Rose-leaf plaque bears names of 14 female engineers murdered on December 6, 1989
Canada has set aside December 6 as a national day of remembrance and action on violence against women in memory of the 14 female engineers murdered in 1989 at Montreal’s École Polytechnique.
With the upcoming 25th anniversary of the tragedy, the University of British Columbia is also paying tribute to these women with a new plaque installed at a redesigned courtyard adjacent to its Engineering Design Centre.
The rose-leaf plaque bears the women’s names and the words “We mourn. We remember. We question. Together, we work for change.”
“We’ve lost much as a society with the loss of these lives. Some of these women were about to graduate from engineering. Others were just starting out in their careers,” said Elizabeth Croft, UBC mechanical engineering professor and NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering. “A quarter century later the void is still there. The new space and plaque will inspire us as we bring more and more women into the profession.”
Click here for more information about the new memorial.
Elizabeth Croft is available for interviews from December 4-6. A candle vigil is also scheduled on December 5 from 10 AM – 4 PM at the Student Union Building (SUB) Main Concourse.