Victims' families see task force as positive small step

The creation of an integrated task force to investigate cases of slain women in Manitoba is a small step, but one in the right direction, say victims' families.

The new unit, which will also look into cases of missing women where foul play is suspected, was announced Wednesday by the Manitoba government, the RCMP and the Winnipeg Police Service.

It will be made up of three RCMP officers, two RCMP analysts and four city police officers.

Over the last two decades, 75 aboriginal women have gone missing in Manitoba, according to aboriginal groups. No one involved with the task force would put a number on the quantity of cases they expect to review.

Bernadette Smith, whose sister Claudette Osborne has been missing for more than a year, is encouraged by the task force announcement but has reservations about the ability of different police forces to work together.

"They say, 'Oh we're gonna work collaboratively together.' I mean, why is it taking this for that to happen and how long is it going to take for that relationship to be built?" she said. "I mean, they don't trust each other right now."

Smith hopes there will be improved police communication with families.

"When I call the Winnipeg police and ask about my sister's case because a body was found outside the city and it could be my sister, and I hear that it's an RCMP investigation [and the city police can't answer], I don't wanna hear that," she said.

"I need to hear, 'It's not your sister. We've talked to the RCMP and we're working collaboratively together.'"

Smith said too often the police give families the runaround instead of using them as a valuable resource.

"We're the ones that are living it. Sure, they can go out and investigate it, but we're the ones that have the answers; we're the ones that know where they should be going with their investigation," she said. "We can give them the insight."

After the announcement of the task force, Smith confronted Winnipeg police Chief Keith McCaskill and RCMP Assistant Commissioner Bill Robinson on the steps of the Manitoba legislature.

'I honestly think [the task force] is mostly for show. Until these men start getting arrested and these little girls stop getting killed, maybe I'll start believing it.' —Elexcyus Kramble

McCaskill said neither the unit size nor its methodology is set in stone. He stressed the task force is in its infancy and consultation with community groups and family members is a priority.

Elexcyus Kramble, a cousin of Cherisse Houle, 17, whose body was found July 1 near a creek in rural Manitoba, isn't convinced the new unit will make any difference. Kramble said police must target the men who prey on young women for sex.

"I honestly think [the task force] is mostly for show. Until these men start getting arrested and these little girls stop getting killed, maybe I'll start believing it, but mostly it's just to get people off their [the police forces'] backs."

There have been reports that Houle and Hillary Angel Wilson, 18 — whose body was found Aug. 20 on a dirt path in a sparsely populated area in East St. Paul — were involved a few years ago with a group of men who used them for sex in exchange for food, clothes and crack cocaine.

Public outcry

Over the years, there have been public calls for a special police unit to look into the missing women's cases. The outcry grew louder after the discovery of Houle's and Wilson's bodies.

Ron Evans, grand chief of the Manitoba Assembly of First Nations, is pleased someone has finally responded to the pressure. But with so many aboriginal victims, he believes a steering committee made up of members of the aboriginal community should also be involved.

"[It would help] to make sure that the families, the victims of the families, and also those that are missing their loved ones right now, to make sure there is communication taking place, that there is something being done about it. That's what we want," he said.

The task force will include an aboriginal liaison officer, Const. Monique Cooper, but Evans wants to meet with Justice Minister Dave Chomiak to get a better understanding of how that role will work.

Meanwhile, Smith would like to see the number of officers assigned to the task force to be doubled so the process of bringing closure to so many families can be sped up.

Until then, she will continue to cling to the hope the special unit will mark the beginning of the end of the nightmare for families like hers. "No more women should have to go missing or be murdered," she said.