About 60 people took to the streets of downtown Sudbury Oct. 4 for the city's sixth annual Sisters in Spirit march.
The event draws attention to the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Red dresses were hung at businesses along the marchers' route as a visual reminder of these women.
The RCMP have identified 1,181 Indigenous women and girls who have been murdered or gone missing over the past 30 or 40 years, said organizer Lisa Osawamick.
But the real number is likely much higher, she said.
“Some deaths of indigenous women are deemed suspicious or there's no further investigation,” said Osawamick, the Aboriginal women's violence prevention co-ordinator with the Greater Sudbury Police Service.
A national inquiry into the issue is currently underway in Canada, fulfilling a campaign promise by the Liberals. However, the inquiry has been riddled with dysfunction, with several key staffers quitting recently.
