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FORT MCMURRAY — A Sisters in Spirit gathering and candlelight vigil will be held Sunday, Oct. 4, in Fort McMurray to honour more than 59 missing and murdered loved ones from Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo and Treaty 8.
The event will run from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Raphael Cree Boat Launch and is open to everyone.
The gathering is supported by the Athabasca Tribal Council, Wood Buffalo Regional Library, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and MMEIP, or Missing, Murdered and Exploited Indigenous Peoples.
The evening begins with soup, bannock, tea and coffee and a blessing of the meal, followed by a welcome at 6 p.m.
An opening prayer in Cree and Dene and a prayer song are scheduled for 6:10 p.m., followed by guest speakers.
At 7 p.m., participants will gather for a candlelight vigil honouring missing and murdered loved ones. Photos will be displayed and tipis along the river will be illuminated as part of the commemoration.
Closing reflections, prayers and drum songs will begin at 7:45 p.m., with the gathering concluding at 8 p.m.
Organizers say the local lives being remembered are part of a much larger national crisis involving missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people.
More than 1,200 missing and murdered Indigenous people have been documented across Canada, while advocates have long said the true number is considerably higher because of gaps in reporting and available data.
Statistics Canada data has also shown Indigenous women and girls face a homicide rate about six times higher than non-Indigenous women and girls.
The disproportionate violence led to the creation of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in 2016.
The inquiry heard from families, survivors, Indigenous leaders, communities and experts across Canada before releasing its final report, Reclaiming Power and Place, in 2019.
The report concluded the violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people amounted to genocide and issued 231 Calls for Justice.
Those calls are directed not only at governments, but also at police, health and social-service providers, educators, industries, media and individual Canadians.
They seek changes in areas including justice, policing, health care, housing, transportation, education and Indigenous cultural rights, while also calling for governments and institutions to address systemic discrimination and the social and economic conditions that contribute to violence.
A national action plan responding to the inquiry was released in 2021, with work on the Calls for Justice involving federal, provincial, territorial, Indigenous and municipal governments along with community organizations and other institutions.
Sisters in Spirit gatherings are held across Canada around Oct. 4 to remember missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, support affected families and keep attention on the continuing violence.
A 24-hour national support line is available for anyone needing emotional assistance related to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people at 1-844-413-6649.
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