On Wednesday, December 6, 2023, the University of Toronto will join communities across Canada for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (NDRAVAW) to honour the lives of the 14 women killed in a devastating act of misogyny at Montreal’s École Polytechnique in 1989. All faculty, staff, students, and librarians are welcome to join this tri-campus event.
Date: Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Time: In-person lunch: 12-12:30 p.m.; Event: 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Hybrid event: Register to attend in person or Join the livestream.
Please note: the in-person event is limited to the first 200 registrants. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and close at 12 p.m. Lunch will be provided to in-person guests from 12 – 12:30 p.m. In addition, a decompression activity will be available during lunch. The event program will start promptly at 12:30 p.m.
Guests attending virtually are asked to join the livestream at 12:30 p.m. The virtual event will include closed captioning.
The event will feature a musical performance, presentation of awards recognizing individuals who’ve shown a commitment to ending gender-based violence, a memorial accompanied by the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering Department’s String Quartet, and keynote presentation addressing the rise of transmisogyny and violence. Together, this will be a space for healing, and movement towards meaningful, intersectional action that prioritizes an end to gender-based violence.
This event is co-hosted by the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office, the Community Safety Office, the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Office at UTM, the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Office at UTSC, the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Hart House, The Division of People Strategy, Equity, & Culture, the Sexual and Gender Diversity Office, and the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre.
About December 6
This year marks the 34th anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre, the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history. The 14 victims, 12 of whom were engineering students, were targeted because of their gender:
- Geneviève Bergeron, civil engineering student
- Hélène Colgan, mechanical engineering student
- Nathalie Croteau, mechanical engineering student
- Barbara Daigneault, mechanical engineering student
- Anne-Marie Edward, chemical engineering student
- Maud Haviernick, materials engineering student
- Maryse Laganière, budget clerk in the École Polytechnique’s finance department
- Maryse Leclair, materials engineering student
- Anne-Marie Lemay, mechanical engineering student
- Sonia Pelletier, mechanical engineering student
- Michèle Richard, materials engineering student
- Annie St-Arneault, mechanical engineering student
- Annie Turcotte, materials engineering student
- Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, nursing student
The anniversary of the tragedy has since become a day of remembrance and action against gender-based violence and discrimination.
Learn more:
- “We Remember: U of T Engineering community reflects on the legacy of December 6,” U of T Engineering News
- “Four women engineering students on building a monument against sexism,” U of T Engineering News
- “Remember the 14,” CBC
- “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence,” Government of Canada