It’s been 178 days since Loni Chum was killed in Moose Factory.
Today, Robbie Chum shared his daughter’s story Timmins Native Friendship Centre’s (TNFC) Red Dress Day event.
Loni was killed on Nov. 7, 2023. Her case is still open.
“Loni should be here,” he said from his camp outside Moose Factory. “It’s 178 day since Loni was taken away from us, and it’s been like a nightmare day to day.”
Red Dress Day, or National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, on May 5 is a day to remember and honour the lives lost to the MMIWG2S crisis in Canada. Because the day falls on a Sunday, some organizations like the TNFC are marking it early.
In 2014, StatsCanada reported that Indigenous women were six times more likely to be murdered than other demographics in Canada.
“We want to acknowledge the families in the area, but I’m sure there are women we’re not aware of,” said Alice Sackaney, a TNFC Indigenous wellness worker.
Sackaney has a personal connection to MMIWG, as her husband’s aunt, Josephine Chakasim from Moosonee, went missing on April 21, 1977. Her body was found next to the tracks going into Moosonee the next day.
Her case was reopened in 2017 after a review of the forensic pathology in the case.
Chakasim was 17 when she died.
“We don’t know where they are, and that’s where it hurts the most,” said Sackaney.
Sackaney said that seeing people come together, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to remember and speak out about the issue of violence against Indigenous women is essential.
“They’re our allies,” she said. “We need them to bring awareness and make changes.”
Today also marked the unveiling of Bernadette Sutherland Way at the corner of Vipond and Moneta roads in Timmins. The stop sign is across the road from where Bernadette's body was found in July 1986.
SEE: Video: Hundreds gather to unveil honorary street name
Sackaney said that people need to watch out for each other, and use all the tools they can to keep each other safe.
“The more help we can get for families, the better,” said Sackaney. “And if we unite, even in our community, we need to do more for Indigenous women because we hear stories of them, men trying to pick them up, and we need to use today’s technology even to connect to police right away.”
The event at the friendship centre included a round dance, bringing all the attendees together in music and movement in a circle around the gym. The walls were covered in red dresses and posters declaring ‘No More Stolen Sisters’ made by Ross Beattie Senior Public School students.
Sackaney said that no matter what, the missing women, girls, and two-spirit people’s lives mattered.
“They had family who loved them and are still searching for them,” she said.
