SATIRE TARGETS PREJUDICE
SEASON OVER The Red Deer Rebels simply couldn’t buy a goal and thus their WHL season ended Saturday in Medicine Hat
Aasif Mandi has created a sitcom parody to unravel anti-Musilim prejudice
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SPORTS — PAGE B1
Red Deer Advocate MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2015
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More than 1,760 moccasin ‘vamps’ have been made to honour missing and murdered indigenous women.
Walking with our sisters ART INSTALLATION TIED TO TRAGEDY OF MISSING, MURDERED ABORIGINAL WOMEN BY MARY-ANN BARR ADVOCATE STAFF
Manitobans to drag Red River again ‘WE KNOW THAT TINA FONTAINE’S
Red Deer is about to be the only community in Alberta to witness part of a unique art memorial’s seven-year journey aimed at honouring missing and murdered indigenous women. Walking With Our Sisters, a commemorative art installation unlike anything seen here before, is tied to the tragedy of so many aboriginal women who are long gone, but also to those who continue to be lost. A peaceful vigil Thursday in Red Deer was part of a nationwide protest that day in support of Cindy Gladue, a 36-year-old prostitute found dead in Edmonton five years ago. In its own way, her death is linked to the spirit of Walking With Our Sisters. Last month an Ontario truck driver was acquitted of murder charges, but on the same day of the protests, which called for justice for aboriginal women, Alberta prosecutors announced they were appealing the decision. The outrage was not only about concern that Gladue’s First Nations status and at-risk lifestyle might have been a factor in the jury decision, but also because of human tissue evidence presented in court and seen as disrespectful to the victim. That evidence has been widely reported elsewhere previously, including in this newspaper. About 80 women, men and children gathered outside the Red Deer Provincial Court House, and included a ceremony and prayers. The vigil was a sorrowful forerunner to the Walking With Our Sisters Red Deer installation, which will appear at the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery from June 1 to 21. The seven-year travelling project (from 2013 until 2019) mixes community conversations with art and hands-on participation. It is crowd-sourced funded and participants are all volunteers.
WINNIPEG — A group of volunteers plan to dredge the Red River again this year, hoping to find anything that will bring closure to the families of missing and murdered aboriginal women. Bernadette Smith, whose sister Claudette Osborne went missing seven years ago, spearheaded the search last year after the body of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine was found in the river wrapped in a bag. Volunteers went out on boats with hooks that combed the bottom of the river that flows through Winnipeg, hoping to dig up clues about women who have vanished. This year, Smith said the operation is more sophisticated. The dragging bars are better made and Smith has bought a boat out of her own pocket. The group is also fundraising for another boat and rain gear through a GoFundMe webpage. But the intent is the same — to get answers for the loved ones of those who have gone missing or been murdered. Last year, Smith said seven bodies were pulled from the water. “That’s the highest ever in a year — four while we were dragging,” Smith said. “We weren’t the ones that pulled the bodies out but we felt like our dragging efforts had something to do with those bodies being dislodged and those loved ones being brought home.” Relatives of these missing women often feel helpless, Smith said. When her sister went missing, Smith said a busload of volunteers gathered to search for her because police didn’t seem to be doing enough. Years later, Smith is still searching for answers. Getting out on the river gives many a sense of purpose and community, she said. It shows that
BODY WASN’T THE FIRST ONE FOUND IN THE RIVER. WE DON’T KNOW HOW MANY ARE IN THERE. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE AS LONG AS WE CAN.’
— BERNADETTE SMITH VOLUNTEER
the lives of the estimated 1,200 missing and murdered aboriginal women have meaning. “It’s very empowering to be doing this kind of work,” she said. “It’s getting people up off the couch to say I can make a difference.” For Kyle Kematch, like so many of the searchers, the work is personal. His sister, Amber Guiboche, went missing without a trace in 2010. Kematch quit his job last year to devote all his time to dragging the river. Every time his hooks hit a snag, Kematch’s heart leaps into his throat. As much as he wants to bring closure to grieving families, “your mind starts going all over the place,” he said. “I pray that I don’t find her in there.” The group wants Winnipeg police to do more than just monitor the volunteers from a boat and actually join in the search. So far, police have declined, saying only that they will support the group “from a safety standpoint.” Both Smith and Kematch said they will continue going out on the river every year for as long as it takes, with or without the police. “We know that Tina Fontaine’s body wasn’t the first one found in the river,” Smith said. “We don’t know how many are in there. We’re going to continue as long as we can.”
Please see SISTERS on Page A2
Men’s group helps out community BY MARY-ANN BARR ADVOCATE STAFF You never know when a simple chat with a good friend is going to end up inspirational. Jest Sidloski’s pal in Saskatchewan had told him about a fundraising idea. It was something the Red Deer man hadn’t heard about. “Well that day I was so inspired I had a website built, a Facebook and Twitter page built, and already 20 sign-ups. It just inspired me so much because I thought, ‘Hey this is such a simple cool idea. It’s easy.’” The “idea” turned into 100 Men Red Deer, similar to his friend’s idea. 100 Men is a no frills, no middleman, group of men that commit to donating $100 four times a year to a local charitable organization. Sidloski, who founded the local group, said they made their first donation of $10,600 to the Red Deer Food Bank last week. Members come from the city and surrounding areas.
Please see 100 MEN on Page A2
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FORECAST ON A2
INDEX Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . C2,C3 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . .D1,D2 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D3 Entertainment . . . . . . . . C4,C5 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-B6
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Red Deer Food Bank worker Donovan Bruno piles boxes of peppers in the warehouse recently. A group called 100 Men Red Deer have just donated over $10,000 to the Red Deer Food Bank.
CIA tried to stop arrest, torture of Arar A former spy has described the debate within the CIA over the arrest, rendition and torture of Canadian Maher Arar. Story on PAGE A3
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