Vigil for National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women 2025
Members of the public are invited to a vigil on Dec. 5 in Owen Sound to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women and honour lives lost to femicide.
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National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women 2025 Vigil
Friday, December 5, 5:00pm
Owen Sound Farmers’ Market at the River
We are approaching the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, a very significant Day in Canada’s History.
We will not forget that on December 6, 1989, 14 women were killed at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal by a man who believed that women did not have the right to be engineers and that they should be forcibly put back in their place.
A lot has been done since 1989 to make women’s and girls’ lives safer, and more emphasis has been put on helping men and boys to change the attitudes and behaviours that lead to violence.
Still, the annual number of femicides, violence against 2S-LGBTQ2+ folks, and ongoing violence against Indigenous Women continue to remind us that Violence Against Women and Gender-Based Violence continue to be real and present dangers in our communities.
In 2024, 187 women were killed in Canada: One every 48 hours.
Indigenous Women are roughly 7 times more likely to be killed than non-Indigenous women, which shows that Violence Against Women and racism are closely linked.
Violence against 2S-LGBTQ+ individuals is escalating across Canada, with communities in Grey Bruce seeing a concerning rise in incidents of harassment and violence targeting our gender and sexually diverse neighbours.
We need to continue the work towards ending all Gender-Based Violence, and we all can play a part in this change. We owe it to the 14 women of Montreal, all those hurt and killed since 1989, and the women and girls around us and everywhere.
Fortunately, there are things we can do to create a safer world. That includes:
Work with boys and men to end misogyny and become safe and caring members of communities.
Strive for compassion and care in all our relations, and particularly in the way we raise our children.
Support boys and girls to develop healthy attachments and healthy attitudes based on respect, compassion, empathy, and equality rather than power over.
Stop raising our children along rigid gender lines and show them love for who they are.
Be an ally to those who have been harmed.
Talk to each other about this ongoing horrific injustice in our families and communities.
Make sure our workplaces have been trained to recognize and respond to gender-based violence with resources from organizations like Neighbours, Friends, and Families.
Stand with your community at this year’s vigils
And on this memorable anniversary, let’s not forget that human rights are universal and apply to all. Everyone is entitled to all rights and freedoms without discrimination based on their race, culture, sex, gender, language, religion, or social status.
On December 6, this has particular significance as we honour the 14 women who were murdered in Montreal for no other reason than being women, and all the other women and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and gender diverse people who were victimized or killed by someone else’s hatred.
There will be a vigil behind the Owen Sound Farmers’ Market on Friday, December 5, at 5:10 pm to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. I hope to see you there.
Joachim Ostertag
Violence Prevention Grey Bruce