Prince George, B.C. – The images on the wall  were underscored with candles, the message on the  sign above the eleven photos clear, “We Want Answers and We want Them Now.” The message in clear view of the Wally Oppal, the Commissioner  charged with the Missing Women Inquiry. The eleven are among the women murdered or missing from Highway 16, the so called Highway of Tears.

 

As Commissioner Wally Oppal addressed the gathering of about 100 at the Prince George Civic Centre, he outlined the terms of reference for his commission and noted that while the terms of reference would appear to favour the way in which the Robert Willy Pickton case was investigated “We are all very aware of the highway of tears”.  Oppal,  went on to say the terms of reference do include a review of how multiple murder cases are handled and investigated by police agencies.

 

The forum in Prince George was rich in First Nation’s culture.  (at right,  symbols of First Nation's culture) The chairs were set in a circle, a key symbol of healing, and before the forum began, a cleansing smudge of cedar and sage smoke, was offered to those who wanted to cleanse their aura. There was First Nations singing, a special prayer, and then, one by one, the speakers stepped behind the microphone.

 

 Brenda Wilson was the first to speak. She talked about the impact of the loss of her sister Ramona, who was just 16 when she disappeared in 1994. Her body found about a year later near the Smither’s airport. Brenda talked about challenges facing First Nations communities and invited Commissioner Wally Oppal to visit the communities to experience the culture, and witness for himself what the small communities don’t have, like integrated transportation systems. Chief Wilf Adam echoed that invitation “If you really want to help, you need to come to the communities, you need to drive the Highway of Tears, you need to break bread with the people in their communities and experience the rich culture and hear their concerns.”

 

Doug Leslie, the father of murdered 15 year old Lauren Leslie, was unable to continue his presentation, he broke down in tears as he tried to speak and had to pass his presentation over to another to read. Lauren was murdered at the end of November, her body discovered 22 kilometers north of Highway 16.

 

Sam Moody, an elder from Williams Lake,  talked about it taking 27 years for him to come to terms with the murder of his sister. “My message is, there needs to be a process of healing using traditional wisdom and some current processes for families and communities. There needs to be a process of support.”

 

Moody also read a submission from Jack Hoar, father of Nicole Hoar, who disappeared in June of 2002. While praising the police and the community for their help in trying to find Nicole, Hoar expressed concern that the Pickton inquiry and the Highway of Tears cases should not be combined.  He called for ongoing financial support from the Provincial Government to support the recommendations which came from the Symposium held in Prince George in 2006. 

Fran Smith of the  Battered Women’s Support Services says there needs to be a clear separation between the Highway of Tears cases and the murders of women from Vancouver’s downtown east side. She pointed to the complexities of the issues in the Highway of Tears cases, and fears police investigating those deaths and disappearances are making the same mistakes as were made in the Pickton investigation.

 

In a joint presentation,  the Elizabeth Fry Society and Women and Justice Service Organizations called for programs which move away from the support of women and children who are victims of violence, to programs aimed at breaking the cycle of violence .  They told Commissioner Oppal that each day in B.C., 13 women or young girls are sexually assaulted, that 1 in five high school girls are in abusive relationships and that  Aboriginal women are 5 times more likely to die as a result of violence. They called for a plan that would make violence against women just as socially unacceptable as drinking and driving.