'Just the beginning': The new Manitoba monument honouring MMIWG2S

A monument was unveiled in West St. Paul on Wednesday to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people (MMIWG2S).

The commemorative memorial monument was put up at the Southeast Resource Development Council Corp.’s (SERDC) Southeast Wellness Lodge, located on Masters Avenue.

The monument is speckled, black granite and six feet six inches in height. It features all of the logos of the eight communities that are part of the SERDC, including Berens River First Nation, Black River First Nation, Bloodvein First Nation, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Hollow Water First Nation, Little Grand Rapids First Nation, Pauingassi First Nation, and Poplar River First Nation.

“It also has an art piece on the front that was made by one of our community members. We had a contest for an art piece and the winner is on the front of the monument,” said Tahl East, wellness manager for SERDC, at the unveiling of the monument on Wednesday.

East said that since the general public didn’t talk about MMIWG2S for so long, it’s significant to have a permanent structure for people to come and reflect and for families to heal.

“The monument is just the beginning of the healing space that we’re creating here at the lodge,” she said.

The monument was unveiled as part of the LIFT Survivor’s conference, aimed at providing support to residential school survivors, day schools survivors, Sixties Scoop survivors, as well as MMIWG families.

- With files from CTV’s Jamie Dowsett.