Families of Four Pickton Victims File Sweeping Lawsuit
Named: RCMP, VPD, City of Vancouver, justice minister, crown prosecutors. Pickton siblings accused of ‘abetting’ murders.
Named: RCMP, VPD, City of Vancouver, justice minister, crown prosecutors. Pickton siblings accused of ‘abetting’ murders.
Standing alone under the bleak overpass by the Alexander Street railway tracks, DJ Joe holds up a small white card as a train rumbles by beyond a fence. A white car slides slowly by, and Joe clutches her arms for warmth from the chilly air. Her foldable, two-sided card would fit easily into the long-time sex worker advocate’s pocket or wallet. Thousands will be handed out to survival sex workers on the street and at support centres around the Downtown Eastside.
Canada’s national police force insists it is taking seriously allegations of widespread police misconduct and abuse against Native women, including several rapes, death threats and violence, brought forward by the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW).
As violence against women dominates discussions among Aboriginal and human rights groups in Canada, south of the border the long-sought Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was passed by the U.S. Senate on Feb. 12.
Sex workers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside will soon be getting special wallet-sized cards educating about their rights with police, thanks to two advocacy groups — Pivot Legal Society and Sex Workers United Against Violence (SWUAV).
Carrying red and yellow roses symbolizing the 600 aboriginal women murdered and missing, respectively, thousands marched in cities across Canada on Valentine’s Day, banging on the door of the Prime Minister’s office in Ottawa and bringing outrage to Vancouver’s police station steps.
If we are serious about dealing with the heterosexism and transphobia that young queer people face in the school system, it requires doing far more than having GSAs, says Gary Kinsman. Photo published in Xtra!
Here’s a look back over some of my key stories of the last year.
Vancouver, B.C.’s nighttime streets were wet with fresh rain as a dozen members of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) community set out on what they dubbed a walkabout tour through the poorest off-reserve area of Canada, accompanied by Indian Country Today Media Network.
Province pledges fast implementation of Commission recommendations. Critics demand more action on racism, systemic problems.