Several organizations are coming together this winter to light four Christmas trees in front of the Thunder Bay Police headquarters in memory of those Indigenous residents who have gone missing or were murdered.
Constable Sharlene Bourdeau tells us she got the idea after she read the final Missing Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report that stated between 1,000 and 4,000 cases remain unsolved.
“I thought to myself if that was my sibling, or if that was my mother or relative, what would I want most? And I thought I would want them to come home for Christmas. So I came up with the idea to light one or more of the trees in front of the station.”
The Tree of Hope Project Chair tells us you can sponsor a red light in memory of those who can’t be with their families this Christmas.
Money raised will go towards creating a $50,000 reward for a tip that leads to the conviction of someone concerning any of the thousands of unsolved cases across Canada.
1,200 to 4,000 red lights will be strung on the four trees in front of the Balmoral Street police headquarters. Each red bulb will be for a victim, and a blue star will indicate the support from law enforcement in Thunder Bay and across Canada.
Bourdeau hopes to raise $48,000 locally with the area’s Crime Stoppers program putting in $2,000 towards the reward.
She notes they would need millions of dollars raised to get enough reward money for each of the unsolved cases and is asking agencies, leaders and police services across Canada to donate towards the cause.
A link to the Tree of Hope GoFundMe page can be found HERE.
Sharon Johnson is helping with this program and is heavily involved in Missing and Murdered Indigenous organizations and helps organize an annual memorial walk for her sister Sandra who was found murdered in 1992.
Johnson tells us, “family members will be happy to know that Thunder Bay Police want to do something about all of these unsolved cases.”
The four trees in front of the police station will be lit after November 11th and stay lit up into the first couple weeks of January.
Canadian Tire on Arthur Street has helped to donate lights for the tree, and the City has given the materials and an electrician to install the electrical plug-ins to the trees, the Police Association and Police Board have each donated a $1,000 each to this cause.
Bourdeau adds, “it’s not only bringing hope to the grieving families, I think it will help bring them closure. I’m a grandmother, a mother and a sister, and if one of my loved ones went missing, there’s no closure. If we can solve just one of these cases, it will be worth all of the effort, and it will bring our community together, our police, the Indigenous community.”
Bourdeau notes they want to help find those responsible for the deaths of Indigenous women, girls, two-spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, and questioning as well as men and boys.
“The thought of having a loved one go missing or murdered is heartbreaking enough, and not having them at home with family during the Christmas holidays is even worse.”
