One hundred pairs of shoes attached to one hundred names will help raise awareness about the ongoing issue of violence against women and girls.
A group of Powell River women have put together a shoe memorial to mark Thursday, December 6, Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, the day is the anniversary of the murders of 14 women who were killed in 1989 at l’Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal.
In recent years, shoe memorials have been organized in a variety of cities as a way to remember women who have been killed by violence. Each pair of shoes represents a woman or girl who has been murdered or is missing. Attached to each pair is a tag that contains a mini-biography of the victim.
The Powell River Shoe Memorial will be on display from 9:30 am to 6 pm near the north entrance inside Powell River Town Centre Mall.
Angie Davey, who is part of the Powell River RCMP administrative staff, said she saw a shoe memorial this time last year when she was in Courtenay spending time with her family. “It just really impacted me, all the shoes, all the little cards and mini-bios of the ladies. I just thought we should do that here.”
Davey approached Christine Schreiber, who works with Powell River Police-Based Victim Services. She connected Davey to Jeannie McKay, coordinator of Specialized Victim Support Services. “It just took off from there,” said Davey.
The idea is to remember the women by providing information about them, to show that they are more than statistics and numbers. “They had lives and families and friends,” said Davey. “They loved their pets and they had futures. They liked to ski and they didn’t like math. They really could be any one of us.”
As well as remembering the women, at the same time the shoe memorial presents a cautionary tale, Davey said. “This could easily happen and life is fragile.”
Davey, Schreiber and McKay worked on the project together, gathering shoes and information about missing or murdered women or girls in BC. The group obtained a list of names from an organization in Vancouver. “It’s not completely inclusive, so what we did when we went through it is keep it close to home,” said McKay.
However, they were careful about identifying anyone too local, because there are some cases that are sensitive. Families are in agreement for any local women who are depicted in the display, Schreiber said.
The group also did further research about the women, to back up the fact that they were legitimately missing or murdered. “We pulled out about a hundred names, because we thought that was fairly manageable,” said Davey. “Then we just did our own fact checking to make sure the dates were right.”
Davey said she researched 33 of the 100 names. “I saw for sure the vast majority, over 90 per cent, of the women knew their attacker. That backed up anything I had heard in the news.”
Davey was struck by the fact that the victims were “just normal people. Sure, there are the people who live lifestyles that are a little bit more dangerous, but a lot of them are just normal people with normal jobs and normal families. Then, something happens.”
McKay agreed. “We like to think that violence touches people who create a high-risk life for themselves. We all live in a bubble where we feel a bit protected that it’s not going to happen to us. But, going through the list and seeing children, mothers, aunts, sisters, daughters, it drove it home to me. When you see names on the list that you recognize, that was a real moment for me.”
Seeing the names on the list and reading about somebody’s history written on a tag and a description of how they died is a powerful experience. “It gives me the goose bumps,” said McKay. “It was shocking and I’ve done this type of work for years. It just felt so sad to see all the names.”
As a victim service worker, Schreiber said she likes the idea that the memorial is about the victim. “The media is always talking about the accused, the offender. This is about the victim.”
When the group worked on the mini-bios, they wanted to make the women real, said Davey. “This lady loved Christmas and that really touches you,” she said. “It’s not about how her common-law husband ended her life. It’s more about her.”
Davey said she was particularly moved working on the mini-bio of Colleen Daignault, a victim of Clifford Olson. “We were roughly about the same age in 1981 when she died,” she said. “I remember that summer. I remember when there was a lot of fear and my parents almost didn’t let me go to summer camp that year because they were afraid. They didn’t know what was going on. Kids were going missing and dying.”
The memorial also provides an opportunity to offer information about services in Powell River, Davey said, for people who find themselves in potentially dangerous situations. “My thought is to remember these ladies and also to provide some awareness about resources,” she said.
The memorial recognizes and remembers not only women who are missing or murdered, but also honours women in the community who are living in violence, whatever form of violence that is, said McKay. “This is a real awareness opportunity for us to reach out and say these are some of the services if you find yourself in need of a hand,” she said.
Representatives from other organizations, including Grace House, Children Who Witness Abuse and Stop the Violence, will also be at the memorial throughout the day.
McKay said the services offered in Powell River are respectful and confidential, especially because it is a small community. “A lot of times I think that really holds people back,” she said. “When they come in to see me, they know somebody that knows someone. That will be a worry that they have.”
Services provide caring support and resources, McKay added. “We appreciate that everybody is on their own journey and that everybody has their own time that they are able to come to our services,” she said. “It’s confidential, caring, supportive and driven by the woman herself. She’ll set the tone and the pace for what she needs.
November 25 was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It marked the first day of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, and December 10, International Human Rights Day, is the final day. The 16 days of activism is recognized internationally.
Available services
There are a number of services available in Powell River to assist women or children who find themselves in violent or abusive situations.
• RCMP, 911 or 604.485.6255.
• Powell River General Hospital, 604.485.3211.
• Transition House 24-hour line, 604.485.9773.
• Police-Based Victim Services, 604.485.3415.
• Children Who Witness Abuse, 604.485.6968.
• Help Line for Children, 310.1234
(no area code is required).
• Specialized Victim Support Services, 604.485.6168.
• Stop the Violence, 604.485.6965.
• Stop the Violence Outreach, 604.485.6980.
