Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly - Aug 12, 2015

Summary

Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly: Wed Aug 12, 2015 (Nora O'Malley) Highway of Tears documentary brings together West Coast community under umbrella of missing and murdered women

source: https://issuu.com/blackpress/docs/i20150812045119780/9
archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20240110202744/https://issuu.com/blackpress/docs/i20150812045119780/9
clip: https://lisamarieyoung.ca/n/tuw20150812

[Reproduced under Copyright Act (Canada) s.29.2 - Fair Dealing for the purpose of news reporting]

Highway of Tears documentary brings together West Coast community under umbrella of MMIWG

The rainy weather over the weekend set an apropos scene for the West Coast screenings of Highway of Tears, the award-winning documentary directed and produced by Matt Smiley. The sombre film, which investigates the disappearance or murder of women along Highway 16 in Northern B.C., was well-supported by the West Coast community at all three screenings in Hitacu, Ucluelet, and Tofino. "Thank you for being here in our territory. It touches my heart. I really didn't have that faith that there would be that many coming to watch the film and listen to what was being said. But I'm wrong. Thank you for making me wrong," said Tofino-local Katie Fraser during the Q & A period at the Clayoquot Sound Community Theatre showing on Sunday, Aug. 9. Carol Martin Young, the aunt of Lisa Marie Young who went missing outside of Nanaimo on June 30, 2002*, courageously took the stage with members of her family after each screening to speak out about their missing niece. Lisa's not here to have a voice, so it's up to you to be her voice because something terrible happened to her. We don't know where or what happened. She's missing, She comes from a loving mom and dad who always looked after her. She's a typical young girl," said Carol Young. Lisa Marie Young was last seen 13 years ago leaving a house party in the Cathers Lake area of Nanaimo. She left the party in the company of a male who was driving an older model red Jaguar. The driver of the Jaguar was eventually identified and questioned by RCMP, but released. "To this day we still don't know where Lisa is. We will never give up hope. It's still as painful as the day she went missing," said Carol Young. "We need our leaders to say it's not OK. These are human beings. They have families that love them. It's over 1,200 aboriginal women across Canada that are missing or murdered. Lisa is one of them," she said. Katie Fraser again put into words what Carol Young and all the families of the women and girls who have gone missing along the Highway of Tears long for: "I'm not saying that every case will be resolved. But my auntie, that sits up there crying for her granddaughter, for a long time now she needs to have closure. The Martin family needs to have closure," said Fraser. People that attended the screening on Sunday Aug. 9 walked from the Village Green to the Tofino Community Theatre in support for Lisa Marie Young. Anyone who has seen Lisa or has information on her possible whereabouts should call RCMP in Nanaimo: (250) 754-2345 or any RCMP Detachment.