Montreal

Montreal Massacre anniversary marked

A series of quiet ceremonies will be held across Canada on Monday to mark the 21st anniversary of the Montreal Massacre.
Emergency workers rush a victim out of the École Polytechnique on Dec. 6, 1989, in Montreal. ((Canadian Press))
A series of quiet ceremonies will be held across Canada on Monday to mark the 21st anniversary of the Montreal Massacre.

On Dec. 6, 1989, enraged gunman Marc Lépine killed 14 women at the engineering school, École Polytechnique.

In a statement on its website, the school said the pain of that day "has made way for the continuation of life."

But the statement added that the memory of the 13 students and one staff member who died, as well as the many people who were wounded, lives on.

The school said a bouquet of 14 white roses will be placed before a memorial plaque on Monday morning and campus flags will be lowered to half-mast.

The Quebec Federation of Women will also hold a noon-hour rally at Place Émile-Gamelin near the Berri-UQAM metro station, bringing to a close 12 days of activities across the province denouncing violence against women.

Nation joins in marking anniversary

Other ceremonies will be held across the country to honour the victims.

Flags will be lowered to half-mast at all City of Ottawa sites, while in Toronto, a solemn ceremony will take place at Women's College Hospital.

Nurses in Windsor, Ont., will also pay tribute to Lori Dupont, a nurse who was slain by a physician while working at Hotel Dieu Hospital in 2005.

In Hamilton, a commemorative program will be held today at Convocation Hall at McMaster University.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, Memorial University will hold an event at the engineering building in St. John's.

In 1991, Parliament recognized the tragedy by declaring Dec. 6 as the National Day of Mourning and a National Day to End Violence Against Women.

With files from The Canadian Press