Family hopes walk for slain Winnipeg woman raises awareness for MMIWG

Friends and family of a woman who was killedin her Winnipeg home last November gathered in the North End to raise awareness about violence toward Indigenous women and girls this weekend.

About 50 people showed up for the walk at Point Douglas's Joe Zuken Heritage Park Saturday in honour of Ava Zaber, who was killed last November.

The event, organized by Zaber's family, also raised funds which will be put in a trust forthe woman's son,Landon,who is just about to start his first year of school.

Kelsey Zaber, Ava's sister, said the last yearhasbeen really hard for the family.

"His birthday is coming up and it's going to be the first without her. So that's been very heavy on my mind," she said. "I don't think [her death] really been spoken about to him. He kind of knows. He was there."

Zaber was found with serious injuries after she was shot in her home on Burrows Avenuein the early hours of Nov. 21. She was taken to hospital, where she died of her injuries. The woman, whose family have identified as Mtis, was20 years old.

Violence needs to stop, family says

The family says it hopes the walk becomes an annual tradition, raising money each yearfor other families of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.

"We need to do something to stop the violence against Indigenous women and girls in the province,"Kelsey said. "Across Canada, I don't feel like much is being done to protect them."

Will Smerechanski, Ava's older brother, came from B.C. for the walk. He said hissisterwas a loving mother who had gone back to school to finish her high school diploma before her life was cut short.

"She wanted to get her life back in order for her son,to try to make a better life for him," he said. "Hopefully, this is one way we can keep [Ava's] name and her memory alive, by bringing awareness."

Ava, "was very kind, and this is something that she would be very appreciative of," Kelsey said.