Calgary's 16th annual MMIWG2S kicks off at Scarborough United

Calgary is 16 years old^th On Wednesday, the Valentine's Day Memorial March for Missing and Murdered Women, Girls and Two Spirits (MMIWG2S) will be held.

Participants will gather at Scarborough United Church at 6pm and the march is expected to end at 9pm.

The march is part of an international movement to commemorate murdered, missing or exploited women, girls and two-spirit peoples.

“There have been a disproportionate number of women, girls and two-spirited people who have been killed or disappeared on the streets of Calgary and I think it's important to celebrate these families and these stories,” said Calgary march organizer Chantal Chagnon.

Chagnon is of Cree, Anishnawbe, and Métis descent and is from the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.

“We can take them out of the statistical realm and include your neighbors, friends and families. These are people in our community that we need to protect,” Chagnon added.

There is much disagreement about the number of MMIWG2S in Canada, but a 2014 RCMP report estimated there were about 1,200 between 1980 and 2012.

Other local organizations put the number at around 4,000, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia.

Chagnon says Indigenous women are five times more likely to die from violence than any other group of women in Canada, and are at higher risk of experiencing intimate partner and stranger violence.

“Inhabitants only make up four percent of the population, but statistically we are overrepresented when it comes to violence against women, girls and two-spirited people. -care system, and I think a lot of that comes from residential schools,” says Chagnon.

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, 40,000 to 50,000 people attend women's marches in Canada each year.

“We are valued, we are loved and we are cared for. These families deserve justice for what they have lost and they deserve to be held accountable,” Chagnon said.

Event details

• What: 16^th Annual Valentine's Day Memorial March for Missing and Murdered Women, Girls and Two Spirits.
• Where: Scarborough United Church (134 Scarborough Avenue SW, Calgary)
• March route: https://maps.app.goo.gl/VZF6LfwFiu4TCHNy5
• Date: February 14, 2024
• Doors open: 6:00 p.m
• Performances and speeches: 18:30
• March: 19:30 – 21:00