Calls to 'search the landfill' grow in Calgary during MMIW vigil
A group gathered at the East Calgary Landfill on Saturday to pray, to heal and to call for a 2016 criminal investigation to be re-opened.
Parts of the body of 25-year-old Joey English were found in a Crescent Heights park in June of 2016. Shortly after, a man she knew admit to cutting up English's body and scattering her remains. Police conducted a brief search for the young Calgarian's undiscovered limbs, but parts of her have still not been discovered.
On Saturday, her mother said the unanswered questions mean she hasn't completely received closure.
"My daughter still lays in the landfill," Natowawakii English said. "It angers me, because what am I supposed to tell her daughter? How am I supposed to tell her, 'Oh, your mom is in the landfill?'"
English gathered together Indigenous elders this weekend to bless each landfill within city limits.
She hopes the process will bring healing and answers for the community, which has been reeling from similar cases in recent years.
"This must stop," she told CTV News. "Stop with our people, in all walks of life, being thrown away like garbage."
The vigil is part of a nation-wide movement to search for remains in Canadian landfills. It originates just north of Winnipeg, where a summer-long protest has shut down areas of the city and became a political hot potato ahead of a provincial election.
NATIONAL MOVEMENT
The vigil is part of a nation-wide movement to search for remains in Canadian landfills.
It originates just north of Winnipeg, where a summer-long protest has shut down areas of the city and became a political hot potato ahead of a provincial election.
Thousands in that city have been calling for a landfill search after two female Indigenous women went missing.
Many across the country believe now is the time to use Manitoban momentum to re-open other, similar cases.
"Sometimes our voices get lost in the shuffle," activist Chantal Chagnon said. "They get marginalized and pushed to the side. But I think it's important to bring those voices forward."
The group Saturday says political action is needed. They don't want to place blame, they just want help to move on.
"People are afraid to take accountability, when we have to realize it's not about whose fault it is," Chagnon said. "It's all about how we fix this problem."
The group Saturday says political action is needed. They don't want to place blame: they just want help to move on.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Inflation is down, wages are up. Why are Canadians still frustrated with the economy?
The federal finance minister has been taking every opportunity to remind frustrated Canadians that after a bumpy pandemic recovery, the nation's economy is actually doing a lot better.
'It looks quite real': Two Ontarians lose money to fake phone scam
About 85 per cent of Canadians have a smartphone and once you have one they’re hard to live without. The latest smartphones can cost as much as $2,000, so if you’re trying to save money, make sure you don’t get caught in a fake smartphone scam.
America reaches Election Day and a stark choice between Trump and Harris
A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor approached its finale on Election Day as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.
New homeowners find skeleton in attic 15 years after previous occupant disappeared
Homeowners in France have discovered a skeleton in the attic of an outbuilding while undertaking renovation work.
B.C. ports shuttered as lockout takes hold in latest labour dispute
One of Canada's most vital trade arteries is cut off as employers at most of British Columbia's ports lock out their workers in a dispute involving about 700 unionized foremen.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
Dutch police arrest a suspect in a botched art heist of Andy Warhol screenprints
Police arrested a 23-year-old man Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in a botched art heist at a gallery in the southern Netherlands targeting four valuable Andy Warhol screenprints.
Australian foreign minister raises allegations with Indian counterpart of targeting Sikhs in Canada
Australia's foreign minister said Tuesday she raised allegations with her Indian counterpart that India has targeted Sikh activists in Canada.