Winter weather can't take away from importance of ceremony

SUMMERSIDE - The onset of winter weather didn't deter more than 50 people from turning out Sunday at Summerside's Heritage Park and Gardens for the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre.
A monument commemorating the event, funded by union members through the P.E.I. Federation of Labour was unveiled as a permanent memorial to the 14 women who lost their lives that day at the hands of a lone gunman at l'Ecole Polytechnique.
The ceremony, which had been scheduled to take place at the monument, had to be moved indoors to St. Mary's Anglican Hall because of the weather.
Barb Byers from the Canadian Labour Congress, said everyone must continue to work for change
"Now we have a bill to eliminate the registry of rifles and shotguns including the gun that was used at l'Ecole Polytechnique," she said.
In 1995 a law requiring registration of rifles was looked on as a victory in the fight against violence toward women and Byers said now people must work together to ensure that law remains on the books.
She said rifle-wielding partners victimize one in three women.
Valerie Doherty, Minister of Tourism and the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, said while it's worthwhile to remember women who are victims of violence on Dec. 6, it's something that must be on everyone's mind, every day.
The significance of the blast of winter weather during Sunday's unveiling ceremony wasn't lost on the minister.
"Maybe the weather is an indication of the nastiness that's in the lives of some of these people," she said.
And that it was "a poke on the shoulder" for everyone to remember the violence and come together to find a way to stop it.
Coupled with Sunday's ceremony was the memorial to the 10 women who have been murdered on Prince Edward Island by their partners.
Along with laying roses for the 14 victims of the Montreal Massacre, 10 more were laid for the Island victims.