WHEREAS 35 years ago, on December 6th 1989, a massacre occurred at a Canadian university that shook our nation. A young man walked in Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, and killed 14 women and injured another 1O;

and WHEREAS established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, December 6th was marked as National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women; and

WHEREAS on average, every six days a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner, and this year thousands of women will face violence in the form of harassment, assault, intimate partner violence and many other forms of abuse; and

WHEREAS ending violence against women can be achieved through constant reminders of our responsibility to treat all members of society with dignity and respect; and

WHEREAS we can work towards eliminating violence against women through our individual actions in naming the violence when we witness it and supporting those who are affected whether it be at home, school, the workplace or in public spaces.

NOW THEREFORE, I, Shawn Pankow Mayor of the Town of Smiths Falls, do hereby proclaim December 6th, 2024 as National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women