Polytechnique pays tribute to the 14 women killed on Dec. 6, 1989
Posted December 6, 2023 8:23 am.
Last Updated December 6, 2023 8:24 am.
As it does every year, Polytechnique Montréal will be paying tribute on Dec. 6 to the 14 young women who were murdered on this date 34 years ago, in 1989.
The flags in front of Polytechnique’s main building will be flown at half-mast until dusk.
Representatives of the school and student associations will lay a wreath of white roses in front of Polytechnique’s commemorative plaque. The general public is invited to pay their respects at the plaque, which is located near the student entrance.
White ribbons will be distributed at the Université de Montréal, and the central tower of the Roger-Gaudry building will be illuminated in commemoration.
Meanwhile, the Polytechnique Student Association and PolyPhoto will present an exhibition in tribute to the 14 victims of the massacre, in the tunnel linking the main pavilion to the Lassonde pavilions.
At 5:10 p.m., at the same time as the first shots were fired on December 6, 1989, 14 beams of light will illuminate the sky above Mount Royal. They will be lit one at a time as the names of the 14 victims are called out. The event will be broadcast live on Polytechnique Montréal’s social media accounts.
The public is also invited to gather at Place-du 6-Décembre, a park named in memory of the 14 murdered women. Located at the corner of Decelles Street and Queen-Mary, the park is a reminder of the fundamental values of respect and condemns all forms of violence against women. It features a work entitled “Nef pour quatorze reines”.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also expected to attend a vigil organized in tribute to the victims, at 4:45 p.m.
Twelve of the 14 murdered women were engineering students, aged between 20 and 29. Another was a 31-year-old nursing student, and the other victim was a 25-year-old finance employee.
The victims are Geneviève Bergeron, Maryse Laganière, Hélène Colgan, Maryse Leclair, Nathalie Croteau, Anne-Marie Lemay, Barbara Daigneault, Sonia Pelletier, Anne-Marie Edward, Michèle Richard, Maud Haviernick, Annie St-Arneault, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz and Annie Turcotte.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 6, 2023.
