MMIWG hearings announced in Vancouver and Moncton
Inquiry also headed to Watson Lake, Yukon, for statement gathering
New dates have been announced for community hearings in Vancouver and Moncton as part of the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
In a news release, the organization said hearings will be held in Moncton Feb. 13-14 and in Vancouver April 4-8. The inquiry will also hold a statement gathering event in Watson Lake, Yukon, Feb. 27-March 1.
The inquiry had previously announced it would hold statement gatherings in Prince George, B.C. That means the largest city along B.C.'s Highway of Tears is still not getting full hearings.
Unlike full hearings, commissioners with the MMIWG inquiry do not attend statement gathering sessions. Instead, members of the inquiry's legal team hold private sessions with families where their words and stories are recorded for later review by commissioners.
More than 697 families and survivors have shared their stories through the inquiry, the organization said in a news release.
But the road has been bumpy with perpetual staff turnover and concerns over aftercare that have plagued the national inquiry since it began in 2016.