On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Nov. 25), a national advocacy group wants to make sure victims of femicide are remembered.
The Canadian Femicide Observatory of Justice and Accountability launched a podcast that tells the stories of 580 women who have been killed by femicide in Canada since 2020 – including six in Surrey.
The podcast Too True Crime features 580 episodes, one for every woman who has been killed by femicide (sex- or gender-based killing of a woman or girl) since 2020 in Canada. The short two-to-three-minute episodes include publicly available information surrounding the woman’s death and include content warnings.
The podcast leans “into the popularity of true crime podcasts,” but “where true crime podcasts can sensationalize a few cases of femicide, Too True Crime tells every woman’s story, revealing the pervasive frequency of femicide across Canada.”
Statistics Canada noted that from 2009 to 2022, 68 per cent of solved homicides of women and girls in Canada were gender-related. These homicides were committed by a man or boy who was an intimate partner or family member of the woman who was killed, or “who inflicted sexual violence on the victim as part of the homicide, or who killed a woman or girl who was identified by police as a sex worker.”
Myrna Dawson, founder and director of the Canadian Femicide Observatory and a professor of sociology at the University of Guelph, said, “The Too True Crime podcast directly confronts the normalization of this violence, moving the conversation from entertainment to education and activism. Femicide is an escalating crisis. To make real change, Canadians must unite in demanding that the federal government recognize femicide.”
The Canadian Femicide Observatory of Justice and Accountability is asking Canadians to sign its petition, which is calling on the federal government to add femicide to the Criminal Code of Canada.
Each episode ends by saying: “This story isn’t entertainment. It’s the reality of women and girls whose lives have been taken by femicide.”
“Some episodes were recorded by those connected to the stories, including victims’ families and even one victim who was assaulted by the same perpetrator as the woman in the episode,” noted a Nov. 25 press release about the podcast.
Denise Halfyard recorded an episode about her cousin, Tamara Chipman, who has been missing from the Highway of Tears since 2005.
“To literally be the voice and keep the memory of these women alive is so important in this ongoing battle for justice,” Halfyard said. “These women are not just victims. They are mothers, daughters and friends. She matters. She is somebody.”
Six of the episodes are on women in Surrey who were killed by femicide.
•#563: No name released- July 7, 2025
•#457: Pawitarpreet- April 27, 2024
•#344: No name released- Feb. 5, 2023
Listeners can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, “to hear the devastating stories behind why we must all demand justice.”
If you or someone you know is in immediate risk of violence, please call 911, 211, or visit endingviolencecanada.org to access safety and help in your area.
About the Author: Anna Burns
I cover breaking news, health care, court, Vancouver Rise FC, Vancouver Goldeneyes and social issues-related topics for the Surrey Now-Leader. anna.burns@surreynowleader.com Follow Anna on Twitter.