The Highway of Tears Symposium Report Released

By 250 News

Dedicated to the nine young women who have gone missing or were murdered along Highway 16 west, the report notes there may have been more than 30 people to have disappeared along that stretch of pavement over the past 35 years. 

The report identifies poverty as the leading contributing factor to the deaths and disappearances, as young women who lack money but need to travel, use hitchhiking as a means to get to where they need or want to be.

The report calls for all communities,  all levels of government to work together on this initiative: "In the interest of preventing future victims, this multi-community initiative must not fail" says the report.

• a shuttle bus transportation system be established between each town and city along the entire length of Highway 16
• RCMP patrolling the highway who spot a hitchhiker who falls within the profile (female, aged 14 -25) must stop, check the person provide information on the Highway of Tears, and encourage the person to take the shuttle bus
• RCMP increase highway patrols during the hitchhiking season (spring to fall)
• The Grey Hound Bus Company’s “Free ride” program be expanded and target marketed to those who fit the victim profile along the Highway 16 corridor
• All Grey Hound drivers making the Prince George to Prince Rupert route must  stop and pick up any hitchhiker who  falls within the victim profile
• Public sector employees working between Prince George and Prince Rupert be contacted and used as a female hitchhiker network. 
• establish safe homes be set up at strategic locations along the highway
• expand a Rural Crime Watch Program to include a Highway Watch Component
• establish a number of emergency phone booths along the highway
• billboards along the highway to increase awareness
• annual awareness campaign in schools
• More intensive awareness and prevention programs for First Nations Communities and families
• organize and listen to the Aboriginal Youth
• increase recreational and social activities for aboriginal youth both in First Nations communities and in urban settings
• media campaigns to raise awareness and stress victim prevention measures
• increased health and social services to be delivered directly to First Nations communities

Emergency Planning and Team Response:

• Develop an emergency readiness plan that includes specific timelines from the moment a missing person’s report is first received
• The plan include a missing persons “alert” and response component
• The plan be communicated to an emergency readiness team in every city, town and first nation community along the length of Highway 16

Victim Family Counselling and Support:

• establish a permanent Regional First Nation Crisis Response Plan  including  development of  a roster of fully qualified Aboriginal mental Health therapists grief counselors, critical incident stress counselors
• RCMP re-establish and maintain communication with each of the victim’s families
• First Nations Advocate be provided to bridge the “long standing communications and awareness gap” which exists between the RCMP and First Nations Victims families

Community Development and Support

• establishment of a legacy fund to support some of the recommendations
• establish a Board of Governors to provide direction and support the recommendations and Manage the Legacy Fund
• The Board then establish working committees in each and every community along the Highway
• Hire two coordinators to work with the community committees
• The Board to produce a report and be accountable to the communities and funding bodies at annual highway of Tears Symposiums
• That the RCMP continue its official investigation or inquiry into the Aboriginal community’s assertions on the actual number of missing women. 

“This on going  official RCMP investigation should determine the number of missing women and verify their identities.” Says the final recommendation in the report

The report closes its recommendation section saying:

 “Whatever the eventual number of missing victims, all remain unsolved, an all of these victims families have yet to receive full closure.”

The complete report can  be viewed here

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