No More Stolen Sisters: The Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto Calls for Action

No More Stolen Sisters: The Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto Calls for Action

The Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto (NWRCT) began when a dedicated group of Indigenous women recognized the need for a gathering place in Toronto where Indigenous women could share resources, support one another, and practice their traditional ways. A registered charity, the NWRCT provides a safe and welcoming environment for all Indigenous women and children in the Greater Toronto Area, providing access to basic rights items, housing support, community wellness, family and children programming, employment, and education support.

Working to continue their initiatives of uplifting Indigenous women, NWRCT has launched a new project, 4000 Cover Stories. The project was created to commemorate the lives of thousands of Indigenous women and girls who have been taken from their loved ones, and to create awareness of the ongoing genocide of Indigenous women.

This project is with special thanks to Forsman & Bodenfors for their desire to learn, the commitment, time, energy and allyship to raise awareness.

The initiative launched on October 3, 2022, when NWRCT released the project at Queen’s Park, sharing stories of the 4,000 Indigenous women and girls who have gone missing or been murdered.

Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to be murdered in Canada—and despite a national inquiry and 231 calls to justice, little has been done to address the crisis. Many of these stories date back as late as the 1970s and almost all of them remain unsolved with no justice found.

In an open letter, NWRCT Executive Director Pamela Hart urged Canadians to join them in the fight for justice.

“This project demonstrates the many faces that continue to be ignored, it aims to honour the beauty stolen from our community and their families who continue to grieve,” she wrote. “No more harm against Indigenous women, of any kind, and no more silence. We honour all of our spirit sisters, the families and the generations to come that will combat against harm.”

The NWRCT aims to be a safe space for Indigenous women and girls—with their location in Toronto, they offer a welcoming environment and a place to heal.

“Indigenous women are mothers, daughters, aunties, sisters,” Hart shared. “They are leaders, protectors, warriors, lifegivers, beautiful, artistic, strong, proud, ground-breaking and they are recalling their spiritual power. Indigenous women are SACRED.”