FSDE to commemorate 30th anniversary of École Polytechnique shooting
On December 6, 1989, at approximately 5 pm, what should have been a joyful celebration of camaraderie and the end of the school semester turned into a tragedy. A man entered a classroom at École Polytechnique de Montréal with an assault weapon. He ordered the men to go to one side of the room and the women to go to the other. He targeted the female engineering students and shot them.
The murder of 14 brilliant and creative women sparked a deep outrage among the population and became a tragic part of Canadian history. Governments quickly declared December 6th as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
In order to keep the memory of these young victims alive, a new memory committee was formed at École Polytechnique de Montréal in 2014. Since then, 14 beams of light have lit up the evening sky in Montreal every December 6 in memory of the victims. This year, Polytechnique has reached out to partner engineering schools across the country to commemorate this event by beaming a giant light into the sky.
Join faculty members, students, and others as we mark this event, and reflect on diversity within engineering and the work that has been done and continues to be needed. The event begins at 5 pm at the Learning Staircase of the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering Building with UPEI’s light being lit just after 6 pm. All are welcome.
UPEI will also be lowering flags to half-mast in honour of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
