Friends and family members who call themselves 鈥楧rag the Red鈥� are dredging up the secrets of Winnipeg鈥檚 Red River, hoping to find clues that will help police find some of the region鈥檚 missing aboriginal women.
鈥楧rag the Red鈥� founder Bernadette Smith says she started the group after the remains of missing aboriginal teenager Tina Fontaine washed up on the banks of the Red River in August. Fontaine鈥檚 death sparked renewed calls for a national inquiry into the high number of missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada. But Prime Minister Stephen Harper has refused to launch an inquiry, saying instead that the issue is best left to regional police services.
Smith says her group is taking the search into its own hands. 鈥淲e鈥檝e always wondered whether there鈥檚 more bodies in here, especially in light of Tina Fontaine鈥檚 body being found in the water,鈥� she told CTV Winnipeg on Sunday.
Smith鈥檚 sister, Claudette Osborne, went missing in 2008.
But the searchers aren鈥檛 just looking for bones and bodies. They鈥檙e dredging up anything that might be helpful for police.
Volunteer Neil Walstrom says they鈥檝e discovered many items people don鈥檛 want found, including objects tied to cinder blocks and dropped to the bottom of the river.
Walstrom said he鈥檚 determined to shine light on whatever clues the river might be hiding. 鈥淭he big thing is letting the families know that we care,鈥� Walstrom said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not alone.鈥�
Searchers hang a long metal bar off the back of their boat and drag it horizontally along the bottom of the river. Any time the bar hooks on something along the riverbed, they drag the item up and show it to police.
鈥楧rag the Red鈥� volunteers say they鈥檝e already given police more than 100 items to examine.
Volunteer Kyle Kematch says he鈥檚 helping 鈥楧rag the Red鈥� with the hope of finding evidence linked to the fates of his missing sister and cousin.
鈥淚鈥檓 not just sitting there, just wondering when anybody is going to do anything,鈥� he said. 鈥淎t least I can say I鈥檓 trying.鈥�
Kematch鈥檚 sister, Amber Guiboche, went missing four years ago.
鈥楧rag the Red鈥� volunteers say they will stay on the Red River as long as possible ahead of the winter freeze. The search will then resume in the spring.
Volunteers have also been searching on foot along the riverbanks.
The 鈥楧rag the Red鈥� Facebook page has more than 1,900 members.
With files from CTV Winnipeg's Ben Miljure
