Clockwise from bottom left: people make imprints with their hands to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women; (left to right) Ashley Morin's mother Diane Morin, her sister Janine Morin and her grandmother Sylvia Arcand with Krista Fox; (left to right) Chief Lorie Whitecalf, Chief Sylvia Weenie, Krista Fox and Chief Cheryl Kahpeaysewat; families come out to show their support during the Welcome Home barbecue. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Bring Ashley Home

Krista Fox recognized after walking across Canada for MMIW

Oct 14, 2022 | 4:39 PM

Local advocate Krista Fox, who walked across Canada to raise awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous women, was honoured at a special gathering and barbecue lunch in North Battleford Friday.

Organized by Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs Inc. (BATC), the event was an opportunity for the community to recognize Fox for her efforts. Fox was presented with a gift of a star quilt by Chief Cheryl Kahpeaysewat (BATC Tribal Chief and Moosomin First Nation Chief), Chief Sylvia Weenie (Stoney Knoll First Nation), and Chief Lorie Whitecalf (Sweetgrass First Nation).

During the ceremony, Fox read aloud the names of over a hundred women from across Canada who went missing or were murdered over the years.

Fox walked to draw attention to the crisis of all MMIW in Canada. She also walked to raise awareness of missing North Battleford woman Ashley Morin, who disappeared in July of 2018. RCMP believe Morin, a 31-year-old woman from Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, was the victim of a homicide.

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Ashley Morin’s mother, Diane Morin, joined Fox throughout the cross-country journey. Lindsey Bishop, the sister of Saskatoon woman Megan Gallagher, who has been missing since September 2020, also joined them part of the way. Bishop is still in the midst of walking across Canada with her husband Derek Bishop on their family’s healing journey.

“It’s been an amazing eight-month journey,” Fox said of her voyage. “Our journey took some turns. Did the finish line look like it was supposed to? No. Did we make our way to Halifax? Yes, we did. And thank goodness we got home when we did because a hurricane hit two days later.”

Fox said she and Diane Morin are happy to be home, and at “this amazing gathering today.”

“It makes me feel that I didn’t do this all for nothing,” she said. “When your community can come together and support you, that’s an amazing thing. I’m glad to be home.”

Fox and Morin walked through B.C., the Prairies, Ontario, and Quebec. Because their driver who rode beside them as they walked had to return home to help an elderly family member, they needed to drive the rest of the route on their final leg of the expedition, from Quebec to Nova Scotia, where they completed the journey.

They met many families of MMIW during their cross-country trek.

“I remember a lady telling me that: In every community we go into, we wake up those spirits of those brothers and sisters, and they know that we’re there,” Fox said.

She added that now that she is back she will keep reaching out to families of MMIW to offer them a support network.

“It’s all about families,” she said of her trip. “It was all about meeting the families, the whole journey. Outside of going into communities and being treated as well as we were, [the memorable part was] being able to connect with those families.”

Chief Kahpeaysewat said it was moving to see Fox complete her journey across Canada for the cause.

“As First Nation women, I feel that Krista did an awesome job to promote us as women out there, and to get the awareness out there for our young ones and for our future children,” she said. “I commend her.”

Kahpeaysewat also encourages all women everywhere to stand together, to bring the issue forward as a nation.

Town of Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie and North Battleford Deputy Mayor Ross MacAngus also commended Fox for all she has done to support families of MMIW and to raise awareness of the issue.

“I’m glad you are back in the Battlefords because you have a lot of work to do yet…,” Leslie said. “Hopefully, you have some time to continue the legacy you’ve created right here in the Battlefords, because there is nothing more important than the women and daughters and children of our community. You have set a path that we can all follow with grace and honour.”

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angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW