B.C.'s infamous 'Highway of Tears'

Home · Society · Crime & Justice · B.C.'s infamous 'Highway of Tears'

You must sign in to leave a comment on this clip.

I am utterly shocked at what seems to be less than adequate police work on cases such as these which, for the most part appear to be linked. These young victims are aboriginal except for one as the CBC clip points out. Where are our brightest homicide investigators? What is being done in order to stop this or these individuals. As things go, shows such as "Criminal Minds" in which the F.B.I.'S, criminal behavioural analysts put their best and brightest on cases which cannot be solved otherwise. Let us NOT become insensitive to the plight of these young victims. Could it be that the fact they (were) aboriginal prove we should spend any less time and resources on finding and bringing their "butcher(s)" to justice??? I say "ENOUGH!" We are not the U.S. of America, we're Canadians and each & every life matters here. I am not chastising the detectives on these cases. I am trying to put the focus where it lies, B.C.'s lack of funding regarding these senseless serial killers... It seems that British Columbia has had it's share of them within the last three decades or so. What seems shamefull is that our politicians spend taxpayer dollars on third world nations with which I fully agree only where I draw the line is when it comes at the expense of Canadian lives. Where are the resources which are needed in order to bring these annimals to justice?

Submitted by: Joseph Lajoie

B.C.'s infamous 'Highway of Tears'

Broadcast Date: June 21, 2006

National Aboriginal Day is supposed to be a time to celebrate First Nations' culture and achievements. But in Prince George, B.C. in 2006 the day is as much about mourning the loss of several young women, most of them aboriginal. As stated in this CBC-TV report from Canada Now, 11 women have either been murdered or gone missing on central B.C.'s Highway 16, which for many has come to be known as the Highway of Tears. The real number could be much higher. "Prince Rupert did a ‘Take back the highway' campaign and in that demonstration on Sept. 17, 2005, 32 women were (numbered)," says Don Sabo, author of The Highway of Tears Symposium Recommendation Report. The report makes several recommendations designed to save the lives of young women. Chief among the submissions is a shuttle bus system that would safely transport women travelling along the road between Prince George and Prince Rupert, B.C.

B.C.'s infamous 'Highway of Tears'

• The 11 victims mentioned in this clip and also profiled on the Highway of Tears website are as follows (includes their age at the time they went missing and their status): Aielah Saric-Auger, 14 (2006, murdered); Tamara Chipman, 22 (2005, missing); Nicole Hoar, 25 (2002, missing); Lana Derrick, 19 (1995, missing); Leah Alishia Germaine, 15 (1994, murdered); Roxanne Thiara, 15 (1994, murdered); Ramona Wilson, 16 (1995, murdered); Delphine Nikal, 16 (1990, missing); Cecilia Anne Nikal, age not given (1989, missing); Monica Ignas, 15 (1974, murdered); and Alberta Williams, 24 (1988, murdered).

• In 2006, the RCMP launched a special investigation into the case of the missing and murdered women. Initially their case involved eight women, the first eight named above. Ignas and Williams were added in 2007. The RCMP list does not include Cecilia Anne Nikal, though she is named on the Highway of Tears website. As of October 2009, the RCMP investigation has been updated to include eight more women. According to the Highway of Tears website, these women were added "after police did profiling and found similarities to those missing." These women are: Gloria Moody (1970, murdered); Micheline Pare (1970, murdered); Gale Weyes (1973, murdered); Pamela Darlington (1973, murdered); Colleen MacMillin (1974, murdered); Monica Jack (1978, murdered); Maureen Mosie (1981, murdered); and Shelly-Anne Bascu (1983, murdered).

• The Highway of Tears website was launched in 2005 by Prince George businessman Tony Romeyn, who was moved by the stories of women who have gone missing along Highway 16. Romeyn wanted to assist the families of the murdered and missing young women. On the site, there is a map of Highway 16 that shows the general area where 19 victims were found or is said to have disappeared. Four of the 19 girls are listed as missing, while the bodies of the other 15 have been found and the cases considered homicides. Ann Bascu, who went missing in 1983, is the only one who went missing outside of B.C., in Hinton, Alta.

• The "Highway of Tears Symposium" was held in March 2006 by several Prince George-area aboriginal groups. The outcome was the Highway of Tears Symposium Recommendation Report, published June 2006. It states: "There is much community speculation and debate on the exact number of women that have disappeared along Highway 16 over a longer 35 year period; many are saying the number of missing women, combined with the number of confirmed murdered women, exceeds 30". The report says the term Highway of Tears was the result of the "fear, frustration and sorrow" that grew "within First Nations communities along the highway upon each reported case of a young woman's disappearance, or confirmation of a recovered body."

• Highway 16 is part of the Trans-Canada Highway and is also called Yellowhead Highway 16. It cuts through central B.C., from the Alberta border to the B.C. coast. It passes west through Prince George, Fraser Lake, Smithers and Terrace before hitting Prince Rupert. It continues for a brief stretch on Graham Island, one of the Queen Charlotte Islands, from Masset to Skidegate. The stretch known as the Highway of Tears encompasses much of the route, running 722 kilometres (449 miles) from Prince George to Prince Rupert.

B.C.'s infamous 'Highway of Tears'

Medium: Television

Program: Canada Now

Broadcast Date: June 21, 2006

Guest(s): Don Sabo

Reporter: Miyoung Lee

Duration: 2:32

Last updated:
March 28, 2011

End of list