Sandy Bay First Nation in Manitoba will host a community remembrance walk on May 5, 2026, to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people. The walk serves as part of the nationally recognized Red Dress Day, an annual event of advocacy and awareness that originated from the REDress Project by Métis artist Jaime Black in 2010.
The event in Sandy Bay, located on the western shore of Lake Manitoba about 165 km northwest of Winnipeg, joins communities across the country in observing this day of remembrance. The walk is set to take place under the leadership of Chief Trevor Prince and the community council. Organizers note that the date holds significant weight this year, following the official decommissioning of the search site at the Prairie Green Landfill on April 30, 2026, where the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were recovered.
Red Dress Day highlights the ongoing crisis of violence against Indigenous people. According to Amnesty International, Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to be murdered than non-Indigenous women. These statistics underscore the urgency of the 231 Calls for Justice issued by the 2019 National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, though advocacy groups suggest that progress on these calls remains inconsistent.
Community members participating in the event will gather to show solidarity and reflect on the systemic issues facing Indigenous families. For those seeking information on regional observances, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization has been coordinating a list of similar events taking place throughout southern Manitoba.
