Vigil to honour victims of gender-based violence to be held in Guelph

Une personne se tient près d'une plaque commémorative en hommage aux victimes de la tuerie de l'École Polytechnique de Montréal en 1989, le samedi 6 décembre 2025. Aujourd'hui marque le 36e anniversaire de la fusillade perpétrée par un antiféministe qui a fait 14 mortes et 13 blessées parmi les femmes. LA PRESSE CANADIENNE/Graham Hughes

The Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis will hold a vigil Saturday afternoon to remember the 14 women killed in the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre and honour those who died due to femicide in 2025.

The event begins at 2 p.m. at Marianne’s Park on Gordon Street.

Organizers said this year’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against women comes as femicide numbers in Ontario have declined, offering a moment to reflect on progress while acknowledging that work “still needs to be done to get the number of femicides down to zero.”

The vigil will also call for “meaningful, collaborative action” to address what organizers described as an ongoing crisis.

The 14 women murdered in 1989 were Genevieve Bergeron, Helene Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganiere, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michele Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz.

The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, informally known as White Ribbon Day, falls on Dec. 6. to mark the anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre. Other events are planned at schools and communities across the country.

Attendees are encouraged to dress warmly and wear purple to show support for survivors. Those unable to attend can watched a livestream on the Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis Facebook page.

The organization is also encouraging residents to take part in Guelph’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, which runs through Dec. 10.