Vigils in Waterloo Region and Guelph honour women killed at École Polytechnique

Vigils honour Polytechnique victims Canadians are pausing to remember the women killed at Ecole Polytechnique. CTV’s Krista Simpson has more from vigils in Waterloo Region.

People in Waterloo Region and Guelph paused on Friday to remember the lives cut short during an attack at a Canadian school.

Fourteen women were murdered 35 years ago when a gunman stormed into a class at the engineering school in Montreal and opened fire, targeting women.

Vigils were held across the county, including in Waterloo Region and Guelph, to mark the painful anniversary.

One event was held at St. Columba Anglican Church in Waterloo by CFUW KW, formerly known as The Canadian Federation of University Women. The group has marked the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women for many years now, but organizers said it’s more important than ever to remember the victims of the massacre.

“I think all women still need it to be told. Even young women need to realize that we’re still a little bit vulnerable even though we don’t want to say that or don’t want to believe it. We still are and we need to keep it in the forefront and telling the story lets younger generations know,” CFUW KW Program Committee Chair Debbie Cook said.

Black and white photographs of the women who were killed in Montreal lined a table at the front of the memorial. White candles stood in front, while red roses bloomed behind the display.

“We’re reflecting on the loss of the women. All of them. These were all daughters, many of them sisters, aunts, mothers and certainly friends that have been lost. The talent that’s been lost. The loved ones that have been lost. We’ll never know what we’ve lost,” CFUW KW member Margaret Walker said.

Walker said the event is about more than just reflecting on the past.

“Looking forward to the future, how do we find a way to stop this?” she said.

Earlier in the day, another event was held in Guelph.

Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis organized the noon hour remembrance.

The outdoor event was held outside the Guelph Civic Museum.

“I think it’s really important to keep talking about [the École Polytechnique attack]. It really did galvanize the country around the issue of violence against women,” Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis Public Educator Cindy McMann said. “It’s still relevant because we haven’t solved for that crisis. Every year people die more and more by femicide. This year, there were 62 folks in Ontario who were killed by femicide. This event is still very much relevant to our lives.”