Highway of Tears to get bus route after 18 women murdered or missing
Highway of Tears to get bus route after 18 women murdered or missing
Canadian indigenous groups say number of victims is closer to 50 along the remote 450-mile stretch of road through British Columbia
Ashifa Kassam in Toronto
@ashifa_k
Friday 17 June 2016 10.57 EDT
A remote 450-mile stretch of road through western Canada where dozens of mostly indigenous women have been murdered or gone missing, could have regular bus service by the end of the year, as government officials move to address a longstanding demand by First Nations groups in the area.
Known as the Highway of Tears, the section of British Columbia’s AutoRoute 16 cuts through the northern part of the province, winding through First Nations reserves, thick forests and logging towns. Chronic poverty and a dearth of public transit options force many to resort to hitchhiking to move around the area.
Police say 18 women have gone missing or have been murdered along the road and its adjacent routes since the 1970s. Indigenous groups say the actual figure is probably closer to 50 women, the youngest of whom was 14 years old. Many of the cases remain unsolved.
On Wednesday, the provincial government of British Columbia said it aims to have a bus service – part of a multifaceted transportation network planned for the highway and its vicinity – up and running by the end of the year.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/17/canada-highway-of-tears-bus-service-murdered-indigenous-women
= new reply since forum marked as read
