By Lana Meier with files from Lee Collingridge
Local groups will gather this Saturday, Dec. 6, at 1 p.m. for a candlelight vigil at the Friends and Family Playground, 135 5th Street NW, the site of the Clearwater Memorial.
The annual gathering coincides with the National Day of Remembrance and Action to End Violence Against Women, established by the federal government in 1991 following the murders of 14 young women at Polytechnique Montréal on Dec. 6, 1989.
The national statistics remain grim. In 2025, 133 women and girls were killed by violence in Canada — an average of one every other day, most often at the hands of men. A woman is killed by her partner roughly once a week. The risk increases based on race, region, religion, sexuality, ability, age and economic insecurity, including poverty and housing precarity. One in four femicide victims are Indigenous women or girls.
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls issued 23 Calls for Justice in its 2019 final report, and the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability continues to track patterns and trends to help identify risk factors and examine social and legal responses.
This year’s vigil carries particular weight in Carman following the recent loss of Amanda Clearwater, her children Bethany, Jaeven and Isabella, and her niece Mya. Their deaths have shaken the community, bringing home the devastating impact of domestic violence.
Karen Tjaden, co-chair of Carman Wellness Connections and an active leader in community ministry, said she feels a deep personal connection to the issue. She was the same age as the women killed in Montreal and has volunteered with Osborne House and Genesis House, witnessing firsthand how violence affects individuals, families and communities.
Tjaden urges residents and community groups to attend the vigil, volunteer, donate and continue learning about gender-based violence. She also encourages people to speak with their MLA, MP and family members to help spur change.
“This is not just a women’s issue,” she said. “Men need education and encouragement to reach out, just as women do. If you feel vulnerable, you are not alone. There is help.”
Support is available through Genesis House at 1-204-325-9800.
Organizers invite all community members — men, women, teenagers and local organizations — to join them on Dec. 6 at 1 p.m.
One light in the darkness may be dim, they say, but many lights together can illuminate far and wide.
