When: February 14, 2025 at 10:30 a.m.

Where: Carnegie Community Centre and throughout the Downtown Eastside

On February 14, 2025, communities across Canada and the U.S. gather for the Women’s Memorial March, to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S). This march is a space for grief, remembrance, and solidarity, where families and community members come together to mount their loved ones and demand justice. The event includes moments of silence, speeches, and ceremony– all meant to amplify Indigenous voices. Indigenous women, girls, and 2S individuals continue to face disproportionately high rates of violence, yet media and law enforcement remain largely silent (NativeHope.org). The march ensures that their stories and lives are not forgotten.

The first Women’s Memorial March took place in 1992 after the murder of Cheryl Ann Joe, a shíshálh (Sechelt) Nation woman. Cheryl’s murdered lead to her mother, Linda Joe, organizing a march in her honour (CBC News, 2017). What started as a local gathering grew into an annual, grassroots movement that spread across North America, calling attention to the ongoing crisis of MMIWG2S (The Canadian Encyclopedia). Over 30 years later, the march remains a powerful act of resistance and remembrance, ensuring that the fight for justice and the lives of the women, girls, and two-spirit are honoured.

Additional Resources

1. Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/)
2. National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center Resource Library
3. WeRNative: What is the MMIW Movement? (https://www.wernative.org/articles/what-is-the-mmiw-movement)
4. UBC Resources Library (https://guides.library.ubc.ca/mmiwg)

Community Organizations in Vancouver

• Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre (DEWC) – A safe space for women offering meals, advocacy, and support (dewc.ca)
• Atira Women’s Resource Society – Housing, support services, and crisis intervention for women in Vancouver (atira.bc.ca)
• Pacific Association of First Nations Women (PAFNW) – Offers programs focused on healing, empowerment, and community leadership (pafnw.ca)

Legal and Advocacy Support

• Indigenous Justice Centre – BC – Free legal services for Indigenous people (bcfnjc.com)
• Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) – MMIWG Resources (nwac.ca)
• Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) – MMIWG Advocacy (ubcic.bc.ca)

Crisis and Support Lines

• Hope for Wellness Helpline – 1-855-242-3310 (24/7 counselling for Indigenous people) (hopeforwellness.ca)
• Talk4Healing – 1-855-554-HEAL (4325) (Support for Indigenous women in Ontario) (talk4healing.com)
• Indian Residential School Survivors Society Crisis Line – 1-800-721-0066
• Kuu-Us Crisis Line Society (For Indigenous people in B.C.)
  • Adults: 250-723-4050
  • Youth: 250-723-2040
  • Toll-Free: 1-800-588-8717

Healing and Cultural Support

• National Inquiry into MMIWG2S – Family Support Services (mmiwg-ffada.ca)
• Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) – Provides Indigenous women’s programs, crisis support, and advocacy (bwss.org)
• First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) Mental Health Support – Includes cultural healing programs, counselling, and traditional wellness (fnha.ca)
• Métis Nation Mental Health & Wellness Programs (metisnation.org)