leaving a hospital or other institution that's far from their home, the report says. It's something that hits close to home, said DeLaronde, as thousands are currently evacuated from northern Manitoba communities due to wildfires. "People told us that when they were evacuated, they were in fact vulnerable and targeted" in larger urban centres, DeLaronde said. While planning for the alert system continues, DeLaronde said more patrols in and around hotels and evacuation sites, as well as a response line to call if someone goes missing, are ways to help keep those fleeing fires safe. At a separate news conference, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said her organization is looking at addressing safety concerns in spaces where displaced people are staying, and is working to bring in wraparound support for those forced from their homes. "We know that these sites are now a target for predators, for human traffickers, for drug dealers," she said. Participants said there's no single technique or technology for an alert system to reach everyone, but they'd want it to be more than just a way to distribute missing persons reports, which can desensitize the public with frequent use, the Giganawenimaanaanig interim report says. Clear criteria for the notification system must be widely publicized, participants said, and expectations of how police and other government agencies should respond to cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, must also be written into law to ensure accountability, it says. A final report on the Red Dress Alert program's engagement sessions, with recommendations, is expected to be released in October. Extreme urgency' for MMIWG alerts: report 1 hour ago Duration 2:03 The Manitoba team working on a provincewide Red Dress Alert system will meet with police, child welfare agencies and sports groups. The Red Dress Alert would prompt notifications to the public whenever an Indigenous woman, girl or two-spirit person goes missing, as an Amber Alert does now for missing children.
CBC
5 days ago
- General
- CBC
Red Dress Alert program must be put in place by May 2026: Giganawenimaanaanig
All levels of government must act quickly to establish a notification system by May 2026 that would help find missing Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people in Manitoba, the organization spearheading the project says. A Red Dress Alert would prompt notifications to the public whenever an Indigenous woman, girl or two-spirit person goes missing, as an Amber Alert does now for missing children. Giganawenimaanaanig, the Manitoba committee implementing calls for justice from the national MMIWG inquiry, released an interim report on Tuesday detailing the development thus far of the program, which started after Manitoba MP Leah Gazan put forth a motion in Parliament in 2023 to fund an alert system. Survivors, family members, leadership and representatives from First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities attended 29 engagement sessions held as of January throughout the province in northern, southern, rural and urban communities, the report says. The program will differ from pre-existing notification systems, since it will be guided by those families and communities, project lead Sandra Delaronde said. "This alert is really going to be built on their words," she said at a news conference on Tuesday. "When a Red Dress Alert saves a life, it's because of all the people who provided their ideas, thoughts and opinions on how this should be done in a good way." A public survey is currently being conducted for those who were unable to attend the engagement sessions, with over 1,000 responses received in the month of May alone, Delaronde said. Participants in the engagement sessions stressed the "extreme urgency" of establishing an effective notification system, the report says, and Giganawenimaanaanig now calls on all three levels of government to get the program running by May 2026 at the latest. Participants also said there's no single technique or technology for an alert system to reach everyone, but they'd want it to be more than just a way to distribute missing persons reports, which can desensitize the public with frequent use, the report says. Clear criteria for the notification system must be widely publicized, participants said, and expectations of how police and other government agencies should respond to cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls must also be written into law to ensure accountability, the report says. The alert system will also need a co-operative and co-ordinated effort across jurisdictions and between agencies to keep tabs on youth who've run away from foster care, as well as those experiencing gender-based violence, housing insecurity and/or human trafficking, the report says.
CBC
05-05-2025
- CBC
First Nation mourning serial killer victim Ashlee Shingoose holding 1st Red Dress Day event
A northern Manitoba First Nation is holding its first Red Dress Day event on Monday as the community mourns one of its own. In March, Ashlee Shingoose of St. Theresa Point First Nation was identified as the previously unknown victim of a Winnipeg serial killer. She'd been given the name Buffalo Woman, or Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, by Indigenous community members. Shingoose, who police believe was murdered in March 2022, is among several known missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls from the Island Lake and Red Sucker Lake region of northern Manitoba, about 450 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. Red Dress Day has been observed on May 5 since 2010 as a day to honour and remember missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. Organizer Tanya Dawn McDougall says Shingoose's case is part of why St. Theresa Point is marking Red Dress Day for the first time this year. Community members will also honour Precious Pascal, Theresa Robinson, Kathleen Wood Annie Little, Tammy Nattaway, Charlotte Wood and Andrea Harper. The event is an example of St. Theresa Point's resilience, said McDougall, who is also the local school's mental health advocate. "We're not going to shy away from how much it hurts. We're going to do our best to challenge and contribute to the solution," she told CBC News on Friday. On Monday, high school and middle school students will first gather in the gym to hear speeches, light candles for the women and name them, McDougall said. After, they'll hold a spirit dance, then walk with all 1,200 school-age children and participate in a buffalo call — a collective prayer McDougall described as a loud and short call to release hurt and pain. In recent weeks, organizations in the community have held several workshops on making red dresses and skirts for girls and women to wear on Monday. McDougall said she also addressed boys and girls directly in their classrooms on the risks they face as First Nations people and the responsibilities they have to protect each other and themselves. "It was heavy," she said. "It's a hard fact to state and explain to children, but they are getting older, and we have to prepare them to be warriors." Indigenous women are 12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered compared to non-Indigenous women in Canada, according to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. The intent of making kids aware of that is not to instill fear, said McDougall. "I want them to have this awareness, so that they know they are part of challenging that statistic." Red Dress Alert in 1st phase of development There are other initiatives underway to help protect Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people, including the Red Dress Alert system. That system, similar to Amber Alerts used for children, would inform the public when an Indigenous woman or girl goes missing. The federal government announced in October it would contribute $1.3 million over three years for Giganawenimaanaanig, the province's MMIWG2S+ implementation committee, to develop the pilot program for Manitoba. Denise Cook, the project lead for the pilot, says her team hopes to tackle gaps in service that MMIWG families have experienced. "We are doing groundbreaking work that's going to save lives and that is needed, and that is going to give something to the families when they are looking for their loved one," she said. "The tragedy of lots of community and family members is the response that they've received." Cook says the project is still in its first phase, and details on when or through which media the alerts will be communicated haven't been decided. Cellphone alerts, for example, may not be as effective in some northern and rural communities, she said. Her five-person team, some of whom have been impacted by MMIWG, has held nearly two dozen community and family consultations around the province since December, to help address gaps and provide guidance on development, she said. With each community session, a memory table displaying pictures of MMIWG has grown. "We have hit the ground running, and we do have limited time … because we know the urgency of MMWG2S+," Cook said. An interim report on the consultations is expected to be published in June, with hopes the alert system will be ready this fall, Cook said. Its framework could eventually be adapted nationally or serve as a model in other jurisdictions and provinces, she said. WATCH | St. Theresa Point honours MMIWGs on Red Dress Day: St. Theresa Point to honour Ashlee Shingoose, other area MMIWGs 3 minutes ago Duration 2:25 St. Theresa Point First Nation in northeastern Manitoba is holding its first Red Dress Day event on Monday, as the community mourns one of its own. In March, Ashlee Shingoose of was identified as the previously unknown victim of a Winnipeg serial killer. She'd been given the name Buffalo Woman, or Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, by Indigenous community members. On Thursday, the Downtown Community Safety Partnership and the province announced a new specialized team as part of the downtown patrol to help Indigenous women feel safe in Winnipeg. Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said the provincial funding for the team is part of her government's efforts to empower and protect Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse Manitobans, as is an endowment fund to support families who are searching for a loved one. Sixty per cent of the fund will go to Giganawenimaanaanig to manage and disperse to families, Fontaine previously said. The province will distribute the remaining 40 per cent to Indigenous-led events and programming. She said the province would have more to announce on the endowment fund on Monday.
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.
