Monday was not only a time to remember but also a day of action and hope against all forms of violence towards women.
To commemorate the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, Transition House hosted a reading and talk with author Bernadette Wagner at the Moose Jaw Public Library Theatre.
People came together to remember the 14 women who lost their lives 21-years-ago at L'Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, where Marc Lepine opened fire on 28 people.
Karen Closs, executive director of Moose Jaw’s Transition House, which is a safe shelter for women and children, said 21 years on from the massacre, it is important to take take steps to prevent violence as well as remember.
She lit a candle to symbolize hope and action.
“Now 21 years later, although there are many programs and services in cities to help victims of violence and greater awareness of violence against women, we are still plagued by the reality of violence against women and children.
“Today is for communities to consider concrete actions to end all violence against women,” she said.
Wagner, from Regina, read from her collection This Hot Place. Her poetry speaks of women’s experience and survival.
Read more in a today's Times-Herald edition.
