Kelowna

Mayor Walter Gray joined supporters, lit candles and walked the route City Council named Angel Way to honor victims of domestic violence Thursday night.

Photo: Adam Proskiw - Castanet

The Candlelight Vigil was organized by the Central Okanagan Elizabeth Fry Society, a charity dedicated to advancing the safety, legal rights and economic security of women & children.

According to Mayor Gray, who spoke at the event, Kelowna RCMP receives 1,200 reports of domestic abuse every year, which is the highest rate in B.C. and the third highest in the country.

“We should all be embarrassed about this statistic,” said Mayor Gray.

“We can do better.”

December 6 is National Day of Remembrance & Action on Violence against Women and commemorates the 1989 classroom shooting at l’Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal that left six women dead and wounded several
others.

Angel Way is part of a national campaign to honor and remember victims and survivors of violence and abuse.