Family of Chantel Moore says attack on Victoria police chief creates 'further division'
Family of a Vancouver Island Indigenous woman killed during a police wellness check in New Brunswick says the effort to seek justice has been overshadowed by a weekend attack on Victoria's police chief.
Chantel Moore's family and the chief say it's time to focus on Moore again.
A video statement issued yesterday by Moore's family and police Chief Del Manak follows the assault on Manak one day earlier.
A woman poured liquid on the chief as he was an invited guest at a memorial for Moore outside the British Columbia legislature.
Manak was not hurt and police say the suspect, who was not invited to the ceremony, was arrested, along with four others who interfered as police responded.
Hjalmer Wenstob, who speaks for Moore's family, says her mother is “disheartened” to see how the event to demand justice for Moore was undermined.
Wenstob says the family opposes violence and apologized to Manak in accordance with Nuu-chah-nulth traditions.
Meanwhile, Manak says it's time to refocus on work being done by Moore's family to prevent similar deaths.
Moore was killed in June 2020 in Edmonston, N.B., during a police wellness check.
The assault on Manak happened moments after he was recognized during a traditional blanketing ceremony Saturday to honour Moore and begin the healing process with police.
Wenstob says media reports focused only on the assault and the actions of a few people, rather than highlighting the work to find justice for Moore.
“Our family was disheartened further to see Chantal's name used to forward others' agendas and not in the direction of a better future,” Wenstob says in the statement.
“The event was planned and organized as a peaceful event. We cannot stand idly by and see the good work that has been done taken advantage of to create further division.”
Moore's family has made eight demands ranging from body cameras for all police officers to a better system of handling wellness checks, and acknowledgment and action to address racism and discrimination.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.