14 candles  glow in remembrance of 14 victims – photos 250news

Prince George, B.C. – Students and staff at UNBC  gathered  this morning  in the Wintergarden of UNBC to remember the  victims of the Montreal Massacre.

It was December 6th, 1989 when  Marc Lepine shot and killed 14 female engineering  students at L’Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal.  Although the actual anniversary falls on December 6th, the ceremony was held today as this is the last week of classes at UNBC  before  the Christmas break.  That anniversary has become the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

With statistics showing women are eleven times more likely to  be victims of violence,  UNBC President Daniel Weeks said  every day should be one of remembrance and  action against violence against  women.

UNBC President Daniel Weeks

Weeks  spoke of the  University’s efforts to  battle sexual violence “Sexual violence on university campuses,  in fact anywhere, is simply unacceptable and obviously there is still much more work that needs to be done.”  He says that work isn’t  limited to UNBC, but “Locally, Provincially , Nationally and internationally.”   Weeks  says  UNBC is being proactive in ensuring a healthy safe environment  for  those  in the UNBC community  “In September, 2014,   UNBC  created the President’s task force  on sexual violence.  We consulted students, faculty, staff, community members,  to assess the implications of sexual violence within the UNBC  student body.  On  September  16th, 2016, the task force submitted its final report to me which included 13 recommendations.  I am very  pleased to tell you  that the  steering committee is now working with UNBC’s senior leadership group, I have tasked the Senior Leadership Group   to take on each  of these 13 recommendations within their portfolios and to execute on all of them.  That task  force will ensure we get the job done.”

Weeks says UNBC is  ahead of the  requirements laid out  in Bill 23   which  mandates Universities to look at sexual violence and  misconduct and requires all  post secondary  institutions to  impose  sexual misconduct policy. “We must continue to be  passionate, to be  open, honest, to have conversations daily as we strive to  ensure a healthy and safe environment here on our campus, and indeed  Prince George and throughout the world.”

Today’s ceremony  at UNBC was organized by the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Undergraduate Student Society.