The federal grant will be available until March 2021. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)
Women and Gender Equality

Piwapan receives $100,000 federal grant for MMIW connection project

Sep 3, 2019 | 5:01 PM

Piwapan Women’s Centre in La Ronge is the recipient of a $100,000 federal grant from Women and Gender Equality Canada.

The funding will be used to cover the wages and expenses of a 20-month manager position for the Northern Connection Project. According to Piwapan Executive Director Karen Sanderson, the money specifically came from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Commemoration Fund. The individual hired will work with families of missing and murdered Ingenious women and girls (MMIW) in northern Saskatchewan.

“They will be trying to set up some kind of protocol on information sharing if [someone] has a family member who goes missing down South, so they can access all of those services down South and save time in starting to do a missing persons report or posters,” Sanderson said.

She also stated Piwapan would have access to the data through its crisis line, as well as share the information collected with organizations like victim and outreach services, and the RCMP. The funding will be available until March 2021 and is one of nearly 100 projects recently funded by Women and Equality Canada.

While the application period is open until Sept. 13, Sanderson mentioned ideal candidates will be knowledgeable of northern Saskatchewan and associated challenges, will understand the MMIW cause and be aware of the obstacles when northerners go missing in the South.

“It’s going to look at all the other communities in the North as well,” she said. “There will be some travelling and connecting through phone or email. It will be working with the northern communities.”

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno

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