Roses laid at Kitchener ceremony on anniversary of deadly shooting at École Polytechnique | CBC News

Fourteen red roses were laid in a park in downtown Kitchener Wednesday morning to remember the women killed at École Polytechnique in Montréal on Dec. 6, 1989.

The YW Kitchener-Waterloo marked the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women with a breakfast followed by a public ceremony in Vogelsang Green. Representatives of local agencies that serve women and gender-diverse people placed the roses.

Laura Mae Lindo, an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Waterloo who teaches gender and social justice courses, spoke at the event and highlighted the need to especially recognize the violence against Indigenous women and girls.

“We don’t need Indigenous community members to always be the ones fighting to make this change. That part of our commitment to reconciliation is to stand alongside and to say the words and call for the actions and ask for the investments that they are asking for day in, day out,” Lindo said.

“I’m going to make sure that I keep in my thoughts and in my actions the realities facing Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit communities because if we don’t start finding ways to infuse our advocacy with that at the root, nothing will change.”

Jennifer Breaton, the CEO of YW Kitchener-Waterloo, said the roses served as a reminder that women and gender-diverse people are “safe, valued and seen.” It’s also a symbol of the commitment to survivors of violence, she said.

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“When you put them together, these roses speak volumes,” she said.