Indigenous group talks about reporting system for people experiencing homelessness
WINNIPEG -- An Indigenous organization is spearheading efforts to develop a system that could make it easier to flag when a person experiencing homelessness is missing.
It comes after the slayings of four women last year in Winnipeg by an alleged serial killer.
Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, a community service provider in the city, is leading the conversation with other agencies, including homeless shelters, on how best to protect vulnerable individuals while also respecting their privacy.
One possibility is a database of shelter and agency clients that can be shared between groups. Another, already underway at one shelter, is training staff to look out for predatory behaviour.
"We have nothing in terms of the ability to monitor their well-being outside those places of refuge," said Sandra DeLaronde, an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, who is working with Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata on next steps.
Other than offering a person temporary shelter, she said, agencies are limited in what they can do to address safety concerns.
Jeremy Skibicki is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, Rebecca Contois and an unidentified woman who Indigenous leaders have called Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, or Buffalo Woman.
Police believe the women were killed over a two-month period last spring.
The partial remains of Contois were discovered in a garbage bin in May 2022 and at a city-run landfill the following month. The bodies of the three others have not been found.
Police have not said how Skibicki is alleged to have known the women.
Family members have said the three identified women were vulnerable, and experienced periods of homelessness and addictions.
Little is known about the unidentified victim. Police believe she is an Indigenous woman in her mid-20s and was killed on or about March 15.
Police haven't released any updates on their investigation into her identity.
DeLaronde said Indigenous women often move to large, urban areas seeking safety from what they are experiencing in their homes or home communities. And they don't want to be identified.
The question then becomes how agencies can support them, she said.
DeLaronde said she would like to see shelters and agencies have conversations with their clients about what staff can do if they don't hear from them.
"Develop a plan with them at the outset that allows for some kind of capacity for outreach and the safety check," said DeLaronde.
Police do not limit who can report someone missing, but they are limited in what they can do if an adult chooses to cut off contact from family, friends or agencies.
"Whoever reports it will have to articulate reasons they believe this person is truly missing or their safety is in jeopardy," said Winnipeg police Const. Dani McKinnon. "The missing persons unit considers people's typical patterns as part of the investigation."
There is a record when people stay overnight at shelters, but there is little else in the way of formal documentation when individuals access drop-in centres or if they choose to remain on the streets.
Creating a database where shelters and service providers keep track of individuals is not out of the question, said DeLaronde. That way these places can check in with each other before reporting someone missing.
DeLaronde stressed any initiatives going forward would be voluntary, inclusive and in "talking with those people on the ground that are impacted."
Meanwhile, one Winnipeg shelter is training staff on how better to recognize those who target vulnerable people.
"The community has cared about these women, and certainly our staff were mourning. That's why we wanted to increase our awareness around predatory behaviour," said Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud, chief executive officer at Siloam Mission.
Blaikie Whitecloud said she had to address predatory behaviour while she was running several drop-in centres before working at Siloam. In one instance, workers banned a man from entering facilities.
Throughout training that took place last month, Blaikie Whitecloud said it became clear there is a lack of resources available for people who may be targeted because they are homeless or working in the sex trade.
"A universal basic income or a funded supportive housing environment would stop so much of this," she said.
"As a society, we're choosing to let this happen."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.