Wendy Poole Park
Encyclopedia
Wendy Poole Park is a small triangular plot of parkland near the waterfront in the Downtown Eastside
in Vancouver, British Columbia. The land is at Alexander Street and the Main Street
Overpass, and it was named by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation for a young aboriginal woman who was murdered nearby in 1989. The park contains a memorial boulder inscribed with information about Poole.
("People of the Mountains") a First Nations group from Northern B.C., near what is now the city of Prince George, British Columbia
. She had moved to Vancouver, and was murdered on the second floor of a Downtown Eastside housing coop on January 26, 1989. Her body was later found in a nearby garbage dump. A man was arrested in connection with her death and was later acquitted. But the murder case remains unsolved by police.
, to name this small waterfront park after Wendy Poole. The proponents of the proposal hoped that the park would bring awareness to the unsolved cases of the missing women in the Downtown Eastside, and contribute to a healing process with First Nations people in the city.
The official dedication ceremony was held on February 14, 2001, with
representation from Wendy Poole’s family. The February date was picked to coordinate with the Annual DTES Women’s Memorial March
held on that date.
The 'Spirit’s Rising Memorial Society' is joining women and youth at risk in a totem carving project, to be displayed in the park.
Downtown Eastside
The Downtown Eastside is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is known as "Canada's poorest postal code"....
in Vancouver, British Columbia. The land is at Alexander Street and the Main Street
Overpass, and it was named by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation for a young aboriginal woman who was murdered nearby in 1989. The park contains a memorial boulder inscribed with information about Poole.
Wendy Poole
Wendy Poole was a member of the Tsay Keh DeneTsay Keh Dene
Stay Keh Dene, meaning "people of the rocks" in the Sekani language, may mean:*the Sekani people of northern British Columbia, Canada*the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation, the band government of the Sekani people*the Sekani language...
("People of the Mountains") a First Nations group from Northern B.C., near what is now the city of Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
. She had moved to Vancouver, and was murdered on the second floor of a Downtown Eastside housing coop on January 26, 1989. Her body was later found in a nearby garbage dump. A man was arrested in connection with her death and was later acquitted. But the murder case remains unsolved by police.
History of the memorial
A coalition of First Nations, community groups, and individuals from the DTES campaigned, along with Roslyn Cassells, the then Party Commissioner of the Green Party of CanadaGreen Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...
, to name this small waterfront park after Wendy Poole. The proponents of the proposal hoped that the park would bring awareness to the unsolved cases of the missing women in the Downtown Eastside, and contribute to a healing process with First Nations people in the city.
The official dedication ceremony was held on February 14, 2001, with
representation from Wendy Poole’s family. The February date was picked to coordinate with the Annual DTES Women’s Memorial March
Women’s Memorial March
The Women’s Memorial March is an annual event held on Valentine's Day that originated Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, to call attention to missing and murdered women in the district...
held on that date.
The 'Spirit’s Rising Memorial Society' is joining women and youth at risk in a totem carving project, to be displayed in the park.
See also
- Finding DawnFinding DawnFinding Dawn is a 2006 documentary film by Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh looking into the fate of an estimated 500 Canadian Aboriginal women who have been murdered or have gone missing over the past 30 years....
, a documentary about missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada. - Highway of Tears