Vancouver traffic to be impacted this afternoon for annual march

A sombre event is being held in Vancouver on Tuesday for the Women’s Memorial March, held for the last three decades and organized by Indigenous women on the Downtown Eastside.

The march began in 1992 after a woman was murdered on Powell Street in Vancouver and over the years it has grown to remember other victims, as well as call for justice.

A view from above as hundreds marched through Gastown and the Downtown Eastside Tuesday. (Daily Hive)

Family members will speak in the morning at Main and Hastings Streets before attendees march through the Downtown Eastside towards Oppenheimer Park for a healing circle. There will then be a community feast at the Japanese Language Hall to finish.

Today is the 32nd Women’s Memorial March, organized by Indigenous women in the Downtown East Side to commemorate the women who have been murdered or gone missing from the neighbourhood. The event starts at 10 am at Main & Hastings. For more details ➡️ https://t.co/AMGysyascz 1/2 pic.twitter.com/eyWwW0VDDn

— City of Vancouver (@CityofVancouver) February 14, 2023

The event is slated to be from 10 am to 5 pm and there are several road closures in place including at Main and Hastings.

Those who cannot attend in person can watch the livestream.

The province put out a statement ahead of the gathering to show its support for the march.

“All of us have a responsibility to come together on this day, and every day, to protect those who are most at risk of being targeted with violence. This is an urgent issue confronting First Nations, our province and country,” the statement reads in part from Premier David Eby, Kelli Paddon, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, and Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Murray Rankin.

“Colonialism, discrimination, racism and other forms of systemic oppression mean that Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQ+ people are disproportionately vulnerable to gender-based violence.

“In honour of the people whose lives have been stolen, their families, and survivors, we are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQ+ people and addressing the underlying root causes of violence.”