The lobby at the Cochrane OPP detachment has something new this Christmas season.
Const. Kyler Brouwer says it’s a special Christmas tree of hope.
“A tribute to the countless Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited individuals who’ve been tragically murdered or remain missing,” he notes.
The tree is adorned with lights that are red – the symbol of missing and murdered indigenous women – with a blue star on stop. It represents the support of police by investigating the murders and disappearances.
“We hope that this becomes an annual thing. It’s something that’s been going on at police services across the province including our own general headquarters has a tree of hope in Orillia,” Const. Brouwer states. “So the idea is that this is the first of hopefully many years to come.”
