Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

Brother Of Murdered Woman Shocked After Vancouver Removes Memorials

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 27 Sep, 2015 01:19 PM
    VANCOUVER — A brother of one of the women murdered by Robert Pickton says he's shocked and upset after the City of Vancouver removed plaques honouring three of the killer's victims.
     
    Bronze plaques bearing the names of Georgina Papin, Brenda Wolfe and Marnie Frey were installed in a sidewalk in the city's Downtown Eastside in 2012.
     
    George Papin travels to Vancouver once or twice a month to lay tobacco and say a prayer at his sister's plaque. But about two weeks ago, he discovered it was gone.
     
    "I treasured the memorial as it was a part of me, just like my sister," he said. "And now they take this away."
     
    The memorials were part of an unfinished project called "The Living Stones," which was originally set to lay 62 plaques at the last known locations of missing and murdered women.
     
    The city took over the project in 2013 after the non-profit group that launched it dissolved. Just four plaques had been laid.
     
    A city spokesman said Saturday that staff had been working to "resolve issues" around the project. He said its founders originally indicated it had been endorsed by all the families and the Downtown Eastside community.
     
    "Unfortunately, we later discovered that there was not consensus from the community or from the women's families regarding this project," Jason Watson said in a statement.
     
    "Given the lack of consensus, it was determined in spring 2015 that the few plaques that were installed would be removed and no additional ones would be installed."
     
    He said the city is working to obtain contact details for the families to see if they want the plaques sent to them, adding the non-profit previously refused to provide that information.
     
    Papin, who lives in Pemberton, said city officials had not contacted him. The other women's families could not immediately be reached, but a woman who identified herself as Wolfe's daughter Angel said on Facebook that the city had been in touch and was planning to send families the plaques.
     
    Frey's father Rick was quoted in the Vancouver Sun in 2013 as saying that he didn't want the plaque in the ground with "people walking over it and spitting on" it.
     
    Pickton is serving a life sentence for the second-degree murders of six women. Twenty other charges against him were not proceeded with — including in the death of Cara Ellis.
     
    A Living Stone plaque laid in another location in Vancouver's downtown core that honoured Ellis has not yet been removed.
     
    Sean Faludi, the project's founder, strongly denied the city's allegations. He said he provided permission letters from all but one of the families and had never refused to hand over contact details.
     
    Faludi said he only learned on Saturday that the stones had been removed.
     
    "What astounds me is the callousness of the way these stones have been treated," he said. "It's rather heartbreaking to know that a project that was associated with my name is kind of brushed under the trash can."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    'The Vaulter', Bank Robber Sought For Years By Canada, Arrested In Geneva

    'The Vaulter', Bank Robber Sought For Years By Canada, Arrested In Geneva
    Geneva police have announced the arrest of the "most-wanted bank robber in Canada" — known for his technique of jumping over bank counters in his heists.

    'The Vaulter', Bank Robber Sought For Years By Canada, Arrested In Geneva

    Boy, 4, Dead After Being Hit By Car Driven By Off-Duty B.C. Mountie

    Boy, 4, Dead After Being Hit By Car Driven By Off-Duty B.C. Mountie
     A four-year-old boy in Penticton, B.C., has died after being struck by a car driven by an off-duty police officer.

    Boy, 4, Dead After Being Hit By Car Driven By Off-Duty B.C. Mountie

    CBC's Rex Murphy Retires Mic After 21 Years Of 'Friendly' National Radio

    CBC's Rex Murphy Retires Mic After 21 Years Of 'Friendly' National Radio
    The personable, yet fiery critic from Newfoundland remains proud of that 1998 decision as he bids farewell to listeners after 21 years as host of CBC's Cross Country Checkup.

    CBC's Rex Murphy Retires Mic After 21 Years Of 'Friendly' National Radio

    Air Canada Pilot Diverts Tel Aviv-To-Toronto Flight To Ensure Dog's Safety

    The dog, identified in media reports as Simba, was travelling in the cargo hold of a flight bound to Toronto from Tel Aviv.

    Air Canada Pilot Diverts Tel Aviv-To-Toronto Flight To Ensure Dog's Safety

    Federal Government To Take Controversy Over Face Coverings To Supreme Court

    Immigration Minister Chris Alexander issued a terse, one-line statement Wednesday to outline the government's next step.

    Federal Government To Take Controversy Over Face Coverings To Supreme Court

    Refinery Issues South Of The Border May Bump Up Gas Prices In Western Canada

    Refinery Issues South Of The Border May Bump Up Gas Prices In Western Canada
    Dan McTeague predicts motorists from Thunder Bay to British Columbia will be paying more when gas prices jump as much as five to seven cents a litre. 

    Refinery Issues South Of The Border May Bump Up Gas Prices In Western Canada