The conference included representation for three affected families. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

awareness

Piwapan hosts MMIWG Conference

May 7, 2024 | 5:00 PM

It was an impactful three days for attendees of La Ronge’s Piwapan Wellness Centre’s The Power of Her Story: A MMIWG (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls) Conference.

That’s according to Piwapan executive director Karen Sanderson, who explained the three-day event began Sunday with an awareness walk downtown that attracted more than 100 participants. That was followed up on Monday and Tuesday by a conference at the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre, which attracted up to 60 attendees.

“We do the MMIW May 5 Red Dress Day annually. This is the first time we are having a MMIW conference since 2017,” Sanderson said.

“We feel the importance of having representation for the families, also for the women and the girls who are missing and the men and the boys that are missing. [It’s important] to bring it back into the community for more awareness and the prevention services that we have, and also for the other service providers in the North.”

The conference included presentations from three families, who either have a loved one who is currently missing or had been murdered. They included Gladys and Willie Billette, whose daughter Sheena was killed in December 2019 with her body found along the highway north of La Ronge.

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Regina and Carson Poitras also presented on behalf of their daughter Happy, whose disappeared in Prince Albert more than seven years ago. Brian Gallagher was also in attendance to talk about his daughter, Megan, who was last seen in September 2020 and whose remains were found in September 2022.

Those allegedly involved in the murders of Sheena and Megan are still currently going through the court system. The verdict for two involved in Sheena’s case will be delivered on June 12, while Telsa McKenzie, who after entering a guilty plea to manslaughter, received a sentence of four and a half years.

Charlie Charles, also an accused of murder in Sheena’s case, was spoken to during a pre-trial conference on May 3.

“We have three different perspectives of the process of MMIW and I think that is very important for people to relate to what’s going on to our women and our girls and the families impacted by justice system,” Sanderson said.

Other presentations at the conference were from North Sask Victim Services, Saskatchewan Sexual Assault Services, Métis Nation—Saskatchewan, and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indigenous Nation’s family information liaison officer.

The conference ended this afternoon with a performance by the New Dawn Drum Group.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com