Details have been announced for the vigil to commemorate the 30th anniversary of shooting at l'Ecole Polytechnique on December 6th, 1989 in Montreal. Violence Prevention Grey Bruce, The Women’s Centre, Women’s House Serving Bruce Grey, Georgian College, M’Wikwedong, The United Way and the Men’s Program will host this year’s December 6th vigil from noon to 1:00 pm at Georgian College in Owen Sound.

The 14 young women who were killed that day, died because because they were women. In 1991, the government of Canada set December 6th as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Violence Prevention Grey Bruce is marking the 30th anniversary by requesting municipalities and the counties across Grey and Bruce to lower flags to half mast on the day. The vigil at Georgian College is planned to take place outside and organizers request that attendees dress for the weather. The commemoration will be followed by a casual gathering in the campus cafeteria with hot chocolate and baked goods. Parking will be free.

"We hope that most people will pause for a moment on the day to consider the impact of violence against women and gendered-violence in our communities," said Men's Program Supervisor and Violence Prevention Grey Bruce Coordinator Jon Farmer. "We all have a role to play in preventing this type of violence in our communities and our country. The violence didn't stop in 1989. The 2018 Toronto Van Attack is a more recent example of men's violence targetting and terrorizing women but we know that our local police services receive almost two calls per day related to domestic violence. It's a complicated issue to address but the first step is to acknowledge that it happens, honour the people harmed by it, and think about what we can do to heal".

For more information about the event and Violence Prevention Grey Bruce's campaign for the 16 days of activism, visit www.vpgb.ca and look for the event page on Facebook.

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