About 30 or so people appeared in a dark parking lot in South Penticton to walk with candles in honour of Roxanne Louie who was murdered one year ago.

An Okanagan song, talks by Roxanne’s father Roger Hall and Grand Chief Stewart Phillip with familiar themes: more must be done to protect indigenous women and children. Phillip expressing the wish that the new Trudeau Government may finally do something sought by so many – a commission to study the issue of the terrible deaths of so many native women from coast to coast.

“We need to stand up and be counted. We need to give public expression to this terrible tragedy,” he said. “We’re gathered here with friends and family to commemorate her life and to once again serve public notice that we absolutely, vehemently oppose violence against women and in particular violence against indigenous women and girls is absolutely unacceptable.”