TORONTO -- In the coming weeks, four huge trees in Thunder Bay, Ont. will be lit up, glowing with strings of thousands of red lights as part of an ongoing project to raise awareness and funds for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls [MMIWG].
It鈥檚 called the Tree of Hope, and was originally conceived a few years ago by Thunder Bay police Const. Sharlene Bourdeau, who is on a mission to change the way her department views and handles these cases.
Bourdeau is a member of the Pays Platt First Nation, and with 28 years on the Thunder Bay police force, she has played a critical role in bridging the gap between First Nations people and police.
She told CTV News that her hope is that soon there is a 鈥渇ederal task force, an an enforceable task force, with MMIWG.鈥�
to sponsor a light bulb on the trees that represents one of the more than 5,000 Indigenous women and girls who are still missing. The money will go towards encouraging people to come forward with any information that could lead to arrests or solving these cases.
Crime Stoppers currently offers a $2,000 reward to people who call in with a tip that leads to an arrest.
鈥淭he original idea was to increase the payout to $50,000 dollars,鈥� Bourdeau said.
If a person comes forward to Crime Stoppers with a tip that leads to an arrest, they will receive the $2,000 as well as $48,000 raised by the Tree of Hope donations, which is managed in a separate bank account by Bourdeau. Individuals who aid in investigations and help lead to an arrest will get authorization from Crime Stoppers that will allow them to access the donated $48,000 while
But Bourdeau found out that amount isn鈥檛 even enough.
鈥淵ou know what they make off of women in human trafficking? Over $200,000,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o [鈥 is somebody willing to come forward for $50,000 when their identity has to be changed?鈥�
To solve these cases, every bit of information can help.
鈥淪ometimes the police are just waiting for one or two small pieces of evidence that can convict somebody. As small, as insignificant this piece of evidence may be to somebody else, its huge to a police service,鈥� Bourdeau said.
The relationship between the Indigenous community and the Thunder Bay police force has long been fraught. In 2018, a report by Ontario鈥檚 police watchdog found that there was rampant racism in the police force and found that when investigators were looking into Indigenous deaths, there were missteps, stereotyping and discrimination against victims that often led to improper investigations.
Coralee McGuire, executive director of the Ontario Native Women鈥檚 Association, says that in order to protect Indigenous women and girls, discrimination needs to be tackled.
鈥淲e have to look at breaking down this normalized violence that鈥檚 projected against Indigenous women and girls everywhere,鈥� McGuire said. 鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 so normalized that people don鈥檛 even know they鈥檙e doing it.鈥�
In 2007, Danita Bigeagle went missing in Regina. She was 22 years old and she鈥檚 still missing today. There was little to no media coverage of her disappearance. Her case is echoed in thousands of other cases across the country.
At the Tree of Hope though, she and so many others are far from forgotten.
鈥淏y us lighting the trees, here we are ready to reconciliate, and that鈥檚 why we鈥檝e offered an olive branch,鈥� Bourdeau said.
There鈥檚 talk of expanding this initiative to other police forces 鈥� a poignant reminder of the collaboration and the hope needed to solve these cases.
With files from Alexandra Mae Jones
