On February 14, 2025, the 34th annual Women’s Memorial March will move again through Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside streets. Beginning at noon at the intersection of Main and Hastings, the march will follow its established path through the neighbourhood, pausing at sites connected to the lives and deaths of women who have gone missing or been murdered. The event, described by organizers as both an act of grief and a call for justice, is expected to draw hundreds of participants, including families of the victims, community members, and supporters from across the province.
The march began in 1992 after the murder of a Coast Salish woman in the Downtown Eastside, a tragedy that galvanized residents who felt authorities were indifferent to the violence facing women—particularly Indigenous women—in the community. Over the years, the march has grown beyond the initial tragedy, becoming an annual event aimed at remembering all women who have disappeared or been killed in the area. While some participants view it as a form of activism, others emphasize that it is, first and foremost, a time for families to honour their loved ones without interference from political agendas publicly.
What distinguishes the Women’s Memorial March is its sustained presence in the Downtown Eastside, a neighbourhood long associated with economic hardship, substance dependence, and violence. While rates of violent crime in Vancouver have fluctuated over the years, the conditions that made the Downtown Eastside especially dangerous for women in the 1990s persist today. Housing precarity, open drug use, and strained policing relationships continue to leave many women vulnerable. The march is a reminder that safety concerns are not confined to the past but remain an ongoing reality for those who live in the neighbourhood.
Event Details and Public Participation
The Women’s Memorial March on February 14, 2025, will follow a structured schedule that reflects its dual purpose as both a public gathering and a space for private remembrance. At 10:00 a.m., families of the missing and murdered will gather for a closed ceremony—an event not open to the public—offering relatives the opportunity to come together away from media attention. This portion underscores an often-overlooked reality: for many families, the march is not a protest but a deeply personal act of grieving.
The public procession will begin at 12:00 p.m. at the corner of Main and Hastings, a location that has come to symbolize both the hardships experienced by women in the Downtown Eastside and the community’s ongoing demand for recognition. Participants will move through several blocks, stopping at sites where women were last seen or where their lives were taken. These pauses, marked by the offering of tobacco and cedar, serve as both memorial acts and acknowledgments of the danger that continues to shape the daily lives of some residents. By 4:00 p.m., the march will conclude with a community feast at Japanese Hall on Alexander Street, where families, organizers, and attendees will gather in a more informal setting.
Organizers have emphasized that the event is not a platform for external agendas. Attendees are asked to refrain from bringing banners representing political groups or promotional material, as the focus remains on those being remembered. While this guideline has generally been respected, there have been past instances where external activists sought to insert broader causes into the event. Such attempts have led to discomfort among some families, who view the day not as an opportunity for advocacy but as a rare occasion to see their loved ones acknowledged in public space.
Historical Context – Why the March Began
The Women’s Memorial March was first held in 1992, following the murder of a Coast Salish woman in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Frustrated by what they described as a lack of urgency from law enforcement and public indifference, a small group of women—many of whom had personal connections to the victim—organized a walk through the neighbourhood to honour her life. The march, intended as a single act of remembrance, quickly became an annual tradition as more families came forward to mourn their losses. Each year brought more participants, many carrying photographs of daughters, sisters, and mothers whose cases remained unsolved.
The event’s growth reflected the scale of violence against women in the Downtown Eastside, which had become increasingly visible by the early 1990s. Indigenous women were particularly vulnerable, with reports indicating they were being murdered at rates far exceeding those of non-Indigenous women across Canada. Concerns from community members about the pattern of disappearances were often dismissed by authorities, with families stating that victims were frequently stereotyped as transient or involved in high-risk lifestyles, reducing the likelihood of thorough investigations. Public attention to these cases remained minimal until 2002, when serial killer Robert Pickton was arrested, eventually confessing to the murders of 49 women, many of whom had lived in the Downtown Eastside.
Although the Pickton case brought national and international scrutiny to the failures of police and social services in the region, families and advocates stress that violence against women in the neighbourhood did not begin with his crimes—nor did it end with his arrest. Women have continued to go missing from the area in the years since, leading many to argue that systemic issues—ranging from unsafe housing to a lack of trust in law enforcement—have yet to be fully addressed. The Women’s Memorial March, now entering its 34th year, endures because families believe that their loved ones’ stories risk being forgotten unless they are publicly remembered year after year.
Current State of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in BC
Violence against Indigenous women and girls remains a significant concern in British Columbia despite increased public awareness and high-profile inquiries. While the arrest and conviction of Robert Pickton exposed widespread policing failures, data suggests that the underlying risks Indigenous women face have not been meaningfully reduced. A 2019 report from Statistics Canada indicated that Indigenous women were 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing compared to non-Indigenous women across the country. In BC, this pattern is even more pronounced, particularly in urban centres like Vancouver and along the Highway of Tears, a remote corridor in northern BC where dozens of women—many Indigenous—have disappeared since the 1970s.
A 2023 update from the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General stated that Indigenous women accounted for over 30% of female homicide victims in the province despite representing less than 6% of the population. Police clearance rates—cases classified as solved—have improved since the 1990s. Still, families and advocates remain critical of what they describe as inconsistent responses when Indigenous women are reported missing. Concerns persist that prejudices regarding substance use or transient lifestyles continue to influence the urgency assigned to these cases. However, law enforcement agencies maintain that investigative procedures have been standardized and improved following the findings of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry in 2012.
Critics argue that the statistical improvements mask the everyday reality of safety concerns for Indigenous women, particularly those living in poverty or experiencing homelessness. Frontline workers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside report that reports of assaults, disappearances, and instances of coercion remain common, though not all incidents receive media attention or result in formal investigations. Some suggest that community-based safety networks, including informal groups that monitor high-risk areas, have played a more immediate role in protecting women than police patrols or official policies. These claims point to an ongoing divide: while data reflects progress in investigations and convictions, those living in vulnerable circumstances say that meaningful protection remains elusive.
Gaps in Response and Safety Efforts
In the years following the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry in 2012, British Columbia introduced several reforms intended to address policing failures and improve safety for women in high-risk environments. Among these measures was the establishment of the Provincial Office of Domestic Violence and adopting community safety plans intended to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and Indigenous communities. Yet more than a decade later, families and advocates continue to question whether these steps have resulted in meaningful change on the ground.
One area of concern is the practical application of trauma-informed policing, a practice frequently referenced in policy discussions but challenging to measure in everyday operations. While police forces have increased training in this area, residents in the Downtown Eastside report that interactions with officers can still be dismissive or hostile, particularly when women experiencing homelessness or substance dependence seek assistance. This raises a critical issue often overlooked in government progress reports: whether cultural and procedural reforms within police agencies can genuinely overcome the long history of distrust that developed during the years when reports of missing women were routinely ignored.
Funding for support services also remains uneven. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls issued 231 Calls for Justice in 2019, urging governments to prioritize safe housing, transportation, and emergency shelters in vulnerable regions. Some improvements have been made, particularly in rural areas where transportation programs have been introduced along the Highway of Tears. However, urban centres such as Vancouver continue to face acute housing shortages, and many women in the Downtown Eastside rely on temporary shelters that frequently reach capacity. While policing reforms and emergency measures have addressed some gaps, the underlying conditions that expose women to violence—housing instability, poverty, and lack of long-term support—persist, limiting the effectiveness of these interventions.
Community Safety and the March’s Limits
While the Women’s Memorial March is a vital remembrance, some community voices question its impact on day-to-day safety in Downtown Eastside. Organizers and participants emphasized that the march is primarily about honouring lives lost, but others living in the area point to the daily risks that persist once the crowd disperses. Assaults, disappearances, and coercion continue to affect women in the community, leading some to wonder whether public grieving—however necessary—has translated into lasting improvements in safety.
Local outreach workers note that informal networks, often coordinated by women living in the neighbourhood, have been among the most effective tools for immediate protection. These groups operate outside the formal structures of law enforcement and government agencies. They warn each other about predatory behaviour, accompany women walking through high-risk areas, and assist those in crisis long before police or social workers become involved. While these networks are valued within the community, they remain unofficial and unsupported, raising the question of whether authorities rely too heavily on informal, unpaid efforts to fill gaps in the safety net.
Critics of government responses argue that the yearly memorial has sometimes allowed policymakers to claim symbolic alignment with the cause without committing to systemic change. Elected officials often attend the march, and some see their presence as an attempt to acknowledge the issue publicly. Yet, families of the missing and murdered have repeatedly stressed that visibility alone is not sufficient. The need for lasting change—particularly in housing security, police accountability, and frontline services—remains as pressing as ever. For many, the march endures not as proof of progress but as a reminder that the conditions that first brought people into the streets in 1992 have not been resolved.
The March as a Continuation, Not a Conclusion
The Women’s Memorial March returns to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside on February 14, 2025, as it has every year since 1992. Families and residents will gather once again to walk through the neighbourhood, stopping at places where women were last seen or where their lives ended. For those directly affected, the march remains an act of public remembrance, ensuring that the names and stories of their loved ones are not lost. For the wider public, it offers an opportunity to witness the ongoing reality of violence against women in the community and to stand alongside those who continue to seek safety and justice.
While the broader conditions contributing to violence in the Downtown Eastside—housing instability, substance dependence, and strained relationships with law enforcement—have not been fully addressed, the march endures as a reminder that these issues persist. It reflects the families’ insistence that accountability cannot fade with time and that the search for answers does not end with an arrest or an inquiry report.
Members of the public are invited to participate in the march, with organizers emphasizing that the gathering is a solemn occasion led by families. The public march will begin at 12:00 p.m. at Main and Hastings, concluding with a community feast at Japanese Hall on Alexander Street at 4:00 p.m. Attendees are asked to respect the event’s purpose by refraining from bringing promotional materials or signs unrelated to the commemoration. The Women’s Memorial March is not a celebration of progress but a recognition that violence against women remains a present reality in the Downtown Eastside and beyond—and that those who have been lost must not be forgotten.
Monika is a dedicated Downtown Eastside activist and youth counsellor with extensive experience working alongside British Columbia and California community organizations. Passionate about harm reduction and youth empowerment, Monika’s advocacy focuses on creating impactful programs, offering a voice to those often overlooked.
Leave a Comment