“Manitoba sets precedent” – Winnipeg Free Press

The Manitoba government hopes to forever change the level of support for families of missing and murdered Indigenous people by creating a multi-million dollar charity that will grow forever.

Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine on Sunday committed $15 million to the foundation, which will be managed by the Winnipeg Foundation.

“This fund provides a sustainable long-term commitment to help meet needs and support families for years to come,” Fontaine said to a small crowd inside the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.

“No matter what government Manitoba has, that fund will always be there.”

The initial investment is expected to be $750,000 per year for the grant program, with proceeds to fund research, education, indigenous ceremonies and victim support services.

Funds are distributed through application-based grants, with the first intake of applicants beginning next year. Fontaine said the Manitoba government will work with MMIWG2S+ families, the Matriarch Circle and community partners to develop grant eligibility and allocation guidelines in the coming months.

The foundation accepts donations from citizens in Manitoba and across the country, and the minister has pledged to receive contributions from corporations and businesses.

“Anyone who says they believe in reconciliation — they're on the road to reconciliation — act, act, and invest in the endowment fund,” he said, adding that he wants the fund to grow to $50 million.

The province described the fund as the first step in a multi-year action plan to empower and protect Indigenous women and girls.

The Manitoba government has committed $20 million this year to the MMIWG2S+ provincial strategy.

“Manitoba is setting a precedent for the rest of Canada with this,” said Nikki Komaksiutiksak, whose relative Jessica Michaels was found dead in her Winnipeg hotel in 2002 at the age of 17.

“I think about how this charity helped bring his body back home where it belonged,” Comaxiuthixac said, describing how his family had to raise funds to cover the costs of shipping Michael's remains to Nunavut.

“My story is the same as many local people across this country … I hope our local communities are well supported from now on.”

Sunday's announcement coincided with Red Shirt Day – a national day to advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous people.

In The Forks, just steps from where the province unveiled its plan, dozens of people gathered at the Oodena Celebration Circle for an afternoon ceremony and memorial service for local residents.

One of several events planned for the province included presentations by local leaders and elders. Most of the crowd wore ribbon skirts and local regalia. Some have painted red handprints on their faces – a symbol of justice for the missing and murdered natives.

Others carried signs with the names and photos of their slain loved ones.

“Our men and women, children, we are not trash. This is one message I want to convey,” said Louise Menou, who attended the ceremony with her two small children and a close friend.

“We deserve respect. We deserve to live without fear of people looking over our shoulder or fear of people hating us because we're Indigenous.”

Menow has promised the province will introduce Canada's first Red Shirt Alert System, which will alert the public when an Indigenous woman, girl, two-spirit or transgender person is reported missing.

The province was chosen as the primary location for the pilot project — a partnership led by the federal and Manitoba governments and local Indigenous organizations — that is, in part, the epicenter of the MMIWG2S+ national crisis.

Menov's friend Julie Dean also praised the move.

On Sunday, Dean attended the annual Red Dress Day events at The Forks for the first time. He was forced to come after learning of the death of Marcedes Mairan – one of four women believed to be victims of Winnipeg serial killer Jeremy Skibicki.

He said Myran, 26, was a childhood friend of Dean's son.

“He was always with his sister. A busy little girl, always very interesting and she loved cats,” Dean said.

Jurors will begin hearing evidence in Skibicki's court on Wednesday. He pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder.

His alleged crimes sparked a province-wide scandal last October when the former Progressive Conservative government led a controversial and unsuccessful election campaign, in part because of the party's reluctance to search for the remains of potential victims at landfills in the Winnipeg area.

Fontaine took the opportunity to throw a punch in the evening when announcing the endowment fund.

“We have seen an unprecedented attack on indigenous women, girls and two-spirit (people),” he said of the campaign. “They were willing to sell their lives to defeat the government on the backs of our women.”

A large crowd was expected from Oodena to the steps of the Manitoba Legislature on Sunday evening for the fourth annual MMIWG2S+ Walk for Justice.

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Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press' city desk. Since joining the paper in 2022, he's been on a blizzard, documenting protests and checking under bridges for potential incidents.

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