City councillor picks up the torch on Highway of Tears

Prince Rupert City Councillor Joy Thorkelson has picked up on the concerns of the areas MLA Gary Coons, by urging the city to follow the lead of other Northern communities in placing a sign on the city outskirts to discourage hitchhiking, the common denominator in most of the disappearance on the highway.

Thorkelson who attended the Prince George symposium two years ago is concerned about the lack of progress on the issue and feels that many of the concerns raised two years ago have fallen by the wayside.

The Friday Daily News provided a front page story with details on her thoughts and what she hopes to see done to bring more attention to the issue.

'SIGN WOULD DRIVE HOME THE HIGHWAY OF TEARS MESSAGE'

By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, November 23, 2007
Pages one and three

One city of Prince Rupert councillor wants to follow other Northwest communities and place a warning sign about the so-called Highway of Tears.

At the last Prince Rupert council meeting, Coun. Joy Thorkelson noted that there has been little follow through on the western end of the highway following recommendations from Prince George two years ago.

"When I went to the symposium in Prince George and came back, at that time we thought the RCMP would be tasked with being a liaison between the Prince George committee and what was going to go on. My guess is that has sort of fallen by the wayside," she said.

In March 2006, the Highway of Tears Symposium held in Prince George was organized by First Nations and Aboriginal organizations to address the numerous disappearance and murders that have occurred along Highway 16 - the Highway of Tears - during the past two decades.

Thorkelson suggested the city follow the direction of the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District and put up a sign on the highway to discourage hitchhiking, given the numerous disappearances of young women over the years.

"A number of those young women came from here, worked here or were murdered just out of here. There's a highway sign now in Kitsukalum. It would sure be nice to have a highway sign here," she said.

"We could just probably copy somebody else's board, we don't have to be original."

"The two boards I have seen are pretty similar," said Thorkelson.

She added that the city, in upcoming meetings with bands such as Kitkatla, Lax Kw'alaams and Metlakatla, should also discuss the possibility of establishing protocol with the RCMP in cases where young women or children go missing.

"Maybe we could talk to them about their feelings on this issue. I am quire concerned we try to get involved in the Highway of Tears," she said.

On Oct. 12, the RCMP stated that the investigation of missing and murdered women in the Highway of Tears inquiry had expanded from nine women to encompass 18.

The review by the RCMP expanded the geographic scope of the Highway of Tears from the 800-kilometres between Prince George and Prince Rupert to now include the Kamloops-to-Prince George corridor as well.

The most recent disappearance in the Northwest was that of Tamara Chipman, who was last seen hitchhiking outside the Prince Rupert industrial park in September 2005.

The young mother was heading from Prince Rupert to her home in Terrace.