Horror to end on Highway of Tears
A bus service may stop the killing of First Nations people in a remote part of British Columbia.
A remote 720-kilometre stretch of road through western Canada where dozens of mostly indigenous women have been murdered or gone missing, could have a regular bus service by the end of the year, as government officials move to address a longstanding demand by First Nations groups in the area.
Known as the Highway of Tears, the section of British Columbia’s AutoRoute 16 cuts through the northern part of the province, winding through First Nations reserves, thick forests and logging towns. Chronic poverty and a dearth of public transit options force many to hitchhike.
Police say 18 women have gone missing or have been murdered along the road and its adjacent routes since the 1970s. Indigenous groups say the actual figure is likely closer to 50 women, the youngest of whom was 14 years old. Many of the cases remain unsolved.
The provincial government of British Columbia said it aimed to have a bus service – part of a transport network planned for the highway and its vicinity – up and running by the end of the year. The idea was the top recommendation in a report on the Highway of Tears drafted in 2006, said Mary Teegee, of Carrier Sekani Family Services, which provides health services to First Nations in the area.
‘‘Better late than never,’’ she said. ‘‘I’m very happy that it’s happening.’’
The Highway of Tears has become synonymous with the violence and systematic indifference towards indigenous women in Canada. Earlier this year, a government minister suggested that as many as 4000 indigenous women It’s a transportation issue that played a big part in these people going missing or being found murdered. have gone missing or been murdered over the past three decades in Canada. In December, the country’s new government pledged to move forward with a long-awaited national inquiry into the disappearances and murders.
The highway’s horrific legacy is a direct result of the unique vulnerability of indigenous women in Canada, Teegee said. ‘‘You have to ask the question, why were they hitchhiking?’’
She pointed to the lack of universities, health services and other basic services on the reserves. ‘‘I know that some of our young people are still hitchhiking back and forth just for basic transportation, if they want to go to university, for example.’’
Brenda Wilson, whose 16-yearold sister disappeared in 1994 from a community near the highway, worried that the government’s priorities might change in the coming months. ‘‘I’m happy that it’s on paper, but a year is a long time. Anything could happen in that year.’’
Her sister’s body was found one year later in a wooded area and the case remains unsolved. Wilson now works with the Highway of Tears Initiative, dedicated to seeking justice for the women who were murdered or went missing along the highway. She and other families are currently walking the 720km stretch of road, holding forums in the communities that flank the highway to allow residents to share their own stories.
‘‘There are so many cases that come up that have never been recorded or have never been talked about. It’s overwhelming.’’
The stories, she said, underscore the critical need for public transport to be set up in the area as soon as possible.
‘‘It’s a transportation issue that played a big part in these people going missing or being found murdered,’’ she said. ‘‘For the sake of lives, for the sake of our communities and future generations, I really hope it happens.’’