Sudbury police, St. Charles students partner to honour MMIWG2S

Students at St. Charles College in Sudbury have partnered with Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) to create an eight-point star in recognition of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit persons (MMIWG2S), which will sit atop a tree downtown.

This is Sudbury's contribution to 'Tree of Hope,' a campaign across northern Ontario that began with the Thunder Bay Police Service in 2019. It involves lighting a tree in red, representing the red dress that is symbolic of MMIWG2S.

This year, Barrie, Timmins, Sudbury and Manitoulin Island will join Thunder Bay in lighting their trees simultaneously on Sunday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.

GSPS Indigenous liaison officer Darrell Rivers says this initiative is a way "to bring awareness to, you know, this tragic topic."

Rivers says he wanted to involve community partners and turned to Lina Dokis Gagnon, the Indigenous support worker at St. Charles College, for help.

Sudbury students get involved

Christopher Kohut's Grade 10 and Grade 12 shop students worked together to build the star. Dokis Gagnon opted for an eight-point design, one that has significance in several Indigenous cultures.

The teaching she received when she was younger was that this star shape represents the four sacred directions, with two points symbolizing balance in each direction.

"It's also a symbol of hope. And it's also a symbol of being balanced. So living in the bimaadiziwin ways," she says. Bimaadiziwin is an Anishinaabe phrase, roughly meaning "living the good way of life."

Students spent a week across the design and build phases. The star is orange to signify the Every Child Matters campaign, in light of this year's focus on unmarked burial sites at residential schools.

The tree, when lit up, will feature red lights in its main section, as well as some blue to represent law enforcement's role in addressing the MMIWG2S crisis, says Rivers.

Grade 11 student Cowan Billard says his English teacher often tells students about the situations many Indigenous peoples face in Canada. Working on this star was a way to learn more deeply about this problem.

"It'll definitely open up our city's point of view on all that's going on right now," he says.

Dokis Gagnon says the students were respectful as they learned about the subject and its impact on their city.

"It's happening literally everywhere. Any age groups, female, male, it really doesn't matter. This (project) is for missing and murdered indigenous women, but we all know it happens with everyone," she says.

Police have complicated relationship with MMIWG2S

The Canadian government's National Inquiry into MMIWG highlighted long-standing failures within the justice system to adequately respond to cases of MMIWG2S.

Rivers says he hopes this event will demonstrate GSPS' commitment to supporting Indigenous peoples, as well as strengthen ties with community partners.

Dokis Gagnon says she is personally sensitive to the relationship between Indigenous peoples and law enforcement. She says her father was the first Indigenous police officer in Sudbury.

"He developed lots of initiatives. So, on a personal note, I'm kind of continuing that in community partnerships and getting students involved and starting young for education," she says. "The star is a beginning to something that could be greater."

Tree lighting ceremony Sunday evening

Sudbury Hydro helped to set up the tree outside GSPS headquarters in downtown Sudbury. The event opens at 6 p.m. on Nov. 14 with a prayer, smudge and hand drum. A variety of speakers follow and the tree lighting will take place at 7 p.m.

Rivers says the tree will stay in place until the new year.