'We aren't going to forget': Supporters honour Tanya Jane Nepinak 12 years after she went missing - Action News
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Manitoba

'We aren't going to forget': Supporters honour Tanya Jane Nepinak 12 years after she went missing

About 50 people marched from the intersection of Maryland Street and Ellice Avenue to The Forks Oodena Celebration Circle on Wednesday to honour Tanya Jane Nepinak, who went missing 12 years ago.

Charges stayed in death of 31-year-old mother, who went missing on Sept. 13, 2011

A crowd of people start to walk across a street. Two people in the front hold a sign that says
About 50 people marched from the intersection of Maryland Street and Ellice Avenue to The Forks Oodena Celebration Circle on Wednesday to honour Tanya Jane Nepinak, who went missing 12 years ago. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)

It's been 12 years since Tanya Jane Nepinak was last seen leaving her home on Sherbrook Street in Winnipeg.

She had planned on walking to a pizza restaurant a few blocks away.

But more than a decade later, the 31-year-old mother has still not been found.

To honour Nepinak's memory, about 50 people marched from the intersection of Maryland Street and Ellice Avenue a block away from Nepinak's home to The Forks' Oodena Celebration Circle on Wednesday.

Diane Bousquet, who helped organize Wednesday's walk, said holding the march brings out mixed emotions.

A woman wearing a red shirt stands in front of a building.
Diane Bousquet, a Mtis Winnipegger who helped organize the march, said she knows six women who have gone missing or been murdered. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)

"There's times where it is beautiful because we do get to come together as a community and support each other," said Bousquet, a Mtis Winnipegger who said she herself knows six women who have gone missing or been murdered.

"It's terrifying that we have to continuously do this for this particular reason."

Nepinak, who was from Pine Creek First Nation,was last seen on Sept. 13, 2011. In June 2012, Shawn Lamb was charged with second-degree murder in connection with her death and disappearance.

Three people sing and beat a traditional drum. A street lined with a building is behind them.
Nepinak was last seen on Sept. 13, 2011. Second-degree murder charges against Shawn Lamb were stayed in 2013. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)

But those charges were later stayed, though he was convicted of manslaughter in the deaths of Carolyn Sinclair and Lorna Blacksmith.

Winnipeg police have said they believed Nepinak's body was dumped in a garbage bin and brought to Brady Road landfill. They spent six days searching for the 31-year-old at the landfill in 2012.

Bousquet said she'd like to see a monument built at Brady Road landfill.

"If we're talking truth and reconciliation that's where you start. Acknowledge it," said Bousquet, adding that she'd also like to see more preventative measures put in place at the landfill, like cadaver dogs or screening for garbage trucks.

Elroy Fontaine, the brother of Tina Fontaine, whose body was found in Winnipeg's Red River in August 2014, also attended Wednesday's march.

He said he joined to support Nepinak's family and help call attention to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

A person wearing a black t-shirt and black cap stands in front of a street in a parking lot. Some people stand in the background.
Elroy Fontaine, Tina Fontaine's brother, was at the march Wednesday to show his support. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)

"The case is still unsolved," said Fontaine. "People need to recognize that we aren't going to forget about the people who became murdered or missing."

For Melanie Berestin, a Ukrainian Winnipegger also there to support, MMIWG cases should be taken more seriously.

"People shouldn't feel that they can actually do these things and get away with it," she said.

"It shouldn't be an issue in 2023."

Supporters honour Tanya Jane Nepinak 12 years after she went missing

1 year ago
Duration 1:13
About 50 people marched last night from the Daniel McIntyre neighbourhood to The Forks in honour of Tanya Nepinak. She went missing 12 years ago. It's believed Nepinak was the victim of a serial killer, but her body was never found.

With files from Emily Brass