EDMONTON – On December 6th, hundreds of Edmontonians will mark the tenth anniversary of the Montreal Massacre by witnessing the unveiling of a new monument entitled, A Vision of Hope, at the new Mary Burlie Park on 97 Street and 104 Avenue.

"The monument is very symbolic in its expression of suffering, healing and hope," states the monument’s sculptor, Michèle Mitchell. "The gear wheel base, symbolizing the wheel of life and the cycle of violence, also represents the engineering students who were targeted and killed. The three women figures represent various responses to abuse: extreme suffering, grief and hope". To remember each woman in a special way, the park will also feature 15 trees: one for Geneviève Bergeron, Hélèn Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte, Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz, and one for all other women victims of violence.

The murder of 14 women at Montreal’s l’école polytechnique on December 6, 1989 was a tragedy of immeasurable proportions. The massacre of 14 women—singled out simply because they were women—focussed national attention on the widespread problem of violence against women. December 6th has been declared the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by the Government of Canada. Every year on December 6th, women and men from across the country participate in vigils, ceremonies, campaigns, and workshops in an effort to raise awareness and to end violence against women.

A Vision of Hope will serve as a place for survivors, family and friends of victims to remember, reflect and renew their commitments to ending violence against women. The monument was commissioned by the Edmonton December 6th Planning Committee, a group of volunteers dedicated to remembering and ending violence against women. The City of Edmonton made space available for the monument and the development of the monument was aided by financial contributions from the Kristie Foundation, the Millennium Bureau of Canada, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and many other organizations and individuals.

The event will take place at 12:00 noon in the Citadel Theatre at 9828 – 101A Ave. At 12:45 p.m., participants will walk to the monument site at Mary Burlie Park for the unveiling ceremony.