Michelle Burns knows the feeling of losing a love one. The support of a loving and caring community somehow eased that pain and now she, along with other members of her family, is paying it forward to the relatives and loved ones of Ashley Morin and Megan Gallagher — who are now part of a growing number of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
Burns, whose twin sister Monica was killed in January 2016, joined the families and friends of Morin and Gallagher in Friday’s Awareness Walk from Saskatoon to North Battleford — a 137-kilometer walk to keep both incidents fresh in the minds of people and also act as a plea to the public to come forward if they have any information on the disappearance of both Indigenous women.
The event, now on its third year, is a walk for awareness and support for both missing women. Morin, who was 31 years old when she went missing three years ago, was last seen at North Battleford on July 10 while the 30-year-old Gallagher was last seen on Sept. 19, 2020 and was even captured by a surveillance camera in a convenience store the following day.
“It’s been quite a journey and it’s been really hard on our family. Someone asked me the other day, ‘Why do you go through these things? Why do you keep traumatizing yourself over and over?’ I said,’You know, we got our justice. We got our prayers. We had our community’s support. We had a really good system in place for our family and right now we’re just doing our best to raise Danatea [Monica’s daughter] in a good way,’” said Burns.
“It’s not just Monica that was murdered. It’s not just Happy Charles that’s missing. It’s Ashley, too. The Gallagher family and many other families out there that need this kind of support. So, I just want to tell you guys, just keep coming and keep supporting the families. They need it. They really need your prayers. Anything you can offer them. Even if it’s just your presence. Even if it’s just a visit, just the talk. Just to hear them, I encourage you to keep doing that. That’s what got us through. We’re not fully healed. We’re just learning to walk in a good way now after dealing with that.”
Brian Gallagher, Megan’s father, jokingly asked if he was given four to five minutes or 45 minutes to speak that drew laughter from the crowd.
“Thank you for laughing with us. I was hoping to find a way to do that without telling a bad joke. If you can give somebody a smile, you can definitely give them with a little bit of healing.”
“That’s important because it helps with the struggles that we go through every day. As we work through this, all of us Indigenous people work through this, it is important to help find some kind of balance. Because, in reality, there isn’t any for a long time and if you let it get a hold of you, it can drag you down the suffering. So, please smile with us, with all my silly jokes. Believe me it does help.”
He added that the Morin family even gave them a walking stick that has things that remind them of Ashley.
“On the walking stick, you will see several different mementos from different people — from the green ribbons from Ashley to Ashley’s picture with the soccer ball. We don’t know the history of all the mementos but it is a powerful little tool that is already helping us heal. As we walk, every step we take and we do this as a community: one step at a time. That’s where the healing and that’s where the power of hope is going to come from.”
Krista Fox, who is the Morin family’s spokesperson, said the family is thankful for the support shown by everyone — from the Elders, Tribal Chiefs, and friends of both Ashley and Meghan.
“Thank you for taking the time and be able to join us today. Imagine, as a parent of a cousin, as a sister, waking up each morning, not knowing where your loved one was. I heard someone said it yesterday, ‘Ashley’s not missing. She was taken.’ She was taken from all of these. Taken from her family and friends. She was taken from us. We are not going to give up until we bring her home.”
Saturday, July 10, is the third anniversary of Ashley Morin’s disappearance. The group of around 100 members of Ashley and Meghan’s family and friends began their walk — under a sunny and 30-degree weather — at the Saskatoon Police Service office in 25th Street and continued to Idylwyld Drive heading to Highway 16 where they made a brief stop at Husky/Esso on Marquis Drive.
The group will also make brief stops along the way including in the village of Borden and Maymont on Saturday where they are going to stay for the night before resuming their walk to Battleford. They are expected to arrive in Battleford on Sunday around supper time.
