Review:
Highway of Tears

documentary

Tyson Kelsall
Culture Editor | ote-culture@unbc.ca

have to tell the reader that they must watch this
documentary as soon as they get the opportunity. It is
thought provoking, powerful and important. All of those
characteristics amplified in Prince George
considering its’ geographical location. Watch
this documentary. Your emotions will result
in physiological reactions.

be, on a MS

15 March 2014, the Highway of Tears documentary
debut in Prince George at the Canfor Theatre in the
University of Northern British Columbia. More than
350 people showed up to attend. The seats were filled.
The stairs were filled. The standing area was...filled. I
had, in fact, never seen the Canfor Theatre so busy.

The movie starts with a timeline of the women who have
gone missing or been murdered on the Highway of Tears,
which primarily stretches from Prince George to Smithers,
but is associated all along the highway 16. The deaths and
disappearances began in 1969 and continue to this day.

As the film states near the beginning, a majority of these
victims were Aboriginal. The film, produced and directed

by Canadians Matt Smiley and Carly Pope does a good job of
allowing the people affected to have a voice and primarily
shape the narrative. Prince George residents Mavis Erickson,
Mary Teegee, Sarah Boyd-Noel, Terry Teegee, Leonard Ward,
amongst others are featured in the film. Many family members,

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friends and acquaintances of the victims are interviewed.

Aside from focusing on the victims, there was also an
investigation into the root causes for why these atrocities
were happening, and why so many cases are left unsolved.
The documentary does a good job of portraying willful
RCMP ignorance and systemic racism. However, after

the film there was a panel discussion, and Mary Teegee
told the local RCMP to stand up and acknowledged that
they were putting in an effort to combat these issues.

During the panel discussion, Paul Michel, Director of

the First Nations Centre at UNBC, walked through the
audience with a microphone. Many of the people who

had questions were in tears or holding them back. The
Highway of Tears documentary cracks open a great deal of
issues associated with its namesake. Hopefully this is only
the first step in improving safety for women, and finding
closure for the victims’ families and their communities.