Missing women remembered at Regina vigil

The names of some of Saskatchewan's murdered and missing First Nations women were highlighed Sunday night at a vigil in Regina.

People walked through Victoria Park downtown, holding lit candles as it grew dark, pausing as names were read out.

Diane Bigeagle's daughter, Danita, is one of the women on the list. Danita Bigeagle, a mother of two children, disappeared from Regina in 2007.

"I just wish she'd come home," Bigeagle said. "You know 2½ years is quite a long time. I'm worried about her … and we pray for her safe return every day."

Lori Whiteman, whose mother Delores was reported missing in 1995, said she hopes the annual vigil encourages everyone to take notice.

"It's been a very long hard journey, her case is very, very cold at this point," she said. "Doing things like this, remaining active in the community around the issue is my way of keeping that search alive, when there is nowhere else I can look, nowhere else I can call."

Whiteman encouraged people to get involved by writing letters to the government and attending events like the evening vigils.

The Regina vigil was among 60 in different communities across Canada on Sunday afternoon and evening.

In Saskatchewan, vigils were also being held at the Standing Buffalo First Nation and in Saskatoon.