(File photo/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

MMIW inquiry report represents “good first step,” according to families with lost loved ones

Jun 3, 2019 | 1:18 PM

The twin sister of a woman who was murdered in Prince Albert four years ago, says the final report from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIW) Inquiry represents a step in the right direction but took long and cost too much.

Michelle Burns, the sister of Monica Lee Burns, was one of many families in Saskatchewan, who provided input for the 1,200 page report, which contains over 200 recommendations for multiple levels of government, police, and even the media. It was formerly released in Ottawa Monday. Burns said money used to pay for the report could have been used to help families in remote areas of the province, who have lost loved ones.

“They don’t have access to counseling, like who do they go to when their loved one is missing because it’s very remote so they don’t know where to go or who to talk to,” she said.

RCMP investigators found the remains of Monica Burns on a remote snowmobile trail roughly 15 km northwest of P.A. on Jan. 17, 2015. Michelle Burns, who now cares for her sister’s daughter, said there should also be funding set aside to help the children of the missing and murdered mothers.

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“[The recommendations] are a start I guess, and that’s more than what we had four years ago,” she said.

Among the recommendations included in Monday’s report were considerable legal reforms, including that police services establish standardized protocols to ensure all cases are thoroughly investigated. The reports also calls for standardized response times to reports of missing Indigenous persons and improved communication between officers and families from the moment they file the report.

The family of Happy Charles have pledged never to give up their search. (File photo/ panNOW Staff)

Carson Poitras, whose step-daughter Happy Charles went missing over two years ago, told paNOW the $92 million spent on the report was too much.

“The report is good and everything but what the people need, who have loved ones missing, are resources to help with the actual searches,” he said.

In addition to helping coordinate multiple awareness walks around his daughter’s disappearance, Poitras has also been working with federal ministers to develop workshops and support officers throughout the province.

‘Every time we asked we were told there was no money for that, even though they get so much for the inquiry,” he said.

The report represents the culmination of a three-year effort that was often beset by controversy, delays and personnel problems. It documents what chief commissioner Marion Buller calls “important truths” , including that Canadian laws and institutions are themselves to blame for violating the human rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Police respond to report

The Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police (SACP) issued a press release Monday, and said they accept the National Inquiry’s report with an open heart and an open mind.

“One of the principles of policing is that, to be effective, police must have the consent of the people and to get that consent, there must be trust,” said Chief Marlo Pritchard, Chief of the Weyburn Police Service and SACP President. “The National Inquiry has, yet again, demonstrated that we have failed to build the necessary trust with Indigenous, Métis and Inuit peoples, especially the women. Until everyone – no matter their race, religion or sexual orientation – have trust they will be treated fairly and equally by police, we have much work to do. We have to do better!”

The SACP said they have not yet had time to digest the total 231 recommendations in the final report, but as an organization of police chiefs, the SACP will be reviewing the recommendations and looking for ways to implement the necessary changes.

“This report is a valuable document which provides us the opportunity to delve deeper and look for opportunities to change the status quo,” added Chief Pritchard. “We have heard from the experts: the survivors and families, about what they lacked and what they need to move forward. We commit to learning from them.”

With files from Canadian Press

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell