Suspected murder victim Monica Burns honoured in walk

The memory of his dead sister Monica Burns propels Pernell Ballantyne on his quiet walk along Highway 11 from Saskatoon to Prince Albert.

Burns' body was found on a snowmobile trail near Prince Albert earlier this month, and is now the subject of a homicide investigation.

"It's a healing journey for myself, my family and the women that can't speak no more," Ballantyne said.

He, his wife Dionne Doucette, his mother-in-law and Monica's oldest sister set off with a handful of supporters from an Esso station on Idylwyld Drive North around 8 a.m. CST this morning.

Putting hurt behind them

They're quietly making their way along the shoulder of the highway, accompanied by a police escort and a support van.

For them, it's not about making political waves.

As Doucette put it, they are leaving the hurt and suffering behind, and moving towards the positive in front of them.

"We're going to suffer as we go, but it's like part of our tradition," Doucettesaid. "We suffer, we fast, we get it back from our Creator."

Whatever they're doing in their life, if it's right or wrong, I'd like to see more support out there- Dionne Doucette, Monica Burns' sister-in-law

Ballantyne remembers Burns as having "the biggest smile ever."

"She'll do everything to make anybody else a part of the family."

Doucette said through this walk, they're "giving back a voice to her that she didn't have."

And even though their walk is not a lobbying effort, but a personal gesture, Doucette said she wants to see more protection "for our women."

"Whatever they're doing in their life, if it's right or wrong, I'd like to see more support out there," she said.

The group hopes to arrive in Prince Albert by Thursday afternoon, in time to join a walk in that city for missing and murdered Aboriginal women.

RCMP looking for tips

On Tuesday, RCMP said investigators were looking for tips from the public and said some additional information about the case would be released at a news conference scheduled for Wednesday morning.

"Investigators have some new information they would like to share with the public in the hopes of generating additional tips into Monicas homicide," RCMP said in advance of the news conference, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. CST.