A shameful travesty of justice...
3
I recently moved to an extremely rural area of the eastern USA. Poverty specific to women born in the area is horrific. They get pregnant when high school ends. The boys leave. The girls stay and descend into a no phone, no car, no nothin' life. As far as race, the area is about 95% white. The police get harsher and less caring every day. They abuse the locals even though they, themselves, are local. To top it off this is a tourist area a little over 2 hours from Washington DC. It was like this back when I was young and, in spite of lipservice given to improving the economics, it is the same as it was when people came down from NYC to volunteer to help the locals. If tomorrow I read in the paper that girls were disappearing along the roadside here, I wouldn't be surprised. The Highway of Tears is only one of many such highways that exist on the blood of poor women.
19
Thank you New York Times for drawing attention to this tragic aspect of Canadian life. We Canadians have become complacent about these crimes. We shrug our shoulders and label them "unsolvable".
It's good to see the events in print, in the light of day. from an impartial neighbouring country.
The perpetrator(s) of these crimes have probably felt that they could easily operate in secret, protected by remote wilderness and vast distance, possibly driving their victims thousands of miles away.
More exposure will lead to more investigation of the past events. Hopefully, future tragedies can be prevented with education and supports for these communities.
It's good to see the events in print, in the light of day. from an impartial neighbouring country.
The perpetrator(s) of these crimes have probably felt that they could easily operate in secret, protected by remote wilderness and vast distance, possibly driving their victims thousands of miles away.
More exposure will lead to more investigation of the past events. Hopefully, future tragedies can be prevented with education and supports for these communities.
7
A small transportation program could provide safety and jobs. Vans can be used to transport people between the villages, and there could be jobs for First Nations people as drivers, mechanics, etc.
There are transportation companies in Houston that use vans to drive back and forth to the Mexican border, and those vans are never empty.
There are transportation companies in Houston that use vans to drive back and forth to the Mexican border, and those vans are never empty.
17
Similar has happened with the Long Island Serial killer, where the missing reports of prostitutes were not investigated because they were prostitutes, at the end, they were all victims of the same killer. The corruption of Suffolk police about this case is so outrageous they even tried to block FBI from getting access to the investigation, and Governor Cuommo has overlook the whole situation on that corrupted police department.
17
Perhaps I am a simpleton, but I am a practical simpleton. Wouldn't that $40 million be better spent in setting up a low cost or free transportation system for all aboriginal people living in this isolated region?
20
Perhaps you are but our "Sunny Days" Prime Minister is bound and determined to flog this horse to death with one more public inquiry which, most certainly, will recommend that $40 million be spent on setting up a free public transportation system.
This will just add to the 20 plus inquiries that have come before but never been acted on.
This will just add to the 20 plus inquiries that have come before but never been acted on.
4
It's not about these communities and at the same time it is. Closure is important. But the cynic in me says that even $4 million spent on public transit here will have to be spent across the country in similar undeserved communities, otherwise coherence goes out the window. So $4 million becomes $4 billion, conservatively speaking. $40 million is relatively speaking, a bargain.
2
What is surprising to me is that most people here in the States and abroad think of Canada as the country of peace, goodwill, clean air and water, and no gun violence. How far from the truth it is. PR media hype. The truth is/was Canada- the place of racism, sexism, environmental pollution, right wing fanatics and crime. I am glad though that Trudeau is going to correct some of that. three cheers for him. i just hope Canada doesn't elect another conservative wacko for their PM in the future.
12
Well, one reason could be all the self-righteous Canadians who always come out of the woodwork in the comments section of any article about gun deaths in the US, or slavery, or our atrocious treatment of Native Americans, or any other social, political, or economic ill we suffer from and wag their finger at us while lecturing us about how they've done it all right, forever.
I'm quite sure the other kind of Canadian greatly outnumbers them, but the minority that has the huge inferiority complex never tires of trying to make big brother look bad.
I'm quite sure the other kind of Canadian greatly outnumbers them, but the minority that has the huge inferiority complex never tires of trying to make big brother look bad.
3
The statistics put the lie to your assertion, relative to the US.
2
It isn't just racial - the murders of drug users/addicts and prostitutes are frequently regarded as a lower-rated problem.
5
These women aren't drug users/addicts or prostitutes. These are local aboriginal women. The article said they get treated by the police officers like they are drug users/addicts and prostitutes. Big difference.
18
It's a disgrace, reminiscent of the missing women and girls in Mexico. But, for crying out loud, this is Canada, a decidedly first-world country, unlike Mexico. Whether the victims were indigenous or not is beside the point, these were homicide cases, period. Would Canada have allowed this to perpetuate, if this had been happening for other socio-economic groups (never mind ones with a different skin colors) in their own country? I bet not.
6
"First World" is a deceitful term. The U.S. is also a first world nation and look at our problems. Don't be fooled by phony PR campaigns. Madison Ave exists even in Ottawa.
7
Not beside the point at all, but actually the whole point. This has been going on for many years, as have other terrible problems that the aboriginal peoples of Canada have endured for many years. There are many parallels between their treatment and that of our Native America population. And it's disgraceful.
4
Missing and Murdered Indigenous women issues exist across Canada. In Halifax, Nova Scotia, Tanya Brooks' murder has yet to be solved. Honourable Minister Bennett and Prime Minister Trudeau have begun the process of an Inquiry. The RCMP have issued a report. Annie Mae Aquash, a member of AIM, a MI'kmaq woman from Nova Scotia, was murdered in South Dakota. Her murder was not solved (and I say that with some reservations) in the mid 2000s. Indigenous women face racism/sexism and violence. Poverty leads to poor health outcomes. It is time to solve the problems.
10
Such a sad story; I feel for the native Canadians, as their lot in life sounds similar to our Native American Indians. I'm hopeful with a new Prime Minister and social awareness, the situation will slowly improve over time. Until then, girls should avoid Highway 16 at all costs.
7
This is 2016 why these people do not have cell phones and coverage. Even a poor laborer in the sub continent now has a cell phone, even if it is an old Nokia phone.
1
If you are unemployed, how do you pay for the service? The cell phone coverage in the area discussed is probably non-existent.
7
Canada is a truly enormous country, mostly empty, with a small population. Cellular service (technically available in metropolitan areas and urban corridors) covers much less than half of Canada's landmass, and due to the cost of any kind of infrastructure in such a large country, cellular service is expensive - in Canada, long distance truly is long distance. This isn't anybody's fault, but there isn't a desperate quest to spend millions of dollars to build infrastructure in areas with very few customers, who largely are too poor to buy service anyway.
7
But guns are still banned in Canada, right? That should eventually solve everything.
4
How hard would it be to set up a sting? Risky? Yes, but if the perp(s) are caught, then it would end. Murder is murder regardless of the color of ones skin. PM Trudeau should be paying close attention to this.
4
you must have not read the story. The cops didn't care. Racists at heart, native lives didn't matter to them. so why bother to set up stings?
7
If experience elsewhere is a guide, racism certainly is an issue here, and it’s not limited to British Columbia. Saskatoon police seemed to make a habit of driving “undesirables” outside the city and leaving them there, including in winter temperatures can drop below -40F. Several died without raising a stink until one man survived to tell the tale around 1998 (google CBC Dustyhorne, Wegner, Stonechild and Naistus). Today the stories are making the headlines across the country, from police abuse and missing persons in Val d’Or, to Attawapiskat.
The Canadian government net spending on Native affairs amounted to $7.5 billion, or $1,800 per person in 2015. It’s expensive to provide education, housing, water and health services in a remote community of 100 people. Is the spending enough?
Attawapiskat recently declared a health emergency when 10 people attempted suicide within a 24 hour period. The reasons for poor life outcomes are numerous and complex, but funding is a key element in the dysfunction. It’s too easy for poorly informed people to look at complex Native infrastructure, health and education and only see the billions of dollars “wasted” for such disastrous results. Or they may not care at all, but live in communities from Vancouver to Winnipeg where their only contact with Natives are homeless panhandlers and drug addicts.
The answer for many is as simple as the caricature : “lazy thieving drunks”.
The Canadian government net spending on Native affairs amounted to $7.5 billion, or $1,800 per person in 2015. It’s expensive to provide education, housing, water and health services in a remote community of 100 people. Is the spending enough?
Attawapiskat recently declared a health emergency when 10 people attempted suicide within a 24 hour period. The reasons for poor life outcomes are numerous and complex, but funding is a key element in the dysfunction. It’s too easy for poorly informed people to look at complex Native infrastructure, health and education and only see the billions of dollars “wasted” for such disastrous results. Or they may not care at all, but live in communities from Vancouver to Winnipeg where their only contact with Natives are homeless panhandlers and drug addicts.
The answer for many is as simple as the caricature : “lazy thieving drunks”.
11
This is not just a British Columbia issue, this is a Canada-wide issue. Native women disappear and the general attitude seems to be that they have just gone elsewhere to party or whatever. It takes a lot of effort to get the police or RCMP, to consider any of these women missing; if they were white it would be a different story. It's institutionalized racism and in most cases probably not a conscious thing, it's years of stories and attitudes and it will take years for it to change.
20
If you knew their histories you might understand why there is a hesitation to react for some. And further, human rights legislation pretty well guarantees that interventions are hard if not impossible to come by. This is not a one sided issue by any stretch of the imagination.
The best way to tackle a serious issue is to shine a bright light on it.
And the NYTimes has done that today, along with dozens of thoughtful comments from the readers.
I learned a lot from Dan Levin's article.
And one of the most important things I discovered is that, there's still a lot left to learn about this complex problem.
And the NYTimes has done that today, along with dozens of thoughtful comments from the readers.
I learned a lot from Dan Levin's article.
And one of the most important things I discovered is that, there's still a lot left to learn about this complex problem.
11
The NYTimes did nothing today; this was one of the key issues of 2015 election which received extensive coverage in Canada about a year ago.
2
And so the problem is solved? Why do so many Canadians have inferiority complexes?
1
Prince Rupert to Vancouver is over 1,000 miles, and it's hardly the busiest highway in the Province or country, so some of the suggestions made here from hidden "cctv" cameras and drones just make me laugh.
Not just 911, but police services everywhere complain about having to deal with a role that should fall to social services, and all the more so when those services cater to economically disadvantaged communities.
I have spoken to people who call the police when they've forgotten where they've parked their car, then use the police as a free taxi to recover it. I'd bet more than a few readers of the article have done it themselves. More than once or twice I'll bet.. That's no hill of beans but without even getting into criminal activity, police services are witness to some of the worst human behaviour imaginable.
These are small communities, not the anonymous big city. The mother was surprised the police didn't react to her complaint of her missing daughter? Did she know she was hitchhiking? How many times she or her siblings/friends had "gone missing" in the past? How many kids and young adults in the region pull up stakes without warning and hitch down to the big city on a lark, or just to get out of a lousy situation?
These questions aren't an excuse, only a partial explanation. I've run out of space so I'll continue with the very real flip side in a reply.
Not just 911, but police services everywhere complain about having to deal with a role that should fall to social services, and all the more so when those services cater to economically disadvantaged communities.
I have spoken to people who call the police when they've forgotten where they've parked their car, then use the police as a free taxi to recover it. I'd bet more than a few readers of the article have done it themselves. More than once or twice I'll bet.. That's no hill of beans but without even getting into criminal activity, police services are witness to some of the worst human behaviour imaginable.
These are small communities, not the anonymous big city. The mother was surprised the police didn't react to her complaint of her missing daughter? Did she know she was hitchhiking? How many times she or her siblings/friends had "gone missing" in the past? How many kids and young adults in the region pull up stakes without warning and hitch down to the big city on a lark, or just to get out of a lousy situation?
These questions aren't an excuse, only a partial explanation. I've run out of space so I'll continue with the very real flip side in a reply.
2
"If experience is any guide, racism is certainly an issue here" => see the flipside follow up remark a few posts above.
3
This also crosses the area north of Fort McMurray and the tar sands. As we know from our own country, there is a cowboy culture and some sexual exploitation in the temporary labor camps.
http://www.drawthelineattarsands.com/images/uploads/content-images/Canad...
http://www.drawthelineattarsands.com/images/uploads/content-images/Canad...
10
I wonder if there's some militant "militia" racist community on the route?
Agree with those suggesting a cheap or free bus service. But it's always easy to judge from the sidelines. It's a big country.
Agree with those suggesting a cheap or free bus service. But it's always easy to judge from the sidelines. It's a big country.
5
Big country...Please, transportation down highway....Big bus, have the fracking companies donate.
4
Indigenous women are killed mostly by indigenous men.
2
• Aboriginal women and girls make up about 4 percent of the total female population of Canada but 16 percent of all female homicides....
While 16% is tragic, the Aboriginals have hijacked the issue of crime against women in Canada. Even at the Acadia University art gallery here in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, a continent across from British Columbia, an installation last year by aboriginal 'artist' Jamie Black, the "REDress" project, pronounced "red dress" and/or "redress" – blatantly ignored the mathematics of the vast 84% of non-aboriginal women who are victims of violence here.
http://theath.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/redress-e1448650962938.png
Nova Scotia has the lowest homicide rate in Canada, 0.64 per 100,000 population, vs. the general US 3.8 per 100,000. Canada's is 1.4, among the lowest in the world.
Yes, violent crime is rampant especially in western Canada – though miniscule by US standards (89 mass shootings in the US to date this year, vs. 1 in Canada) – and especially against women. It is NOT, however exclusively racially motivated as implied.
According to the RCMP 70% of murdered aboriginal women are killed by indigenous men.
“Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion.” ~ EDWARD ABBEY
Lets be clear, keep things in perspective and stay away from insinuations.
Yes, we have a problem in Canada. The PROBLEM is violence against WOMEN!
While 16% is tragic, the Aboriginals have hijacked the issue of crime against women in Canada. Even at the Acadia University art gallery here in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, a continent across from British Columbia, an installation last year by aboriginal 'artist' Jamie Black, the "REDress" project, pronounced "red dress" and/or "redress" – blatantly ignored the mathematics of the vast 84% of non-aboriginal women who are victims of violence here.
http://theath.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/redress-e1448650962938.png
Nova Scotia has the lowest homicide rate in Canada, 0.64 per 100,000 population, vs. the general US 3.8 per 100,000. Canada's is 1.4, among the lowest in the world.
Yes, violent crime is rampant especially in western Canada – though miniscule by US standards (89 mass shootings in the US to date this year, vs. 1 in Canada) – and especially against women. It is NOT, however exclusively racially motivated as implied.
According to the RCMP 70% of murdered aboriginal women are killed by indigenous men.
“Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion.” ~ EDWARD ABBEY
Lets be clear, keep things in perspective and stay away from insinuations.
Yes, we have a problem in Canada. The PROBLEM is violence against WOMEN!
9
That's a false equivelency. If you were to take your analysis to the extreme, even excluding war, you would find men are more subject to violence than women, yet that is not the issue here.
It certainly seems racially motivated in this case. Indian country has a long history of experiencing predation by those whom fully understand that due to a lack of law enforcement resources, indigenous poverty and inherent isolation, it is the safest place to get away with it. This is not an environment that is universal as you seem to describe though certainly gender-based commonalities exist with the broader population.
It certainly seems racially motivated in this case. Indian country has a long history of experiencing predation by those whom fully understand that due to a lack of law enforcement resources, indigenous poverty and inherent isolation, it is the safest place to get away with it. This is not an environment that is universal as you seem to describe though certainly gender-based commonalities exist with the broader population.
2
Finally there is coverage from the NYT of this terrible situation. It's very similar to the disappearance and deaths of hundreds of girls in Juarez, Mexico. It was systematic and organized. What if a band of retired detectives/investigators organized to solve this awefulness? Where is the help for Canada?
2
How about instituting a frequent free or cheap bus service, so hitching is not the only option?
8
Exactly! Why the divil don't they run bus service along that road? A simple solution for a complicated problem.
2
At the very least, in addition to tremendous resources being dedicated to the investigations, there must be a general consensus reached on the issue of transportation. It will not be easy, given the vast distances, the remoteness, and the geographic challenges, but a strong effort must be undertaken. Surely most of these communities are well aware of the risks to be found on the Highway of Tears, yet continue to hitchhike because there is simply no alternative. It's sobering to imagine what the risk and benefit calculus must be for women in these communities. Has a survey ever been conducted to gather input from each community about transportation needs? It's not realistic to provide a vehicle for each household, but what about a small fleet of vans for each community? And in conjunction, perhaps a system of buses for longer distances or to meet connecting buses in other communities? This would no doubt be an expensive, complex endeavor, given the vast area and the isolation of many small communities. But it would help alleviate the burden of lacking a reliably safe option at present. It will require an infrastructure investment, and will surely need to be subsidized in part or in whole. But it could go a long way toward helping to keep people safe, and also provide a stable means to travel outside of the community for any number of reasons, including employment - which would surely be an aid to the most impoverished areas.
23
Anyone who looks into the history knows that Canada treated the indigenous peoples even worse than we did. Yet Canada is still seen by some as this wonderful land which we should emulate in every way.
6
In the USA, we killed an estimated 80% to 90% of the natives.
Canada is not even a close second.
Canada is not even a close second.
7
Let us also remember that Canada didn't have slaves for 400 years or systemized racism.
5
The 'European' treatment of Native Americans in what is now the US and Canada from first contact is a tragic, dark and unforgivable history. Enslavement, extirpation and extinction were the hallmarks of the relationship and extirpation remains the strategy. The tragedy of 'concessions' in the form of casinos adds to the legacy. Few of us even know this history. Try reading Scott Weidensaul's 'First Frontier....' as a starter. We need a US/Canadian movement like Bishop Tutu's 'Truth and Reconciliation' in South Africa to begin some healing.
1
First of all, let's forget past and concentrate on future. We HV to make a promise that no more people will vanish from here in future. If we sit and waste our time investigating past, we won't be able to tackle future problems effectively. Tighten securities in this area. Let cops disguise themselves and hitch hike and kill mercilessly the culprits without second thought. Take the problem out of root and sort it out once for all. ☺
Is not the "owner" still pictured on Canadian paper money. She may some how be important, ask her for help. Canadian people, after all, Are British subjects!
3
Something must change before it gets any worse! like the police are failing the public in Canada. Just like they are failing in the USA! If you are poor or not white the police want to put you in jail or just shoot you! Maybe we should look into who is teaching the police to shoot first. Look at Florida's police!!!! Completely corrupted. What is being done to fix that mess?
1
Curious anout our Cree and Blood tribes so close and yet so far, I aught First Nations mature students off-campus for years, volunteering for what some regarded as "garbage" work. It was wonderful. The classes consisted of people from a wealthy reserve, but their stories were of terrifying violence, ineffective policing, chief-dominated societies, abuse, rape, theft, and, above all, what Ralph Ellison wrote about in "Invisible Man". Stereotypes made individuals "invisible" to white Canadians. I always held one class on-campus. They were, I had found, scared to be surrounded by a multicultural, diverse, mainly white group of young people.Scared of being typed, my students feared walking the halls, but later in class agreed -- no one looked at them, no one made fun or passes. My students succeeded beyond all previous First Nations students in this program and I taught 5 more. and almost every one became an important citizen. I was proud of the University of Alberta kids who gave the Enoch Reserve students the simple acceptance in the hallway kids give each other. The only hope is that simple democratic acceptance. Native women are not objects. They are Mom, Sis, and Daughter. The well-intended, well-funded, isolated Reserves? Prisons without walls, museums with people in them. We must stop treating Native Americans asless human than our families.EVery lost woman must be accounted for. Every lost village must be tied to our cities. No one must be "invisible".
13
Bravo for your teaching program. My respects to you as a teacher and to all the First Nations' students who ventured into the program and overcame their trepidations to do so. Is this program still going on?
2
Outrageous and sad. Why hasn't Canada added buses and fixed their infrastructure in this area? If I were those families I'd commence a gigantic lawsuit against Canada.
3
Look up the stats closer to home, then provide public transit in northern NY state first.
5
It would take about 20 busses to provide free hourly transportation 12 hours a day along the entire 450 miles of this road. At $500 a bus per day, the daily cost would be about $10,000, less than $4,000,000 a year; just a small reparation for the horrors inflicted by the Canadian government on Canada's aboriginal people over the centuries.
7
In Canada, there is a budget of over $8.0 billion spent annually by and on Native Canadians.
Perhaps with a few less Chiefs and Councils earning over $250,000, the bands could provide employment with a bus.
Perhaps with a few less Chiefs and Councils earning over $250,000, the bands could provide employment with a bus.
3
This is defínitely a third world situation it could happen in Latina America, India, Africa, only God knows the suffering of these communities . Hopefully, the Canadian PM will change this for good. Until now Canada, in my mind, and from previous references had the best living standards. ..apparently not for indigenous people.
2
It not only could happen. It does happen. Some places it's worse. Tribal conditions, exploitation of women, is more the norm in human history than the exception. We are casting off the "chains" of polite behavior, and becoming less with each passing year.
1
Let's do the numbers: 4,000 victims over three decades (133 per year) out of an indigenous population of 2,000,000 with at most 200,000 of these being young females who might hitchhike. So Trudeau wants to spend US$31 million to investigate crimes that impact 0.00065% of the impacted group per year? That's $7,750 per investigation that is likely to lead to nowhere. Perhaps as has been suggested the government could establish a subsidized public transportation system for a lot less rather than political grand standing?
3
The thrice-weekly train is subsidized at a rate of about $1.50 per passenger mile. Most of the girls and women who disappeared did so from their own communities - travelling to a friend's house, not hitching from one community to the next.
The inquiry is less about investigating the crimes themselves than about investigating the fact that they weren't investigated even when, as in 1994, four teenage girls were found murdered and several others disappeared. And also the destruction of government email pertaining to the meetings the BC Liberal government conducted with communities along Hwy 16 after the opposition New Democratic Party filed a FOI request - which oddly isn't mentioned in the article.
The inquiry is less about investigating the crimes themselves than about investigating the fact that they weren't investigated even when, as in 1994, four teenage girls were found murdered and several others disappeared. And also the destruction of government email pertaining to the meetings the BC Liberal government conducted with communities along Hwy 16 after the opposition New Democratic Party filed a FOI request - which oddly isn't mentioned in the article.
3
The article states that girls and guys know the danger but hop in strange cars regardless. I guess you can't fight stupid. The couple quoted live off welfare and food donations. Where are they going, I wonder? Can there not be a simple solution like a few bus runs every day? How hard can that be to put a fleet of busses and some sheltered stops?
5
Find the movie "Code of Silence". It tells the story of a high school aged Canadian aboriginal who moves to the city and lives with a white family while attending school. I don't want to say anymore.
Once you have watched this movie you will understand the attitude of the white people towards Canada's Indians.
Once you have watched this movie you will understand the attitude of the white people towards Canada's Indians.
2
The movie you are trying to refer to (actually it's a made for TV movie) is called "Conspiracy of Silence" not "Code of Silence". It was originally shown on Lifetime TV.
3
Why is so primitive? I know we have similar living conditions in the States, but why I ask is it so primitive in transportation?
It's not primitive. The terrain is dense with trees, huge rocks/boulders and isolated. And, the towns are far apart.
Last March, news reports were published of a similar situation in the town of Val D'Or, Quebec, where police officers were the ones abusing and mistreating indigenous women: http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/03/31/aboriginal-women-a...
Given the above, and the fact that the murders/disappearances have been occurring for such a long time along highway 16, one cannot help thinking that maybe the RCMP responsibility in these cases goes beyond refusing to investigate.
Justin Trudeau brings big hope and has taken a big responsibility to right this one of many wrongs against Canadian aboriginal populations.
Given the above, and the fact that the murders/disappearances have been occurring for such a long time along highway 16, one cannot help thinking that maybe the RCMP responsibility in these cases goes beyond refusing to investigate.
Justin Trudeau brings big hope and has taken a big responsibility to right this one of many wrongs against Canadian aboriginal populations.
17
Looks like a story from the 19th century.
But hey no it's a modern one and involves a racist and sexist police force.
We were supposed to put in place helpful police force in western democracies. Instead you have this in Canada, murderers in the US and half military stick in one arm pepper spray in the other in France.
Anybody thinks things will be better with the future water/food/energy/climate crisis looming ?
But hey no it's a modern one and involves a racist and sexist police force.
We were supposed to put in place helpful police force in western democracies. Instead you have this in Canada, murderers in the US and half military stick in one arm pepper spray in the other in France.
Anybody thinks things will be better with the future water/food/energy/climate crisis looming ?
17
There are many interesting suggestions here for improving safety along Highway 16. Maybe some of that ingenuity and outrage could be directed toward preventing and investigating sexual violence against native women in the United States. As a 2013 NYT article revealed, a third of Native women are sexually assaulted. The Red Shawl Project (since renamed the Solidarity Shawl project) in Minnesota sought to highlight the problem; one big contributing factor, they said, was the fact that white men knew they could commit crimes on Reservation land with (relative) impunity. In other words, men in Minnesota (and presumably elsewhere) were traveling to Reservations with the express purpose of raping native women . . . I think Montreal Moe's comment about "a serial culture" applies to the US as well.
32
Any of the comments to address the Highway of Tears applies to all people in all places. None of these cowards should ever feel anything but impotence. They need to get some counseling. Prevention works.
1
I've been to Canada many times and never felt unsafe. However I'm a guy and no one is really interested in me. In the 1970s I transversed Canada and the U.S about 6 or 7 times, alone. I wouldn't do that today. The wilderness areas of Canada are almost devoid of people and can be very, very foreboding. It's all to easy to fall prey to a criminal. In the U.S. lonely Interstate highways are usually patrolled by State Police. But the distances are too great to saturate those roads with coverage. That leaves two options. Put in place roadside cameras at all road side stops and interchanges and also, utilize drones. Drones can fly for hours and cover greater distances. Also, if financial possible utilize a private network so that police and citizen watch groups can notify police immediately when a disappearance or crime occurs. The PA State Police utilizes an 800 Mhz system mounted on telephone poles on many rural roads and Interstate highways and keeps police always in touch when ordinary radio or cell phones don't work.
Last, the men, women and children need to be made aware how to protect themselves and avoid traveling alone in their home communities at all times. Community Crime Watch groups could be better trained and expanded too.
Last, the men, women and children need to be made aware how to protect themselves and avoid traveling alone in their home communities at all times. Community Crime Watch groups could be better trained and expanded too.
44
@Jay
Excellent ideas. An all out push for combinations of these suggestions will begin to make a dent. I think tech can & should be immediately installed in any variety of ways. Give women free emergency cells or radios. The psychology of near instant calls for help will deter most cowards.
Excellent ideas. An all out push for combinations of these suggestions will begin to make a dent. I think tech can & should be immediately installed in any variety of ways. Give women free emergency cells or radios. The psychology of near instant calls for help will deter most cowards.
2
Unfortunately, from what this article indicates, the police are not very interested in applying even their consideration and compassion on behalf of indigenous women. That does not bode well for the idea that they will deploy anything they would need to spend money and labour on. It would not be surprising even to find that a cop or two are directly responsible for some of these disappearances.
5
It could well be impossible to saturate long and lonely stretches of highways with state police by RCMP, but technology has much improved since 1970s when you traversed Canada. It would be far easier to cover the highways with cameras to at least help provide some clues for the investigation, particularly due to such staggering number of unsolved missing persons and homicide cases on that same stretch of roadways.
2
My wife tells me that the times readership is among the most intellectually aware of American society. I guess stupidity is a fundamental core vale. Canada's Northern Aboriginal community have been nomadic hunters for thousands of years it is little wonder they are having problems adapting to the culture of European peasants. My first native funeral saw a burial and a bonfire. The bonfire consisted of all the decease's stuff . If you are a nomadic hunter your stuff is a burden on those you might pass it along to.
As we get along in years we find that our grandchildren do not want our stuff. Their world means stuff must fit into their 1000 sq ft downtown condo. We have a lot to learn from the experience of cultures that have been Nomadic hunters for the millenia is it any wonder they are having problems adjusting to a culture that can't cope with drowning in stuff. If anyone is interested traditional inuit carvings were never bigger than a large molar or as we might say in 2016 a flash memory.
As we get along in years we find that our grandchildren do not want our stuff. Their world means stuff must fit into their 1000 sq ft downtown condo. We have a lot to learn from the experience of cultures that have been Nomadic hunters for the millenia is it any wonder they are having problems adjusting to a culture that can't cope with drowning in stuff. If anyone is interested traditional inuit carvings were never bigger than a large molar or as we might say in 2016 a flash memory.
13
This comment could not be more patronizing and more historically and anthropologically inaccurate. The historical record has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that nomadic cultures possessed an uncanny ability to adapt to the ways of Europeans. In fact, they more often than not found ways to use European methods against them. But in the end, numbers ruled, and the adaptability of nomadic cultures meant nothing to a dominant European culture that had no desire to meaningfully include them in the body politic. That is why these women found themselves on the highway of tears.
35
I'm with you. Having a sibling die at a young and his leaving behind a 3 bedroom, 3 bath house and garage full of stuff. Having my MIL and FIL stuff residing right now in my garage (and trying to figure out a way to incorporate their stuff with my stuff). Having accumulated even more stuff into an even bigger house. I worry about stuff. My stuff, their stuff, and getting rid of stuff, before the kids have to take care of my stuff, before I'm gone. I don't need anymore stuff. I don't even know what stuff I have and don't have. I go and buy some stuff (daily living and hygiene needs) only to find I already had that stuff. But I have so much stuff, the stuff I didn't need to buy was hidden by other stuff.
My bonfire is going to be huge.
My bonfire is going to be huge.
5
I cannot believe the stupidity and disgust of your comments, blaming the homicide cases of these women and girls on, what, their inability to adjust to "modern society" because, what, they are still nomadic hunters??? Do you still live in 1800s or something? I bet you're one of those who would blame the occurrence of rape to the victims too.
8
The quickest, least expensive, but most effective method to capture, stop, and deter crimes of any kind let alone murdered women would be to set up CCTV surveillance all along the roads in question. They can easily be set up over WiFi signals, hard wired, and hidden in any number of ways. This would drastically reduce any crimes against women: most likely eliminate it altogether.
There should be no expectation of privacy while traveling major highways and in many more isolated areas it is impossible to have enough law enforcement to be effective without using A/V technology. There is no excuse for forcing economically disadvantaged people to become prey simply because they cannot afford safe transportation. That should also be a priority in improving the infrastructure of rural areas as well as the cities.
There should be no expectation of privacy while traveling major highways and in many more isolated areas it is impossible to have enough law enforcement to be effective without using A/V technology. There is no excuse for forcing economically disadvantaged people to become prey simply because they cannot afford safe transportation. That should also be a priority in improving the infrastructure of rural areas as well as the cities.
40
CCTV surveillance might be a great idea in Florida, but this area is vast and remote, and WiFi signals are not reliable here. Not a solution for the present time.
9
Well Google is said to be working on wireless access through drones.
How about they get involved and test their technology over there ?
How about they get involved and test their technology over there ?
8
@AMH
Do the rural areas have lined electrical power, telephone lines, how about cell phones. The cost of A/V is far cheaper than hiring Large numbers of Law Enforcement. The number of dead & missing women & girls is going to cost money to stop, capture, or find the deceased. There's always a way if it means that much to a society.
Do the rural areas have lined electrical power, telephone lines, how about cell phones. The cost of A/V is far cheaper than hiring Large numbers of Law Enforcement. The number of dead & missing women & girls is going to cost money to stop, capture, or find the deceased. There's always a way if it means that much to a society.
2
The Highway of Tears is not due to a serial killer. It's incredibly unlikely that this is one person. It's due to a serial culture, one that gives little value to women, even less to indigenous women, and that passively accepts violence, misogyny, and sexual abuse in men. (Yes, yes, I am generalizing. But my comment isn't sexist. It's just the facts, ma'am.)
77
Spot on.
6
The government has a responsibility to provide safe transportation options for all of its citizens, even if they are indigenous and isolated, and especially because they are most evidently being victimized at a rate of 4x the average. Ultimately, whether it's a racist serial killer or indigenous men or some combination of both committing these atrocities, these women clearly need safe transport to seek economic opportunities and education in neighboring areas.
24
Agreed.
3
Interested whether poverty is more of an issue than race.
"Near Vancouver" is likely someone with more money than a trailer park in the boonies. Too many times socioeconomic factors are mistaken for racism.
I would also wonder how endemic hitchhiking is in the community; if it is considered normal, that is a huge risk factor.
"Near Vancouver" is likely someone with more money than a trailer park in the boonies. Too many times socioeconomic factors are mistaken for racism.
I would also wonder how endemic hitchhiking is in the community; if it is considered normal, that is a huge risk factor.
5
The are products of millennia of being Nomadic hunters. I remember one neighbour who every year moved into a nearby home identical to the house she was living in because she had to.
4
It is 2016 and Canada's love hate relationship with its native population continues. The great Canadian writer, historian, philosopher and prophet John Ralston Saul calls the comeback of Canada's Aboriginal population and the adoption of Aboriginal value and culture into Canada the singular greatest hope for mankind in the 21st century.
I have spent many years living in Aboriginal communities and am delighted that 2 million Canadians now classify themselves as Aboriginal. The Highway 16 tragedy is but one aspect of the story of Canada's First nations the last native community I lived in was possibly the richest community per capita on the planet and there was no rich and no poor.
400 years of European colonialism has indeed taken a heavy toll but I do function on Aboriginal time and in a few sleeps I expect Canada will totally escape the European mindset. I expect in a hundred years the God of Rome and Jerusalem will again give way to the Creator and we will see battle replaced by a search for harmony.
In the meantime if you have some time to spend thinking these John Ralston videos might give you some optimism for the future of Canada as a 21st century aboriginal nation.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtI2Un42OawfWDQ83PWnPUAlwPa9UjRG7
I have spent many years living in Aboriginal communities and am delighted that 2 million Canadians now classify themselves as Aboriginal. The Highway 16 tragedy is but one aspect of the story of Canada's First nations the last native community I lived in was possibly the richest community per capita on the planet and there was no rich and no poor.
400 years of European colonialism has indeed taken a heavy toll but I do function on Aboriginal time and in a few sleeps I expect Canada will totally escape the European mindset. I expect in a hundred years the God of Rome and Jerusalem will again give way to the Creator and we will see battle replaced by a search for harmony.
In the meantime if you have some time to spend thinking these John Ralston videos might give you some optimism for the future of Canada as a 21st century aboriginal nation.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtI2Un42OawfWDQ83PWnPUAlwPa9UjRG7
3
It's not just the lack of anything having been done to investigate the horrific number of Native women who were murdered on this road.
There is the lack of adequate housing on Native reserves, abuse of children at the hands of Christian Church teachers (1900 - 2005), and currently, the terrible number of Native teens who have committed suicide.
There is the lack of adequate housing on Native reserves, abuse of children at the hands of Christian Church teachers (1900 - 2005), and currently, the terrible number of Native teens who have committed suicide.
26
The consistently gendered framing of this huge issue seems inappropriate. While I don't know the numbers for this particular area, 71% of aboriginal murder victims in Canada between 1982 and 2011 were men (http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/adam-jones-aboriginal-men-are-.... Surely these victims deserve as much concern, instead of none.
9
with endangered, depleted, or otherwise marginalized populations, the females are often much more valuable than the males, due to their reproductive capabilities. However, I do agree with you. It is odd that male aboriginal murder victims don't even get a mention here.
10
The murder of men is generally not hidden this way. It is usually much more public. The missing people who were last known to be trying to get somewhere are women. Hence the gendered framing of this article. It's not taking on all violence in/to the indigenous group. Just the Highway of Tears.
11
The absolute worst poverty I have ever witnessed in North America has been on Native American reservations. They deserve a better chance than we have given them.
42
For God's sake, get these communities a bus line! How hard is that? Sadly violence against women is all too common in both the U.S. and in other countries and violence against women of color is ubiquitous just about everywhere in the world. It is so discouraging when one considers that this is 2016.
91
Wow...
Many rural communities cannot afford or support a bus line.
Many rural communities cannot afford or support a bus line.
6
Neither can most cities. That is why there are subsidies.
3
Then the regional or national government should support one.
7
A national disgrace that this has not been addressed sooner. If third world countries can manage public transportation between remote communities surely Canada can afford to do the same.
31
South of the border is even more dangerous for single women: by the time it became a national news story here in El Norte, about 100 women had gone missing in Juarez, Mexico, just across the border from El Paso. The numbers continued to soar. A few perps were caught (bus drivers) but other killers are unknown.
31
If I were Trudeau , what I would be doing right now is suspend every single active investigation into marijuana cultivation in BC and dedicate all of those human and technology and other resources into solving this problem and finding this killer or these killers and locating the bodies of the victims.
If they can find marijuana in those woods, they can find missing native women.
If they can find marijuana in those woods, they can find missing native women.
75
I know this is a serious subject, but sadly I cracked up reading your last line! So very true!
13
Most grow ups are found by helicopter, if not through 'intelligence'. Decaying human bodies are not as easy to see from the air.
4
Agreed, however the marijuana in the woods is also partly symtomatic of the problems on the reserves, although its much more complicated than just drugs.
3
How sad! Whenever I've visited Canada I have always marveled at the equality of their multiculturalism. I seem to recall that the UN even gave Canada an award for being a leader in multicultural assimilation, or something like that. It appears that it's only skin-deep.
20
Canada has two million Aboriginal people. I have lived for many years in Aboriginal communities and looking through European eyes the perception is completely hidden.
I lived near a elderly couple in an extremely wealthy Aboriginal community. The couple lived in a one room dwelling we might describe as a shack. With a lightbulb, bedrolls, a stove and a honey bucket. The 80 year old elder who lived in the hut could live in any of the the modern spacious homes in the community he was after all the king. His wealth and prestige however came from what was between his ears.
I lived near a elderly couple in an extremely wealthy Aboriginal community. The couple lived in a one room dwelling we might describe as a shack. With a lightbulb, bedrolls, a stove and a honey bucket. The 80 year old elder who lived in the hut could live in any of the the modern spacious homes in the community he was after all the king. His wealth and prestige however came from what was between his ears.
9
1.4 million officially, but who's counting (the dead)?
Isn't there a similar predator killing along the highway between Houston and Galveston, TX? Maybe it's I-35? More than 10 women at least.
****
Seems relevant to cite the lengthy NYT analysis of American gun crimes involving multiple victims, at public or family gatherings, schoolyards, etc. Explains a lot about Baltimore and Oakland. The white corollary is domestic violence gun crimes.
****
Seems relevant to cite the lengthy NYT analysis of American gun crimes involving multiple victims, at public or family gatherings, schoolyards, etc. Explains a lot about Baltimore and Oakland. The white corollary is domestic violence gun crimes.
3
It seems Canada has become a rich source for cherry-picked stories sure to be attract NYT readers. Has the U.S. been picked over, or are there too many interests to be offended? What's missing is the sense of responsibility, involvement and understanding that comes with writing about your own country. I just get the sense that your neighbors' problems are always easy, low risk targets that everyone can agree on.
6
What are you talking about? The Times reports on international news and Canada is the US biggest trading partner and ally. Is the 15 stories a year too much for you?
51
I'm sorry, but this comment makes no sense. What are you referring to? The NYT reports on serious issues in America all the time. I'm sure if you looked at its homepage right now you'd find at least one.
32
Why does the NYT keep referring to the aboriginal women named in the article as "unemployed?" Why is that relevant?
25
Unemployment and poverty are rampant in remote First Nations communities, and so many people who live there have no safe options for transportation and hitchhike out of necessity, which makes them easy prey for rapists and killers.
6
Poverty!
6
Again, let me reiterate; poverty
Not to mention, dependency, addiction, lack of education and little or no infrastructure, you know, that flush toilet, electricity and running water you more than likely take for granted...
Get it?
Not to mention, dependency, addiction, lack of education and little or no infrastructure, you know, that flush toilet, electricity and running water you more than likely take for granted...
Get it?
13
You forgot to include John Furlong in your list of notorious B.C. abusers of aboriginal women.
3
Excuse me, I am old enough to remember when Royal Commissions were formed before to deal with this on going sickening tragedy. Everyone came in with the best of intentions but slowly living conditions returned to abject poverty.
Maybe this time we go in a little bit wiser. Time will tell.
Maybe this time we go in a little bit wiser. Time will tell.
5
A government subsidized bus would do a lot for the community. I have driven that road many times, and it is impossible not to feel the fear when man turns on man so blatantly.
9
Such a sad story. I guess a lesson learned is to travel in groups and not alone.
2
The article fails to mention that the police often try to convince the families these women were prostitutes to justify the lack of a full investigation. When families object to the characterization of their loved one, and criticize the lack of action, the police say, "Well. perhaps you didn't know her as well as you thought you did." Killers keep targeting this area and these women because they know that for forty years, law enforcement has done little to protect these women.
39
Several years ago, I was sitting next to a RCMP, who asked me "what do you call drunk aboriginals (I think she said "First Nations") in Labrador?" I said I didn't know. She said "Speed bumps".
Pretty horrifying coming from the people who are supposed to protect us. If this is any indication of the rest of the RCMP, Canada has a huge problem.
Pretty horrifying coming from the people who are supposed to protect us. If this is any indication of the rest of the RCMP, Canada has a huge problem.
26
It's no "indication" of anything portentous, it's just a cop looking to raise some eyebrows among some credulous tourists, like NYPD does in Times Square for the wide-eyed rubes from the provinces.
5
I am horrified to read this scary article. Where are the American films, with helicopters that run tirelessly above forests in search of the missing, with squads of volunteers under the command of local sheriffs who know every clod of their territory? Where are those detectives tirelessly putting together each puzzle in order to find the guilty, those forensic detectives that a bone found they rebuild the body of the missing person. But above all, where is the sense of human compassion that binds all the inhabitants of a region urging them to work together to help the neighbor? They arise many disturbing questions that lead me to bad thoughts towards that part of the world and its inhabitants.
14
Where are the dogs? Don't they have tracking and cadaver dogs?
1
I'm curious if one reason the killer(s) haven't been caught is perhaps s/he also comes from the aboriginal community and there is a bias in Canada against racial profiling and targeting the criminal justice system on aboriginals.
2
That would make sense if per capita except for the fact that aboriginals per capita are already over represented in the prison system.
3
The situation of indigenous communities is dire. A friend of mine is a nurse who works with them in BC. They are marginalized, underfunded and disrespected. How about free transportation regularly provided to indigenous peoples who need it all over Canada. The culprits may be the police, but in the meantime, buses driven by indigenous drivers are needed ASAP! We owe them.
24
How about they start their own businesses. Seriously, these places as described are full of chroinically unemployed people living their life on the dole. This article flogs this as a serial killer or killers but there has been only one body found. Perhaps there has only been that murder and the rest are runaways. There does seem to be an inordinant amount of drug activity around these towns. This artilc is bare of facts and high with emotion.
4
Michael, get real. If you ever get to a reserve in northern Canada, the first thing you will notice is how isolated it is. The second thing you will notice is that there is NOTHING near it. In fact, driving across northern Ontario, you will be in the middle of nowhere and all of a sudden a pedestrian on road sign appears. WTH??? Then you flash by a reserve, and it's gone. 400 km later (about 280 - 300 miles) the same thing. So my point is what will their business do? Who will purchase their services? When you have a community of 300 or 400 people, how many stores, restaurants, ice cream stands, etc can you run?
8
Michael F - more than one body has been discovered. Quite a few, actually - after all, this stretches back several decades.
As for First Nations community members "living their life on the dole," it's far more complicated than people just starting their own businesses. For one thing, what businesses can be sustained, and how many businesses can be sustained, in isolated communities of just a few thousand? How can a plumber, for example, make a living if his or her only customers within a half-day's drive live within a small town of 2,000? It seems unlikely that an abundance of clients or customers for a variety of businesses and services can be found in a reasonable radius. And running many such businesses would require transport of some kind, and would need to be owned by the worker, given how sparse the public transportation is.
Even something as straightforward as running a small grocery store or general dry goods store requires someone to not only have reliable and affordable access to products but to also live within a community that can afford to purchase such items. In the US there are numerous small grocery stores that stay afloat primarily because their small community has enough residents who qualify for SNAP, which then gets used at the store.
It's not hard to imagine FN communities struggling with the same difficulty in creating a sustaining local economy.
This is all far, far more complicated than simply being "on the dole."
As for First Nations community members "living their life on the dole," it's far more complicated than people just starting their own businesses. For one thing, what businesses can be sustained, and how many businesses can be sustained, in isolated communities of just a few thousand? How can a plumber, for example, make a living if his or her only customers within a half-day's drive live within a small town of 2,000? It seems unlikely that an abundance of clients or customers for a variety of businesses and services can be found in a reasonable radius. And running many such businesses would require transport of some kind, and would need to be owned by the worker, given how sparse the public transportation is.
Even something as straightforward as running a small grocery store or general dry goods store requires someone to not only have reliable and affordable access to products but to also live within a community that can afford to purchase such items. In the US there are numerous small grocery stores that stay afloat primarily because their small community has enough residents who qualify for SNAP, which then gets used at the store.
It's not hard to imagine FN communities struggling with the same difficulty in creating a sustaining local economy.
This is all far, far more complicated than simply being "on the dole."
2
I remember Robert Pickton. I read about those cases first at the Cannabis Culture website, because the news wasn't being covered by the mainstream media. Many of the murdered women came from BC's cannabis underground. The police were accused back then of neglecting to look for those missing women because they were focused mainly on tracking down and raiding the illegal marijuana grows in the region.
It took a lot of community protest to get attention drawn to that case. Once they started paying attention, they found some neglected clues and the police finally believed the women had been killed and they got the guy.
Now that these cases are finally getting the attention they deserve, they're going to get the guy who's doing it. They ignored reports of Pickton for years. Once they finally took a break from looking for marijuana farms, they found him. He'd been right there in front of everyone all along.
It took a lot of community protest to get attention drawn to that case. Once they started paying attention, they found some neglected clues and the police finally believed the women had been killed and they got the guy.
Now that these cases are finally getting the attention they deserve, they're going to get the guy who's doing it. They ignored reports of Pickton for years. Once they finally took a break from looking for marijuana farms, they found him. He'd been right there in front of everyone all along.
8
Why would Vancouver have "a cannabis underground," when pot was openly smoked and traded, and Americans went there as "pot tourists" because no passport was needed, and it was much cheaper, than going to Amsterdam (or Thailand) to do the same? Also, I read the Vancouver Sun every day and they were on the pig farmer case like resin on a bud.
3
Your attempt to conflate the Pickton story with the so-called "cannabis underground" is the kind of addled, self-serving reasoning one comes to expect form dopers. Most of the women murdered by Pickton were sex workers. Some were First Nations. All were vulnerable and exploited in one way or another. Pickton deliberately sought out discarded women from the lower fringes of society who he felt would be missed by no one but their (generally estranged) families. I suppose it's possible that some of the women he murdered smoked marijuana, just as some of them consumed alcohol, but to claim that as some kind of dominant or otherwise significant fact in their lives is not only crass, it reduces them to mere tools to be exploited in your dubious cause.
9
Tragically, a similar pattern exists in the US. Indigenous women are murdered and raped at far higher rates than white women, and this violence is rarely investigated or prosecuted. Multiple factors cause this pattern; there's no single solution but resources need to be made available for women's safety, for health care, and to prosecute crimes including rape on reservations.
37
NYT, thanks for your coverage of this terrible tragedy. It is a national disgrace and point of shame that far extends beyond Hwy 16. The First Nations' youth suicide rate has been declared a national health crisis. I'm glad the Trudeau administration is finally moving on this, however, I agree with other commenters that just throwing cash at the problem will not cure this epidemic. A new national awareness and watchfulness needs to emerge to protect First Nations' women and children. No more shrugs!
54
The reservation system in Canada traps indigenous people in poverty just as it does in the United Sates. Society created the reservations system because it assumed Amerindians were incapable of assimilation and acculturation—a prejudice that would be instantly recognized as racist if it were Applied to African Americans or Asian Americans. We should end the socioeconomic marginalization of indigenous by ending the reservation system and treating Amerindians the same as other Canadians and Americans.
19
William: Actually it's not about bigotry, about assuming they can't assimilate into "OUR" country. The reservation system treats native tribes as sovereign political powers. As countries of their own. We didn't come up with this as a social program for a part of the American immigrant population who came to America wanting to become Americans. We were the immigrants and they were the collection of sovereign nations whom we invaded and made war upon and displaced. The reservation system is based on treaties between sovereign powers -- theirs and ours. We can't just pass a bill through Congress to change everything now. It's not some government social program that we can just unilaterally end whenever we choose.
23
Here's an example of what I mean:
http://www.bishoppaiutetribe.com/
A sovereign tribal nation. Not a social program set up because white people in the government don't believe Paiutes are incapable of assimilating.
We can't just end this system any more than we can tell France or Italy to disband.
http://www.bishoppaiutetribe.com/
A sovereign tribal nation. Not a social program set up because white people in the government don't believe Paiutes are incapable of assimilating.
We can't just end this system any more than we can tell France or Italy to disband.
13
Here is the part I don't understand: why is there $40 million for an inquiry but nothing for basic transportation for people too poor to afford a car? On top of that, count other millions spent by police and social services. An answer might be that no one can make money providing transportation in such a remote and sparsely inhabited area and transportation costs are typically subsidized by municipal or provincial governments. But safety of its citizens should be the primary concern of all levels of government, including federal. We need a concerted effort by all levels of government working together. The money ultimately comes out of the same pocket - the Canadian taxpayer - and it surely is cheaper and easier than to deal with the heartache and social consequences.
117
Question:
"Why is there $40 million for an inquiry but nothing for basic transportation for people too poor to afford a car?"
Answer:
Because all levels of government delay, procrastinate, or simply will not work to resolve the problems.
Other examples of this are the abused children and orphans in our Native communities, a local (Charbonneau Commission) investigation into crimal acts with contract to the City of Montreal, The Native children who were also abused at the hands of Christian Church teachers (1900--2005), and so on and so forth.
I would assume that it's easier for governments to delay action or investigations into abuses that to create commissions to investigate.
"Why is there $40 million for an inquiry but nothing for basic transportation for people too poor to afford a car?"
Answer:
Because all levels of government delay, procrastinate, or simply will not work to resolve the problems.
Other examples of this are the abused children and orphans in our Native communities, a local (Charbonneau Commission) investigation into crimal acts with contract to the City of Montreal, The Native children who were also abused at the hands of Christian Church teachers (1900--2005), and so on and so forth.
I would assume that it's easier for governments to delay action or investigations into abuses that to create commissions to investigate.
3
I was looking to see if there is a comment like this, so I don't have to repeat. Isn't public transportation - government subsidized or funded - the simplest and best answer? You wrote "too poor to own a car" - I suspect some are too young to own a car!
1
Parasitic, government bureaucrats will do anything to protect, or even increase, their own power and pay.
1
I grew up near this part of the world and 48 years ago was sexually assaulted repeatedly by a neighbor when I was nine and ten years old. At the time I told no one, but this incident shaped who I would become. Over the years I have contacted the RCMP, to say that this man had molested me, as I knew he had molested his sisters and other girls in the neighborhood. I had long since moved away, but I knew he would never stop. I've been interviewed, I've been told he did not show up in any database, I've been told his location is unknown. Of course I started this a long time before there was the internet, but really I will never forget that man. I am in my 50's now, he is in his 60's. I periodically Google him, a few years ago he showed up on Facebook and I wrote him. Again, I contacted the police. This year, I Googled him only to find that he had been sentenced to a short jail term and parole for the production and distribution of child porn. Yup, that's right, child porn, no doubt his grandchildren by now. I contacted the reporter who wrote the story, the B.C. DA and the RCMP. I am still waiting for a follow up. They all said yes, most important, we'll call you back. I tried to contact the judge, nothing. There is a cultural problem in B.C. as is evidenced by the stories of sex offenders mentioned here. Spending 31 million for an inquiry does nothing to change the culture that the RCMP and the judicial system have toward sex offenders. By the way, I'm white.
139
In most countries with native people, they are treated as if they don't matter. For example there are very few comments to this article compared with Maureen Dowd's articles about politicians. Nobody cares, therefore nothing is done.
24
Perhaps it's because no matter what happens on a Canadian highway it will not affect the economic and military and political affairs of America of which Ms. Dowd writes, eh?
6
This is a U.S. publication, Irene. And we are approaching a critical national election.
5
No one was caught because it's the Police who killed most of those girls. Research it.
6
The Canadian husky that did not bark in the night, eh?
3
Even if regularly scheduled buses are too expensive, how about a van service run by a transit company? In the Boston area, the MBTA runs a service called "The Ride" which picks up disabled people and drives them around for a small fee. The vans they use are smaller and less expensive to run than regular-sized city buses, and similar ones could be made available to everyone in B.C. on an as-needed basis.
17
You're kidding, right? The driving distance between Prince George and Prince Rupert is about the same as the driving distance between Boston and Philadelphia (but takes about 2 hours longer even in ideal conditions). It's 575 km along Hwy 16 from PG just to the next city, the thriving metropolis of Terrace, population 11,500, so you can imagine how few people there are in the handful of settled areas in between - probably no more than 20,000 (less than the population of, say, Wakefield MA) spread over all those kilometers.
The disgrace here is not that the transportation system is poor, although there is certainly room for more creative solutions, and many of these communities have implemented what solutions they can. No, the disgrace is that women have been disappearing along this remote stretch of highway for years and scant effort, apart from that of their families and communities, has been made to find out what has happened to them. It has been absolutely clear for YEARS that one or more (but probably no more than a few) serial killers has been operating in this area with impunity. But these women don't count any more than did the dozens women of the Downtown Eastside, many of them sex workers, who were murdered by Robert Pickton.
The disgrace here is not that the transportation system is poor, although there is certainly room for more creative solutions, and many of these communities have implemented what solutions they can. No, the disgrace is that women have been disappearing along this remote stretch of highway for years and scant effort, apart from that of their families and communities, has been made to find out what has happened to them. It has been absolutely clear for YEARS that one or more (but probably no more than a few) serial killers has been operating in this area with impunity. But these women don't count any more than did the dozens women of the Downtown Eastside, many of them sex workers, who were murdered by Robert Pickton.
10
If buses are impractical due to distances and low population density, how about rideshare/carshare programs like zip car?
8
Probably too expensive for many of these people.
5
The population density as the article mention is .5 people / square mile. ONe of the governments (Provincial or Federal) would have to subsidize the "zip Car" mode of travel.
Governments at all levels have been prone to procrastinate so long as to hope these terrible problems will simply go away, or out Native people will simply forget.
It took the Canadian Federal Government more than 100 years to address the brutality that was done to our Native people.
Governments at all levels have been prone to procrastinate so long as to hope these terrible problems will simply go away, or out Native people will simply forget.
It took the Canadian Federal Government more than 100 years to address the brutality that was done to our Native people.
6
Canadian authorities often proclaimed that indigenous or “local” women from this area were easy targets because they hitchhiked. They underplayed the fact that many of these women were from impoverished communities where transportation was nonexistent. Tragically, hitchhiking was (and still is) the only mode of transportation in this region. Over the years, demands have been made for subsidized public transportation, including a shuttle bus service to travel up and down this highway. But nothing materialized. Let us hope that under Justin Trudeau’s new leadership, justice will finally be rendered and these crimes properly investigated. The families of all of these women deserve as much.
197
I'm glad the NYT has published this piece about a serious Canadian social problem, violence against aboriginal people. (It makes a refreshing change from the usual Times coverage of Canada, focusing on Justin Trudeau's personality and publicity stunts.) American readers may also be interested to know a further aspect of this problem: the refusal of the Canadian government at all levels to publish race-crime statistics, that is, statistics that break down crime by the race of the victim and perpetrator. Release of these data would shed further light on problems of violence experienced by aboriginal people and so-called visible minorities (people of colour). However, these figures would presumably also tarnish Canada's multicultural image, which I have to assume is why we're not allowed to see them.
82
shameful. we need to protect our natural resources better than this. Just like how we can't let Keystone XL run a pipeline through Alberta, because that land is more valuable to us, in the future, unpolluted, we can't let the murder of indigenous / aboriginal women go unpunished. Those women are the only ones on earth that can give birth to more members of their respective tribes, and we need to keep those tribes intact, for they may possess knowledge or biology we may need in the future, lest we find ourselves in the grips of crisis (climate- related or otherwise) that renders our medicines ineffective, our food supply vulnerable, or our serum stock useless. We need to preserve and protect our natural resources, including indigenous peoples, to avoid such a crisis in the future. The fact that Canada has not done more to solve these murders puts all of us at risk.
11
Your self-serving reasons to preserve indigenous peoples strikes me as warped and disrespectful. You've already taken the land, now you want to preserve them so that you can survive should you find you can't physically deal with the harm to the earth that you have created.
7
You may not have meant it this way, but to describe indigenous people as "natural resources" is hurtful. Indigenous people have long been considered not human by white people.. Our ancestors remains are in "natural history museums" with flora and fauna because indigenous people are a natural resource, not a human being. We are human, just as whites are and those of other races.
11
One of the oddest comments on First Nations people I have ever read. I cant tell if you realize that. Comparing a culture to oil in the ground is weird.
7
I am originally from the interior of BC, and note that the suggestions below do not factor in the extreme remoteness of the area--there are less than .05 persons per square kilometer along most of this densely wooded, 500 mile-long highway. Besides this, thel problems are racism and misogyny, poverty and substance abuse, an ecology in which most interior First Nations Women live. I highly recommend a film by Christine Welsh called "Finding Dawn" available on the internet and from the National Film Board of Canada. The first part of this film deals with the murder of Dawn Crey at the hands of a serial killer, and the second part of the injustice and appalling treatment that First Nations women have traditionally received from the RCMP and the Government of Canada. This is a window into the truth, and this liberal, white woman learned a lot from watching it.
104
The perspective of American urbanites is interesting, but useless. I had the misfortune to travel Highway 16 last September, to go fishing in Prince Rupert. If you live in Oakland, or NYC, busses or CCTV cameras might sound reasonable. They aren't. Even in Southern Alberta, roadside traffic cameras fail or are obscured by rain/snow frequently, and cannot be relied on. They would also make handy targets for people bored with shooting at road signs. Busses would simple not be affordable, due to the distances - you can drive for 2 hours between settlements - and the low population density.
Canada has a lot to answer for after destroying the cultures and families of First Nations. The RCMP, in addition to its systemic misogeny, has been allowed to become highly racist. The failure to do their job with regard to the earliest missing women has given license to murderers.
The election of Trudeau was a dramatic rejection of the conservatives and their hateful attitudes. We can only hope it is still possible to create a national police service which serves all citizens justly, fairly, promptly, and with due diligence.
Canada has a lot to answer for after destroying the cultures and families of First Nations. The RCMP, in addition to its systemic misogeny, has been allowed to become highly racist. The failure to do their job with regard to the earliest missing women has given license to murderers.
The election of Trudeau was a dramatic rejection of the conservatives and their hateful attitudes. We can only hope it is still possible to create a national police service which serves all citizens justly, fairly, promptly, and with due diligence.
246
You have said it all. No matter what the distances, these communities and far-flung settlements need transportation provided by indigenous drivers and supported by Canadian taxpayers. Alcoholism, drug abuse--whatever. These excuses do not wash. At least not with me. Here in the US the situation is the same. There has been no publicity about the loss of life but we have the same prejudices and prefer the blind eye. Hopefully, Trudear will listen.
7
The reason that these cases remain unsolved, as is very clearly detailed in the article, is that Stephen Harper's government didn't care whether they were solved.
I see a similar pattern to my city's police force when poor black people are gunned down - "Oh, well, there goes another one." It's probably why 56% of murders in Cleveland go completely unsolved, and also why so many seek out "street justice".
I see a similar pattern to my city's police force when poor black people are gunned down - "Oh, well, there goes another one." It's probably why 56% of murders in Cleveland go completely unsolved, and also why so many seek out "street justice".
35
My understanding is that in Cleveland when there is a murder, there are usually many eye witnesses that recognize the murderer, but refuse to testify. The situation in the remote parts of Canada is totally different.
11
I'm sure facts won't change the mind of the average Times reader, who is determined to racism around every corner. Nevertheless here is one: The solve rate for murders of aboriginals is slightly higher than the solve rate for murders on average in Canada.
Now back to your regularly scheduled narrative about racism.
Now back to your regularly scheduled narrative about racism.
19
But: Aboriginal women and girls make up about 4 percent of the total female population of Canada but 16 percent of all female homicides, according to government statistics.
28
Yep, nevermind that whole part about children being ripped from their families to be indoctrinated, and then suffering sexual abuse. That only ended about 20 years ago, but it wasn't a problem. Carry on.
51
Here are some more facts: Aboriginals make up about 4% of the population. About 16% of all female homicides are concerning aboriginal women. Homicide rates for non-aboriginal women are rising, while the rates of aboriginal women are rising.
Also, I unfortunately couldn't find your statistic.
I'm not even going to attempt to respond to your impressively illogical way of thinking.
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14244-eng.htm#a14
https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-011-x/99-011-x2011001-...
Also, I unfortunately couldn't find your statistic.
I'm not even going to attempt to respond to your impressively illogical way of thinking.
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14244-eng.htm#a14
https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-011-x/99-011-x2011001-...
16
How about some public transportation in the form of a bus route? Too much to ask from "socialist" Canada?
38
The historically abysmal treatment of indigenous populations continues to infect not only Canada but to greater and lesser extents the US, Australia and New Zealand. The committee envisioned by Trudeau's party will not change any minds nor mindsets but will, no doubt, recommend the expenditure of funds as a "cure all" and deem the problem solved ... until it rears its ugly head again.
Now, for a minute, lets imagine this article was about Israel rather than Canada with its young, energenic, charismatic and photogenic leader. The decades-long police failure to bring anyone to justice would be decried as a clear example of racism, violations of the Geneva Convention and war crimes. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, among others, would call for an international investigation and push for the creation of a separate state. Oh, and the Palestinian Arabs rather than the Jews would be described as the indigenous population. Arabs, of course, are indigenous to Arabia and conquered what is today Israel (and much of the Middle East and North Africa) during their 7th century imperial expansion out of their homeland.
Instead, the article gives Canada every benefit of the doubt, will be one-day news and never the subject of an editorial taking to task the white, settler-colonialist government of Canada (for that, again unlike the Jews in Israel, is what Canada is - and what the US, Australia and New Zealand are - under PC standards).
Now, for a minute, lets imagine this article was about Israel rather than Canada with its young, energenic, charismatic and photogenic leader. The decades-long police failure to bring anyone to justice would be decried as a clear example of racism, violations of the Geneva Convention and war crimes. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, among others, would call for an international investigation and push for the creation of a separate state. Oh, and the Palestinian Arabs rather than the Jews would be described as the indigenous population. Arabs, of course, are indigenous to Arabia and conquered what is today Israel (and much of the Middle East and North Africa) during their 7th century imperial expansion out of their homeland.
Instead, the article gives Canada every benefit of the doubt, will be one-day news and never the subject of an editorial taking to task the white, settler-colonialist government of Canada (for that, again unlike the Jews in Israel, is what Canada is - and what the US, Australia and New Zealand are - under PC standards).
41
Yes, good point regarding the differing standards applied to Israel and Canada.
14
Your post manages to be both irrelevant and factually incorrect - quite an accomplishment!
13
We're still picking at scabs from the 7th century?
8
Fair warning for those of you who are planning to move to Canada should Trump be elected. Unfortunately, there is no place to run.
15
This is a tragedy exacerbated by a lack of mass transit.
33
There is no mass of people to transport when you've got only some tens of thousands of people spread over hundreds of miles of highway. Maybe some kind of certification of indigenous drivers - registration, beyond just a driver's license - and some sort of government-paid compensation for them would lead some decent people to provide female-ssafe transport along those roads. Use GPS tracking. Give the locals RFID tags that would register anyone hitchhiking to a device in the cars of such drivers. A little creative thinking. Buses aren't going to cut it in that environment.
5
How a bout the Canadian gov't running a free or inexpensive buses connecting the towns along the highway? Surely it's less costly in the long run, both financially, emotionally and in human-lives? The poor people will continue to hitch-hike because they need to get to places they have to go and they can't afford cars- so it seems at least this is one answer to one of many problems facing the native people of that region.
86
I live in Canada and pay Canadian taxes, and I would pay even more to help solve this problem. It's crazy that poets can live off government grants here, but it's too expensive to have transportation that could save women's lives.
13
ONE APPROACH: It might be helpful for the gov't to begin to keep a record (license plate) of every automobile that travels along that highway. The data should of course keep a photo of each vehicle as well as a record of the time of day, direction, etc. of each vehicle. Patterns of travel could be useful not only for the obvious reason of placing specific vehicles on the highway at the time of a crime, but for possibly identifying somebody who is cursing the highway, looking for another victim. This process should narrow down the list of possible perpetrators.
39
That is assuming that the assailant operates an automobile. You'd think that if he did, someone would have reported a vehicle by now.
1
(Not Mark) It might be more than one person.
1
You're assuming that it is a he. See Karla Homolka et al.
1