The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A group of residents lit candles and stood in silence outside Flin Flon City Hall yesterday to remember women who have lost their lives to violence. Seventeen people, mostly women, attended a vigil to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the horrific Montreal Massacre. "This is a day for us to reflect and work towards ensuring the safety of women and girls in our communities," Colleen Arnold, director of the Women's Resource Centre, told the well-bundled group, quoting a piece by journalist Sally Armstrong. Arnold spoke not just of the Montreal tragedy, but also of struggles women face today around the world. "Like a stubborn stain that ultimately destroys the fabric it's splashed upon, violence and poverty continue to cling to the lives of women and girls," she said, again quoting Armstrong. "Laws change, governments issue decrees, women's groups raise funds and awareness, but the statistics are steadfast." Arnold said much progress has been made toward ensuring the safety and equality of women, but more needs to be done. "Although we still have a distance to travel, it's people like all of us here today who are getting us to the finish line," she quoted the journalist. Candlelight vigils are held across Canada each year on December 6, the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, in which a gunman took the lives of 14 women at the University of Montreal's engineering school. See 'Vigil' P.# Con't from P.# After yesterday's vigil, a few of the participants made their way to the Women's Resource Centre for complimentary coffee and snacks. In other news from the Women's Resource Centre, Laurel Mackie has won a contest to design a new logo for the program. The runners-up were Linda Jackson, Kelly B. Gamblin, Carla Simon, Bernice Kirk and Tricia Harper.
