Wawa is wrapped in purple today - and will be for the next few weeks - as part of a campaign in solidarity with abused women.
The annual "Shine the Light on Woman Abuse" campaign officially began locally this morning, as the campaign's flag was raised at the Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre in a ceremony featuring Deputy Mayor Mitch Hatfield, Michipicoten First Nation Chief Pat Tangie, and CHADWIC Home Executive Director Paula Valois, who noted the campaign's been happening locally since 2011 but dates back even farther.
Chief Tangie says it's an important campaign and cause, emphasizing the need to reduce violence against women "in all levels of humankind".
Valois acknowledges the issue's certainly "top of mind" for some people after last month's fatal shootings in Sault Ste. Marie that killed a woman and three children - and left another woman injured - which was linked to intimate partner violence, as well as the recent discovery in Sudbury of a deceased woman in a wooded area, with a former partner - noted to have been the subject of intimate partner violence calls - discovered dead nearby, Valois emphasizes it's important not to lose sight of the fact that "this is a real issue in our communities" and "we need to do everything we can to see that violence against women ends", promising to do that work - including pushing on the implementation of 86 recommendations made by an inquest into a 2015 triple murder in Renfrew, in which all three women killed had a prior relationship with their killer.
Today is "Wear Purple Day" - encouraging people to also don the colour - with a "Mussels and Mocktails" event will be held at the Community Centre tonight.
Businesses and residents are also encouraged to put up purple lights and decorations for the remainder of the campaign, which continues through the 16 Days of Action on Violence Against Women, ending on Human Rights Day, which is December 10th.
Coinciding with the Shine the Light campaign is the Tim Hortons Holiday Smile Cookie campaign - proceeds from sales of the cookies at Tim Hortons Wawa will be split between Tim Hortons Foundation Camps and CHADWIC Home.