Families, Survivors Remember Indigenous People Missing and Killed on Red Shirt Day

Alberta celebrated Red Shirt Day on Sunday to honor missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

The fourth annual Mohkinstsis MMEIP (Missing, Murdered and Exploited Indigenous Peoples) Red Shirt/Ribbon/Clothing Gathering was held in Calgary on Sunday.

Survivors and families gathered at the Red Ribbon Square at the corner of Memorial Drive and Center Street.

“We put these shirts and all the ribbons on the trees and they all represent our missing and murdered people,” said event co-organizer Sterling Green.

The event is held annually on Red Shirt Day and aims to honor families affected by the deaths of local residents.

“This is a day for us to put up signs, lower our voices, come together and celebrate the lives of those we've lost, our mothers, our sisters, our best friends. the men in our lives, our brothers, our uncles, our friends,” said Haley Starlight, who participated in the walk.

Starlight's cousin, Colton Crawshaw, was murdered in 2014. This July will be 10 years since his death.

“Over the past 10 years, this injury has affected me mentally, emotionally, spiritually and most importantly physically,” Starlight said.

Wiley Soo Provost pleaded guilty in 2023 to Crawshaw's death.

“He will never be forgotten”

A walk was also held in Edmonton where families, survivors and supporters walked down Jasper Avenue to remember those lost.

Donna Robillard was walking with her family when her daughter Carolann Robillard and granddaughter Sarah (Jaden) Miller were killed last year.

A 35-year-old mother and her 11-year-old daughter died on May 5, 2023.

“Today is their anniversary,” Robillard said.

Robillard was surrounded by several family members at the event, all in memory of Carolan and Sara.

“I know I'm going to cry, and we all will,” she said.

“We're a big family and we support each other and we have a lot of support.”

Carolanna's daughter, Tanisha Miller, said it's still unreal that her mother and sister are gone.

“It's like they're still at home, you can call them,” he said.

He described his sister and mother as adventurous people.

“They loved going on adventures and just exploring, hiking. They were full of life,” he said.

Judith Gale, director of Bear Claw Beaver Hills House, an Indigenous-led organization in Edmonton, said all Indigenous peoples share similar stories and life experiences.

“We value this day very much because it's a day of national awareness of missing and murdered exploited indigenous peoples, two-spirit men, boys,” Gale said.

“It affects every native on Turtle Island today. This is an ongoing genocide, and we want to stop it.”

Gayle said that when she was 16, she walked in memory of her sister, who was killed in Montreal.

“Today I invoke his spirit to let him know that he will never be forgotten,” he said.

With files from CTV News Calgary's Tyler Barrow and CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdez-Carletti