MMIWG hearings announced in Vancouver and Moncton

New dates have been announced for community hearings in Vancouverand Moncton as part of the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

In a news release, the organization said hearings will be held in Moncton Feb. 13-14 and inVancouverApril 4-8.The inquiry will also hold a statement gathering event in Watson Lake, Yukon, Feb. 27-March 1.

The inquiry had previously announced it would hold statement gatheringsin Prince George, B.C. That means thelargest city along B.C.'sHighway of Tears is still not getting full hearings.

Unlike full hearings, commissioners with the MMIWGinquiry do not attend statement gathering sessions.Instead, members of the inquiry's legal team hold private sessions with families where their words and stories are recorded for laterreview bycommissioners.

More than 697 families and survivors have shared their stories through the inquiry, the organization said in a news release.

But the road has been bumpy with perpetual staff turnoverand concerns over aftercare that have plagued the national inquiry since it began in 2016.