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.

2023 December 6 Memorial

Wednesday, December 6 2023

Memorial Event: 12:30-1:30pm | 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.

In the event that classes are canceled due to inclement weather, the memorial will be held virtually. Please register through Eventbrite to receive the Zoom link.

Memorial Displays on December 6

  • Burnaby Campus (Memorial bench outside the Faculty of Applied Sciences)
  • Vancouver Campus (Harbour Centre Lobby)
  • Surrey Campus (SRYC Mezzanine & SRYE Atrium)

Other Ways to Participate in December 6

  • Wear a button to support the elimination of gender-based violence. To get a postcard and button, visit the following locations during business hours between November 20 and December 6: 
    • @ SFU Burnaby: Human Rights Office (AQ 3045) or Student Central (MBC 3000)
    • @ SFU Surrey: Registrar & Information Services (SRYC Mezzanine)
    • @SFU Vancouver: Registrar & Information Services (Harbour Centre 1100)
  • Follow @sfu.svspo on Instagram or Facebook to learn how you can take action against sexual and gender-based violence
  • Download and use the December 6th Zoom background for meetings and classes
* Dec 6 Zoom Background.png
Download December 6th Zoom Background

CEE Classroom Approaches

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 6th or to visit the campus displays, and continue the conversation on gender-based violence prevention. Download it below.