'Quite substantial': Regina police highlight impact of missing persons on vulnerable groups
A community forum hosted by the Regina Police Service (RPS) is educating people on the impacts various vulnerable groups feel when a person goes missing.
The forum is part of how the service is recognizing Missing Persons Week in Saskatchewan.
A panel featured community organizations representing new Canadians, the Indigenous population, vulnerable teens, youth and older adults as well as LGBTQ2S+ people.
“People in these groups are more at risk of going missing,” RPS Missing Persons Liaison Rhonda Fiddler told CTV News. “Many are seeking out support they need which leads them to leave their current situation.”
Many of the panelists shared similar experiences their respective groups feel when a person goes missing within their community.
“The impact for immigrants of a missing person can be on multiple levels,” one panelist said. “It’s huge.”
“It’s important for us to establish a connection with RPS,” Erica Beaudin, Chief of Cowessess First Nation and former director at Regina Treaty/Status Indian Services, said.
“The way policing was done in the past and the way relationships are with communities are very different than they are today,” Fiddler said. “But it’s those past relationships that have created that distrust.”
Fiddler’s hope is that RPS can rebuild that trust.
“It’s going to take a bit of work and a bit of time for everybody to trust that police are doing what they are supposed to do,” she added. “And building those relationships to where they are good, concrete and heathy.”
Missing Persons Saskatchewan stats show there are 143 cases open in the province.
Fiddler said a minimum of 20 family, friends or community members are impacted by each case.
“Do the math,” she said. “The impact is quite substantial.”
Fiddler also said investigators feel the strain as well.
“Our police search for these people day in and day out,” she said. “It’s all about understanding we are all impacted and we are all in this together.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
U.K. prime minister calls national election for July 4
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a national election on Wednesday, naming July 4 as the date for a vote his governing Conservatives are widely expected to lose to the opposition Labour Party after 14 years in power.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.
Fish oil supplements may raise risk of stroke, heart issues, study suggests
As an excellent source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, daily fish oil supplements are a popular way to keep the risk of cardiovascular disease at bay.
Private island on Nova Scotia's South Shore listed for $15.8M
A private island on Nova Scotia’s South Shore has been listed for sale with a $11.5-million USD price tag.
DEVELOPING Blood vial delivery prompts evacuation of Republican headquarters in Washington
The headquarters of the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C., was briefly evacuated on Wednesday morning after a suspicious package containing two vials of blood was delivered to the building, the police said.
'Happy tears' of victim's sister after prison attack on serial killer Robert Pickton
Cynthia Cardinal said she was 'overwhelmed' with happiness when she received a text message on Monday with the news that serial killer Robert Pickton, who murdered her sister, was attacked in prison. She called it 'karma.'
Montreal photographer captures dramatic Canada goose vs. fox fight on video
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
'On the edge of failing': Most of Canada gets a 'D' on poverty report cards
Poverty and food insecurity have worsened in most of Canada in the past year and most provincial governments aren't doing enough to address the problem, according to a just-released series of report cards.
World's most expensive feather sells at New Zealand auction
A feather from a long-extinct New Zealand bird has set a record after selling for $46,521 NZD (about US$28,400), the auction house handling the sale has said.