Advocate calls for national Red Dress Alert to prevent future landfill searches

Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, chair of the National Family and Survivors Circle, is calling for full implementation of the Red Dress Alert system across Canada, according to CBC. The alert, now in a pilot phase in Manitoba, would notify the public when an Indigenous woman, girl, two-spirit or gender-diverse person goes missing.

Anderson-Pyrz, a member of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, said long delays in searches, such as those at Prairie Green and Brady Road landfills, highlight systemic racism in policing and public institutions. “If we hold these systems to account, we wouldn't be having to fight on the front lines,” she was quoted as saying. She urged governments to adopt a prevention-based approach and ensure policies and accountability mechanisms are in place. “There cannot be a two-tier system in Canada,” Anderson-Pyrz said.