More than three decades after 14 women were killed at Montreal’s École Polytechnique, NSCAD University in Halifax presents a special memorial to them and as a statement against gendered violence on the massacre’s 31st anniversary on Sunday.
As part of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, a special light installation will take place on NSCAD’s downtown Fountain Campus.
At 5:10 p.m., on the building’s north wall, there will be a projection of the names of Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault and Annie Turcotte.
Members of the university’s community are also invited to observe a moment of silence on Sunday at 4:10 p.m. — the moment when the shooting began — in honour of the students whose lives were taken on Dec. 6, 1989.
To mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, participants can wear a white ribbon which raises awareness of the issue of male violence against women by symbolizing the act of giving up arms and stopping gendered violence.
"NSCAD recognizes that gender and partner violence have increased in the wake of COVID-19,” said NSCAD interim president Sarah McKinnon in the event announcement.
“By standing together, remembering the École Polytechnique massacre and committing to concrete action to prevent gendered violence, we honour the struggles of its victims.”
