On December 6, 1989, the unthinkable happened when a gunman shot 27 people, at Ecole Polytechnique, Montreal.
It will forever be remembered as the day 14 young women studying to become engineers, with their whole lives ahead of them were senselessly gunned down because they were born female.
See: Tributes to victims on 32nd anniversary of Montreal's Polytechnique mass shooting
There was a ceremony held in their memory in North Bay last night.
Monday night’s vigil brought attention to the number of calls made to local police. It was stated that North Bay Police responded to an average of 4-5 domestic violence calls each day in 2018 (North Bay Police Service Annual Report 2018).
Those who gathered also learned that “femicide is commonly and historically defined as the intentional murder of women because they are women.”
It was also noted that since 1990, the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH) “is aware of over 900 women, girls and gender-diverse individuals who have lost their lives to men’s violence.”
Every year OAITH releases their Annual Femicide List based on media reporting of women murdered by men in Ontario.
“From November 2020 to November 2021, there have been 58 victims of femicide in Ontario that we know of.”
Kylee Bakowski is the Sexual Violence Prevention Education Coordinator at Amelia Rising Sexual Violence Support Centre as well as one of the organizers of the North Bay walk/vigil.
“Today is an annual reminder that femicide, violence against women is still an ongoing issue and something that we’re still working hard to eradicate, but it takes a whole community to take action on violence against women,” explained Bakowski.
COVID-19 appears to be a contributing factor in what is reported as an increase in the number of cases involving violence against women.
“I would say there has been an increase in violence against women, however, the reporting doesn’t always match up just because of people being isolated, and not being able to reach out to report or get assistance and a lot of people don’t report if they’re living at home with their abuser,” stated Bakowski.
“But studies have shown recently that yes, violence against women has increased during COVID because of tensions at home and everybody being stuck at home.”
Also known at the Montreal massacre the gunman, an antifeminist went on a rampage targeting women in hallways and classrooms.
The 14 women who were fatally shot ranged in age from 21 to 31 years.
They were training to become engineers, a profession that tended to be predominately male-dominated.
Tributes continue to pour in every year on this date in memory of the women who were murdered, and 13 others who were injured.
In North Bay at approximately the same time as the lone gunman opened fire 32 years ago, roughly 20 men and women participated in a walk and vigil organized by the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) North Bay and Amelia Rising Sexual Violence Support Centre.
The event falls within the Sixteen Days of Activism against Violence Against Women from November 25th to December 10th.
Together the group walked the half-kilometre stretch from the Vimy Ridge Monument on First Avenue to Leger Square at North Bay City Hall.
During the brief ceremony honouring the victims from that horrific night over three decades ago, the victims’ names were read out, listing some of their accomplishments, hobbies, and personal characteristics.
“She loved rock music. She was days away from graduating,” one person read about 28-year-old Sonia Pelletier who was studying mechanical engineering.
Another read this about 21-year-old Ann-Marie Edward, a first-year chemical engineering student “She loved rock climbing, downhill skiing, and white-water rafting.”
Another student, 21-year-old Annie Turcotte “had won a Women in Science bursary while attending Polytechnique. She was studying metallurgical engineering. She was a protector of nature and the environment. She taught swimming lessons for free at a summer camp for children with disabilities.”
Annie St. Arneault was an only daughter. The 23-year-old was attending her last mechanical engineering class before graduating. She wrote poetry.
Twenty-seven-year-old Anne-Marie Lemay was a 4th-year student in mechanical engineering. “She was inspired to study mechanical devices because her friend had lost a leg and she was fascinated by the importance of mechanical devices in his rehabilitation. She played in a band.”
The oldest student, 31-year-old Barbara Maria Klucznik-Widajewicz, already had an engineering degree from a Polish university. “She was studying engineering, economics, and food logistics. She loved to read. She knew five languages.”
In 1991, the Parliament of Canada established the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, also known as White Ribbon Day, to be held every December 6th marking the anniversary of the Montreal massacre.
Organizers were happy with the turnout for North Bay’s walk and vigil.
“I’m definitely pleased. There are about 20 people that I counted that showed up but I think that’s great considering it’s freezing and a Monday night. So we appreciate all the support from the people who were able to come out because violence against women doesn’t stop in the cold weather, it is still here every day,” Bakowski said.
“The issue is called violence against women, but it is the men we’re really interested in having be a part of this conversation because it's men and boys in our lives that can make violence against women stop. They can talk to their friends, talk to their sons, talk to their brothers and co-workers, all of that to get on the same page that this is not okay and it can be stopped.”
