Join MMIWG solidarity walk in Fort St. John on National Day for Action

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Indigenous groups, including the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) and the Fort St. John Friendship Society, will hold a solidarity walk in Fort St. John on October 4th, known as the National Day for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).

The walk will begin at the Treaty 8 Tribal Association building, located at 10233 100th Avenue in Fort St. John.

According to Connie Greyeyes, an MMIWG coordinator with the IRSSS and one of the event’s organizers, the date marks the 20th anniversary of the “Stolen Sisters” report issued by the humanitarian organization Amnesty International.

Statistics Canada said in a 2023 report First Nations women were more than six times as likely to be murdered than other groups. 

Locally, Peace Region residents can look at the stories of Darylyn Supernant, Renee Didier, and, most recently, Karen Tessier.

Didier and Supernant’s remains were found in separate discoveries this summer. 

Tessier was first reported missing in July, with Fort Nelson First Nation offering as much as $50,000 for information regarding her disappearance.

“I have some very close friends that spent years lobbying on Parliament Hill on October 4th. [They] lobbied for the government to take action to try and to try and help mitigate some of the impacts that our women and girls experience,” said Greyeyes. 

That lobbying led to the National Inquiry into MMIWG, which began in 2016 and ended three years later.

It concluded that “persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses” were behind the alarming rates of violence against MMIWG.

Friday’s event will see attendees walk at 102nd Street, heading west toward 95th Avenue, and heading eastward up 100th Street.

Greyeyes, who has been in contact with suffering families as a support worker with MMIWG, says being an ally means simply coming to bring more attention.

“There’s so much value in just showing up for people,” said Greyeyes.  “You don’t have to do anything other than walk beside them and be an ally.”

The walk will conclude at Treaty 8 Tribal Association headquarters, where lunch featuring soup and bannock will be served and conversations will occur. 

The MMIWG walk will begin at 11 a.m. on October 4th at the Treaty 8 Tribal Association.  

Further information on MMIWG and support can be found through the IRSSS’ website.