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06-23-2006, 03:19 AM
'Highway of Tears' no place for hitchhiking: report
Updated Thu. Jun. 22 2006 8:36 AM ET
Canadian Press
VANCOUVER -- Young women need some other way of travelling through northern British Columbia than hitchhiking, say aboriginal groups concerned about the murders and disappearances of nine women along the so-called Highway of Tears.
The groups issued a report Wednesday of suggested measures aimed at preventing further disappearances. The report did not make mention of the fears of many in the area - that a serial killer is stalking the 724-kilometre stretch of the Yellowhead Highway between Prince Rupert and Prince George.
The nine women, aged between 14 and 25, disappeared along the highway between 1989 and last February. All but one were aboriginal; most were hitchhiking at the time.
"Young aboriginal women are placing themselves at risk by hitchhiking because they simply have no other transportation options," said the report.
There aren't many services in the small, mostly aboriginal communities along the corridor and residents are often forced to travel to bigger centres for medical services or recreation.
Without a car, the only transportation service is the Greyhound bus or hitchhiking.
The report suggests a shuttle bus be established between each town and city along the corridor. The bus would pick up and drop off young female passengers and would stop and pick up every young women walking or hitchhiking along the highway.
Seven buses would be needed, says the report.
As well, any RCMP highway patrol that comes across a young female hitchhiker should be required to stop and provide the hitchhiker with an information pamphlet about the dangers and a schedule of the shuttle bus.
And Greyhound should be encouraged to expand its "free ride" program and target it to young women who live along the highway.
The current free ride program provides transportation to people who can't afford to pay.
Solicitor General John Les, who attended the March symposium, praised the report for its thoroughness and thoughfulness.
But he said the primary concern is catching whoever is responsible for the deaths.
"Before we address or think about even, the recommendations from this report, one thing that everybody wants. . . more than anything else is to find those who have perpetrated these events to be arrested and brought to justice. That is first and foremost."
NDP Leader Carole James also endorsed the 39-page report.
"We need to address things like shuttle buses so people from small communities, who often have to travel into Prince George for issues to do with court or medical concerns, have an ability to get there safely," said James, who once lived in the Prince George area.
"But it (the report) also talks about the long-term, systemic challenges - the poverty issues, the need to do something about activities for our youth."
The report suggests establishing a series of 22 "safe homes" where young women who find themselves out on the road late at night can go for shelter.
And emergency phone booths should be built along the highway, especially at the stretches where cell phone coverage is limited.
In the event another disappearance occurs, an aboriginal crisis response team should be established.
Finally, the report recommends a better relationship between the RCMP and aboriginal communities caught up in the fear of what's happening along the highway.
The report noted that when symposium organizers contacted police to get a contact list of victims' families in order to invite them to the conference, the list wasn't current.
"The majority of the victims' families that attended the Highway of Tears symposium, all of whom are aboriginal, voiced concerns over the lack of communication from the RCMP."
Earlier this month, police met with the victims' families, partly in response to what they heard at the symposium.
Updated Thu. Jun. 22 2006 8:36 AM ET
Canadian Press
VANCOUVER -- Young women need some other way of travelling through northern British Columbia than hitchhiking, say aboriginal groups concerned about the murders and disappearances of nine women along the so-called Highway of Tears.
The groups issued a report Wednesday of suggested measures aimed at preventing further disappearances. The report did not make mention of the fears of many in the area - that a serial killer is stalking the 724-kilometre stretch of the Yellowhead Highway between Prince Rupert and Prince George.
The nine women, aged between 14 and 25, disappeared along the highway between 1989 and last February. All but one were aboriginal; most were hitchhiking at the time.
"Young aboriginal women are placing themselves at risk by hitchhiking because they simply have no other transportation options," said the report.
There aren't many services in the small, mostly aboriginal communities along the corridor and residents are often forced to travel to bigger centres for medical services or recreation.
Without a car, the only transportation service is the Greyhound bus or hitchhiking.
The report suggests a shuttle bus be established between each town and city along the corridor. The bus would pick up and drop off young female passengers and would stop and pick up every young women walking or hitchhiking along the highway.
Seven buses would be needed, says the report.
As well, any RCMP highway patrol that comes across a young female hitchhiker should be required to stop and provide the hitchhiker with an information pamphlet about the dangers and a schedule of the shuttle bus.
And Greyhound should be encouraged to expand its "free ride" program and target it to young women who live along the highway.
The current free ride program provides transportation to people who can't afford to pay.
Solicitor General John Les, who attended the March symposium, praised the report for its thoroughness and thoughfulness.
But he said the primary concern is catching whoever is responsible for the deaths.
"Before we address or think about even, the recommendations from this report, one thing that everybody wants. . . more than anything else is to find those who have perpetrated these events to be arrested and brought to justice. That is first and foremost."
NDP Leader Carole James also endorsed the 39-page report.
"We need to address things like shuttle buses so people from small communities, who often have to travel into Prince George for issues to do with court or medical concerns, have an ability to get there safely," said James, who once lived in the Prince George area.
"But it (the report) also talks about the long-term, systemic challenges - the poverty issues, the need to do something about activities for our youth."
The report suggests establishing a series of 22 "safe homes" where young women who find themselves out on the road late at night can go for shelter.
And emergency phone booths should be built along the highway, especially at the stretches where cell phone coverage is limited.
In the event another disappearance occurs, an aboriginal crisis response team should be established.
Finally, the report recommends a better relationship between the RCMP and aboriginal communities caught up in the fear of what's happening along the highway.
The report noted that when symposium organizers contacted police to get a contact list of victims' families in order to invite them to the conference, the list wasn't current.
"The majority of the victims' families that attended the Highway of Tears symposium, all of whom are aboriginal, voiced concerns over the lack of communication from the RCMP."
Earlier this month, police met with the victims' families, partly in response to what they heard at the symposium.
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