A MEMORIAL TO THE LOST WOMEN

THURSDAY, Feb 15
On Valentine's Day, marches were held across Canada in remembrance of the women (mostly aboriginal) who have gone missing or died on the streets. These marches have been held for the last 16 years. This year, in Vancouver, it was especially poignant as the families and friends of the missing women, (some who the Pig Farmer is charged with murdering) rallied and marched to every place on the streets of the Downtown Est Side where these women were last seen, or some places where other women had died. They placed a rose in each spot, sang healing chants, burned smudge and said words of remembrance.
The president of the United Native Nations pointed out the lack of support for the people living in the streets. "The city raised $8 million to restore the trees lost in the winter storms, but do nothing to raise the level of poverty that people in the DTES are facing." True. And as for the missing women, in spite of the many tips the police had received over the years, because these women were mostly aboriginal and street women, nothing was done.
There is currently another disturbing pattern of disappearances along Highway 16 in the north, now known as the "Highway of Tears", where many women, mostly aboriginal in origina and aged 15 to early twenties, have vanished after being seen hitchhiking along the highway. So far, the RCMP have come up with nothing.

Meanwhile, what went on in the Pig Sty?
Well, it seems Willie really WAS living in a pig sty, at least according to the police reports and photos released to the media. In addition to massive amounts of blood found there ("a blood-letting" as described by one of the experts investigating), the mobile trailer home where he lived was littered with boxes, pop bottles, food containers and lots of other visible junk, and incriminating items found by police which included loaded guns, gun casings, s#x toys and articles belonging to missing women. He even had the stuffed head of his beloved horse Goldie mounted on a wall.

In the slaughterhouse next to the trailer more horrendous findings. Evidence will be presented that the partial remains of one woman was found in the building. The Crown has a witness who will testify she saw Pickton butchering a woman there. Pretty gruesome stuff!

Police have done an astounding amount of DNA testing. More than 200,000 samples from the case have been sent to forensic labs across Canada. There are still more exhibits to be tested. (The search of the farm began in Feb. 2002 and finished Nov. 2003) The extra workload created by this case required additional staff to be hired at RCMP labs across Canada.