December 6th marks the anniversary of the murder of 14 women at the l'École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1989. On that day, a man walked into an Engineering class at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal and committed a violent misogynist act. Following this event, Canada established December 6th as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women, a day to reflect on and take action against gender-based violence.

2024 Memorial and Vigil

Thursday, December 5 2024

  • 12:15pm-12:30pm, Vigil: Memorial Bench, outside of the Faculty of Applied Sciences Building
  • 12:45pm-1:30pm, Memorial Event: SUB Ballroom, SFU Burnaby Campus 

Join the in-person memorial to remember and honour the victims of this tragedy and recommit to ending gender-based violence in our communities. This year, we are hosting the vigil and memorial one day before the National Day of Remembrance & Action on Violence Against Women to ensure that more students, faculty, and staff can join us before the exam period is well underway. 

In the event that classes are cancelled due to inclement weather, the memorial will be held virtually. 

Other Ways to Participate in Dec 6

  • Wear a button to support the elimination of gender-based violence. To get a free postcard and button, visit the following locations during business hours between November 20 and December 6
    • @ SFU Burnaby: Student Central (MBC 3000)
    • @ SFU Surrey: Registrar & Information Services (SRYC Mezzanine)
    • @SFU Vancouver: Registrar & Information Services (Harbour Centre 1100)
  • Use our Dec 6 Zoom background in any virtual meetings or classes. 
* Dec 6 Zoom Background.png
Download December 6th Zoom Background

How to Discuss December 6 with Your Classes

To encourage and support SFU faculty members to initiate conversations on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in their classrooms, the Centre for Educational Excellence (CEE) has prepared a "classroom approaches" handout. We encourage you to invite your classroom to the SFU memorial happening on December 5th or to visit the campus displays, and continue the conversation on gender-based violence prevention. Download it below.