Thompson, Man., puts out teddy bears for Hunter Smith-Straight
People unable to attend Sunday vigil in Winnipeg wanted to show support for family
People in Thompson, Man., are placing teddy bears on their front stoops in memory of a three-year-old boy who died Sunday, after he was stabbed multiple times while he slept last week.
Thompson resident Gina Spence posted a photo of a teddy bear on her porch, saying it would be there until Hunter Smith-Straight is laid to rest, on a community-based Facebook group.
Because Thompson is 650 kilometres north of Winnipeg, Spence couldn't attend the vigil for Hunter held in the city Sunday night. Placing the teddy bear outside was her way of showing support for the family, she said Monday morning.
"When the Humboldt crash happened, we put out our hockey sticks," Spence said. "It's something to show on my front porch. Somebody is going to drive by and say, 'Why is there a teddy bear out?' and they're going to ask questions."
Being the mother of a two-year-old boy herself, Spence said Hunter's death hits her "right in the heart."
"I can't imagine what this family is going through right now," she said. "To have a child lost so early in his age, it's just heartbreaking."
Other Thompson residents quickly followed Spence's lead.
About two dozen people have placed some sort of toy on their porch, she said, and people who don't have teddy bears on hand are putting out any stuffed animals they can; one parent put out a toy car.
"It's a tragic incident that happened, and I think that a lot of Thompson people — if we were all in Winnipeg — we would probably be at the vigil last night too," Spence said.
Mary Azure-Laubmann of the Keewatin Tribal Council believes so too, and is organizing a vigil in the northern community later this week.
"It's not a surprise a lot of us have been impacted," she said. "We truly needed a place to gather, and let the family know we're thinking of them."
The vigil was originally organized for noon Monday, but Azure-Laubmann said it's too cold to have it outside. Now she's looking for a place to host the vigil indoors.
Azure-Laubmann hopes to hold the vigil Thursday.
With files from Bryce Hoye