On May 5, Canadians mark the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People, known more commonly as Red Dress Day. The day is meant to honour victims and survivors and raise awareness of the disproportionate levels of violence against the Indigenous community.
Today, the Winnipeg Police Service would like to shine the spotlight on Giganawenimaanaanig, a grassroots organization whose mission is to facilitate the implementation of the 231 Calls for Justice, and provide support to survivors and families of those affected by missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people.
About Giganawenimaanaanig
Giganawenimaanaanig (meaning, we take care of them all), is a Manitoba‑based, Indigenous‑led organization that emerged in the wake of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It acts as the province’s MMIWG2S+ Implementation Committee, grounded in the leadership of families, survivors, and community advocates. Its core directive is to advance the implementation of the 231 Calls for Justice, while providing support to survivors, family members, and others impacted by gender‑based violence against Indigenous women, girls, Two‑Spirit, and gender‑diverse people.
The organization supports the Calls for Justice through coordinated policy advocacy, community‑led initiatives, public education, and system‑navigation supports for families. They also lead province‑wide efforts such as the Indigenous‑led Red Dress Alert pilot and the Red Dress Stories MB project, which honour lives lost and elevate family voices. Through this work, the organization helps translate the Calls for Justice into concrete, culturally grounded action across Manitoba.
The organization is chaired by Sandra Delaronde, a longtime advocate for Indigenous peoples in Manitoba. Known for her thoughtful, values-driven approach, Delaronde plays a key role in guiding the organization’s vision and governance, ensuring its initiatives remain grounded in respect, accountability, and long-term sustainability. Through her role as Chair, Delaronde embodies the organization’s dedication to stewardship, continuity, and meaningful impact.
The Red Dress Alert Pilot Project
Notably, Giganawenimaanaanig is the lead organization advancing the implementation of Manitoba’s Red Dress Alert, a new emergency notification system currently in its pilot phase. Designed to function similarly to an Amber Alert, the Red Dress Alert would issue immediate, actionable notifications to key service providers and the public when an Indigenous woman, girl, or Two‑Spirit person is reported missing.
The system responds to the heightened risk these individuals face, given the disproportionately high rates of missing persons cases affecting this population. Ultimately, the Red Dress Alert aims to enable faster, coordinated responses in critical early hours, helping to reduce the number of Indigenous women and girls who go missing across Winnipeg and Manitoba.
Collaboration is Key
While the work of Giganawenimaanaanig may be significant, they can’t do it alone. Effective implementation of a Red Dress Alert depends on sustained, trust‑based collaboration across service providers, governing bodies, and community organizations. Collaboration ensures that alerts are not only issued quickly, but are accurate, trauma‑informed, culturally grounded, and supported by on‑the‑ground action rather than standing alone as a public notification.
Effective collaboration between multiple organizations has been essential, and continues to be essential, to bringing the Red Dress Alert project to fruition. Together, through shared responsibility, Indigenous leadership, and sustained collaboration, our communities can move forward with hope – protecting one another, honouring lives, and building safer futures rooted in care, connection, and collective strength.
How to Get Involved
This May, there are several community-focused events that you can join to honour Red Dress Day. Attend the Red Dress Day Memorial Walk and Ceremony, starting at 5:30 p.m. on May 5, 2026.
On Red Dress Day, we honour the stories and strength of the women, girls, diverse peoples who are victims or survivors, as well as families and loved ones who continue to search for answers. The Winnipeg Police Service is committed to working alongside community members and partners (such as Giganawenimaanaanig) to learn and provide support where it is necessary and appropriate.