SUBMITTED BY THE CIRCLE
Islanders Working Against Violence (IWAV) and The Circle Education will once again co-host a community candle-lighting ceremony at the gazebo in Centennial Park on Saturday, Dec. 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Together, we will honour the women and girls killed by femicide in 2025 and renew our commitment to creating safety, justice and dignity for all.
Communities across Canada gather every Dec. 6 to honour the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. On this day, we remember the 14 women murdered at Montréal’s École Polytechnique in 1989, and all the other women, girls and gender-diverse people whose lives have been taken by gender-based violence.
Every 48 hours in Canada, a woman or girl is killed in an act of gender-based violence*. In 2024, 240 women and girls were murdered, a 54 per cent increase over pre-COVID levels, with 93 per cent of these homicides committed by a male intimate partner or family member of the victim. Forty-six per cent of victims were killed in rural or small-town communities, places much like the Southern Gulf Islands.
In 2024-25, IWAV provided safety, housing and support to hundreds of people across our region. The transition house, providing safe emergency housing for up to 30 days for women and children of all genders, supported over 50 women and children, and the organization answered 457 crisis calls.
The Circle Education delivers in- and after-school social-emotional learning programs to over 655 students in the school district. The programs focus on prevention by teaching youth to regulate emotions, communicate respectfully and build healthy relationships.
Join the Dec. 6 Memorial (4:30 p.m. in Centennial Park) to remember, to grieve and to stand with survivors. Please bring a candle. All are welcome.
*Women and Gender Equality Canada statistics.