Helen Betty Osborne
Encyclopedia
Helen Betty Osborne, or Betty Osborne (1952 - November 13, 1971), was a Cree
Aboriginal woman from Norway House reserve who was kidnapped and murder
ed while walking down Third Street in The Pas, Manitoba
on the evening of November 13, 1971.
, the eldest of many children born to Joe and Justine (née McKay) Osborne. Her ambition was to go to college and become a teacher. However, the only way to succeed in doing so was to continue her education away from the reserve as secondary education was not available. She spent two years at Guy Hill Residential School, just outside of The Pas, and in the fall of 1971 went to live with a white family (in a government programme where the families were reimbursed for hosting Native students) in The Pas, Manitoba. The Pas was a culturally-mixed town of whites, Métis
and Cree
people. Helen Betty attended Margaret Barbour Collegiate in The Pas.
On the evening of her death, she had spent the evening with friends at The Northern Lite Cafe and then at the Bensons' place (where she was staying) before heading back downtown. After her friends went home, little is known of her whereabouts after this time, around midnight. She was walking home at approximately 2:30am when she was abducted, brutally beaten, sexually assaulted and killed. The following day Kenny Gurba, a fourteen year old in the town, grew tired of fishing and went off looking for rabbit tracks when he discovered her unclothed body. He and his father reported the discovery to the police.
Four young local white men were eventually implicated in her death: Dwayne Archie Johnston, James Robert Paul Houghton, Lee Scott Colgan and Norman Bernard Manger. It was not until December 1987, sixteen years after her death, that any of them were convicted of the crime after Constable Rob Urbanoski took over the investigation and placed an ad in the local newspaper for witnesses to come forward. Even then, only Johnston was convicted, as Houghton had been acquitted, Colgan had received immunity for testifying against Houghton and Johnston, and Manger had never been charged.
The Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission
conducted an investigation into concerns surrounding the length of time involved in resolving the case. The Commission concluded that the most significant factors prolonging the case were racism
, sexism and indifference.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
officially closed the Osborne case on February 12, 1999.
However, to this day, the small town of The Pas, Manitoba is still affected by this event. Recently, there has been a movement by the Aboriginal community to make strides in building healthier communities and this is having a positive impact on the town and surrounding community.
On March 26, 2008, the Osborne family again grieved as her brother was found slain in his apartment in downtown Winnipeg
. It was Winnipeg’s sixth homicide of 2008.
On December 2, 2008, a graphic novel
entitled 'The Life of Helen Betty Osborne' was launched by The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation http://www.helenbettyosbornefdtn.ca. The purpose of the graphic novel was to educate youth about racism, sexism and indifference.
Helen Betty Osborne, or Betty Osborne (1952 - November 13, 1971), was a Cree
Aboriginal woman from Norway House reserve who was kidnapped and murder
ed while walking down Third Street in The Pas, Manitoba
on the evening of November 13, 1971.
, the eldest of many children born to Joe and Justine (née McKay) Osborne. Her ambition was to go to college and become a teacher. However, the only way to succeed in doing so was to continue her education away from the reserve as secondary education was not available. She spent two years at Guy Hill Residential School, just outside of The Pas, and in the fall of 1971 went to live with a white family (in a government programme where the families were reimbursed for hosting Native students) in The Pas, Manitoba. The Pas was a culturally-mixed town of whites, Métis
and Cree
people. Helen Betty attended Margaret Barbour Collegiate in The Pas.
On the evening of her death, she had spent the evening with friends at The Northern Lite Cafe and then at the Bensons' place (where she was staying) before heading back downtown. After her friends went home, little is known of her whereabouts after this time, around midnight. She was walking home at approximately 2:30am when she was abducted, brutally beaten, sexually assaulted and killed. The following day Kenny Gurba, a fourteen year old in the town, grew tired of fishing and went off looking for rabbit tracks when he discovered her unclothed body. He and his father reported the discovery to the police.
Four young local white men were eventually implicated in her death: Dwayne Archie Johnston, James Robert Paul Houghton, Lee Scott Colgan and Norman Bernard Manger. It was not until December 1987, sixteen years after her death, that any of them were convicted of the crime after Constable Rob Urbanoski took over the investigation and placed an ad in the local newspaper for witnesses to come forward. Even then, only Johnston was convicted, as Houghton had been acquitted, Colgan had received immunity for testifying against Houghton and Johnston, and Manger had never been charged.
The Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission
conducted an investigation into concerns surrounding the length of time involved in resolving the case. The Commission concluded that the most significant factors prolonging the case were racism
, sexism and indifference.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
officially closed the Osborne case on February 12, 1999.
However, to this day, the small town of The Pas, Manitoba is still affected by this event. Recently, there has been a movement by the Aboriginal community to make strides in building healthier communities and this is having a positive impact on the town and surrounding community.
On March 26, 2008, the Osborne family again grieved as her brother was found slain in his apartment in downtown Winnipeg
. It was Winnipeg’s sixth homicide of 2008.
On December 2, 2008, a graphic novel
entitled 'The Life of Helen Betty Osborne' was launched by The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation http://www.helenbettyosbornefdtn.ca. The purpose of the graphic novel was to educate youth about racism, sexism and indifference.
Helen Betty Osborne, or Betty Osborne (1952 - November 13, 1971), was a Cree
Aboriginal woman from Norway House reserve who was kidnapped and murder
ed while walking down Third Street in The Pas, Manitoba
on the evening of November 13, 1971.
, the eldest of many children born to Joe and Justine (née McKay) Osborne. Her ambition was to go to college and become a teacher. However, the only way to succeed in doing so was to continue her education away from the reserve as secondary education was not available. She spent two years at Guy Hill Residential School, just outside of The Pas, and in the fall of 1971 went to live with a white family (in a government programme where the families were reimbursed for hosting Native students) in The Pas, Manitoba. The Pas was a culturally-mixed town of whites, Métis
and Cree
people. Helen Betty attended Margaret Barbour Collegiate in The Pas.
On the evening of her death, she had spent the evening with friends at The Northern Lite Cafe and then at the Bensons' place (where she was staying) before heading back downtown. After her friends went home, little is known of her whereabouts after this time, around midnight. She was walking home at approximately 2:30am when she was abducted, brutally beaten, sexually assaulted and killed. The following day Kenny Gurba, a fourteen year old in the town, grew tired of fishing and went off looking for rabbit tracks when he discovered her unclothed body. He and his father reported the discovery to the police.
Four young local white men were eventually implicated in her death: Dwayne Archie Johnston, James Robert Paul Houghton, Lee Scott Colgan and Norman Bernard Manger. It was not until December 1987, sixteen years after her death, that any of them were convicted of the crime after Constable Rob Urbanoski took over the investigation and placed an ad in the local newspaper for witnesses to come forward. Even then, only Johnston was convicted, as Houghton had been acquitted, Colgan had received immunity for testifying against Houghton and Johnston, and Manger had never been charged.
The Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission
conducted an investigation into concerns surrounding the length of time involved in resolving the case. The Commission concluded that the most significant factors prolonging the case were racism
, sexism and indifference.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
officially closed the Osborne case on February 12, 1999.
However, to this day, the small town of The Pas, Manitoba is still affected by this event. Recently, there has been a movement by the Aboriginal community to make strides in building healthier communities and this is having a positive impact on the town and surrounding community.
On March 26, 2008, the Osborne family again grieved as her brother was found slain in his apartment in downtown Winnipeg
. It was Winnipeg’s sixth homicide of 2008.
On December 2, 2008, a graphic novel
entitled 'The Life of Helen Betty Osborne' was launched by The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation http://www.helenbettyosbornefdtn.ca. The purpose of the graphic novel was to educate youth about racism, sexism and indifference.
Canadian Indie-Folk Rock band The Wooden Sky has produced a four song EP entitled "The Lonesome Death of Helen Betty Osborne" and has also released a song with the same title on their full length album "When Lost At Sea" in recognition of Osborne. Lyrics to the song depict the night of Osborne's murder.
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
Aboriginal woman from Norway House reserve who was kidnapped and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed while walking down Third Street in The Pas, Manitoba
The Pas, Manitoba
The Pas is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located in Division No. 21, Manitoba in the Northern Region, some 630 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, near the border of Saskatchewan. It is sometimes still called Paskoyac by locals as the first trading post was called Fort Paskoyac...
on the evening of November 13, 1971.
Life
Osborne was born in Norway House, ManitobaNorway House, Manitoba
- Treaty and York Boat Days :Held annually each summer, the York Boat events serve as the main attraction.-External links:* * * *...
, the eldest of many children born to Joe and Justine (née McKay) Osborne. Her ambition was to go to college and become a teacher. However, the only way to succeed in doing so was to continue her education away from the reserve as secondary education was not available. She spent two years at Guy Hill Residential School, just outside of The Pas, and in the fall of 1971 went to live with a white family (in a government programme where the families were reimbursed for hosting Native students) in The Pas, Manitoba. The Pas was a culturally-mixed town of whites, Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
and Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
people. Helen Betty attended Margaret Barbour Collegiate in The Pas.
On the evening of her death, she had spent the evening with friends at The Northern Lite Cafe and then at the Bensons' place (where she was staying) before heading back downtown. After her friends went home, little is known of her whereabouts after this time, around midnight. She was walking home at approximately 2:30am when she was abducted, brutally beaten, sexually assaulted and killed. The following day Kenny Gurba, a fourteen year old in the town, grew tired of fishing and went off looking for rabbit tracks when he discovered her unclothed body. He and his father reported the discovery to the police.
Murder investigation
Police at first suspected her ex-boyfriend, Cornelius Bighetty, but his name was later cleared after a lie detector test. She and Cornelius had had an argument earlier in the evening at the Cambrian Hotel. During the initial days of the investigation, attention was placed on Betty's friends. Unfortunately, unacceptable recording and preserving of evidence at the Pump House (the crime scene) seriously crippled the investigation http://www.ajic.mb.ca/volumell/chapter4.html#3.Four young local white men were eventually implicated in her death: Dwayne Archie Johnston, James Robert Paul Houghton, Lee Scott Colgan and Norman Bernard Manger. It was not until December 1987, sixteen years after her death, that any of them were convicted of the crime after Constable Rob Urbanoski took over the investigation and placed an ad in the local newspaper for witnesses to come forward. Even then, only Johnston was convicted, as Houghton had been acquitted, Colgan had received immunity for testifying against Houghton and Johnston, and Manger had never been charged.
The Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission
Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission
The Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission was created by the Government of Manitoba, Canada in November, 1999, and issued its final report on June 29, 2001. The purpose was "to develop an action plan based on the original Aboriginal Justice Inquiry recommendations."-External links:**...
conducted an investigation into concerns surrounding the length of time involved in resolving the case. The Commission concluded that the most significant factors prolonging the case were racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, sexism and indifference.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
officially closed the Osborne case on February 12, 1999.
Aftermath
A formal apology from the Manitoba government was issued by Gordon Mackintosh, Manitoba's Minister of Justice, on July 14, 2000. The apology addressed the failure of the province's justice system in Osborne's case. A scholarship was created in Osborne's name, by the province, for aboriginal women.However, to this day, the small town of The Pas, Manitoba is still affected by this event. Recently, there has been a movement by the Aboriginal community to make strides in building healthier communities and this is having a positive impact on the town and surrounding community.
On March 26, 2008, the Osborne family again grieved as her brother was found slain in his apartment in downtown Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
. It was Winnipeg’s sixth homicide of 2008.
On December 2, 2008, a graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
entitled 'The Life of Helen Betty Osborne' was launched by The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation http://www.helenbettyosbornefdtn.ca. The purpose of the graphic novel was to educate youth about racism, sexism and indifference.
Honour
As a way to remember Helen Betty Osborne, the town of Norway House named the school after her. The school is called Helen Betty Osborne Ininew Education Resource Centre. Helen Betty Osborne will be sadly missed by all who knew her and her community.Helen Betty Osborne, or Betty Osborne (1952 - November 13, 1971), was a Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
Aboriginal woman from Norway House reserve who was kidnapped and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed while walking down Third Street in The Pas, Manitoba
The Pas, Manitoba
The Pas is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located in Division No. 21, Manitoba in the Northern Region, some 630 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, near the border of Saskatchewan. It is sometimes still called Paskoyac by locals as the first trading post was called Fort Paskoyac...
on the evening of November 13, 1971.
Life
Osborne was born in Norway House, ManitobaNorway House, Manitoba
- Treaty and York Boat Days :Held annually each summer, the York Boat events serve as the main attraction.-External links:* * * *...
, the eldest of many children born to Joe and Justine (née McKay) Osborne. Her ambition was to go to college and become a teacher. However, the only way to succeed in doing so was to continue her education away from the reserve as secondary education was not available. She spent two years at Guy Hill Residential School, just outside of The Pas, and in the fall of 1971 went to live with a white family (in a government programme where the families were reimbursed for hosting Native students) in The Pas, Manitoba. The Pas was a culturally-mixed town of whites, Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
and Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
people. Helen Betty attended Margaret Barbour Collegiate in The Pas.
On the evening of her death, she had spent the evening with friends at The Northern Lite Cafe and then at the Bensons' place (where she was staying) before heading back downtown. After her friends went home, little is known of her whereabouts after this time, around midnight. She was walking home at approximately 2:30am when she was abducted, brutally beaten, sexually assaulted and killed. The following day Kenny Gurba, a fourteen year old in the town, grew tired of fishing and went off looking for rabbit tracks when he discovered her unclothed body. He and his father reported the discovery to the police.
Murder investigation
Police at first suspected her ex-boyfriend, Cornelius Bighetty, but his name was later cleared after a lie detector test. She and Cornelius had had an argument earlier in the evening at the Cambrian Hotel. During the initial days of the investigation, attention was placed on Betty's friends. Unfortunately, unacceptable recording and preserving of evidence at the Pump House (the crime scene) seriously crippled the investigation http://www.ajic.mb.ca/volumell/chapter4.html#3.Four young local white men were eventually implicated in her death: Dwayne Archie Johnston, James Robert Paul Houghton, Lee Scott Colgan and Norman Bernard Manger. It was not until December 1987, sixteen years after her death, that any of them were convicted of the crime after Constable Rob Urbanoski took over the investigation and placed an ad in the local newspaper for witnesses to come forward. Even then, only Johnston was convicted, as Houghton had been acquitted, Colgan had received immunity for testifying against Houghton and Johnston, and Manger had never been charged.
The Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission
Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission
The Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission was created by the Government of Manitoba, Canada in November, 1999, and issued its final report on June 29, 2001. The purpose was "to develop an action plan based on the original Aboriginal Justice Inquiry recommendations."-External links:**...
conducted an investigation into concerns surrounding the length of time involved in resolving the case. The Commission concluded that the most significant factors prolonging the case were racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, sexism and indifference.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
officially closed the Osborne case on February 12, 1999.
Aftermath
A formal apology from the Manitoba government was issued by Gordon Mackintosh, Manitoba's Minister of Justice, on July 14, 2000. The apology addressed the failure of the province's justice system in Osborne's case. A scholarship was created in Osborne's name, by the province, for aboriginal women.However, to this day, the small town of The Pas, Manitoba is still affected by this event. Recently, there has been a movement by the Aboriginal community to make strides in building healthier communities and this is having a positive impact on the town and surrounding community.
On March 26, 2008, the Osborne family again grieved as her brother was found slain in his apartment in downtown Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
. It was Winnipeg’s sixth homicide of 2008.
On December 2, 2008, a graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
entitled 'The Life of Helen Betty Osborne' was launched by The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation http://www.helenbettyosbornefdtn.ca. The purpose of the graphic novel was to educate youth about racism, sexism and indifference.
Honour
As a way to remember Helen Betty Osborne, the town of Norway House named the school after her. The school is called Helen Betty Osborne Ininew Education Resource Centre. Helen Betty Osborne will be sadly missed by all who knew her and her community.Helen Betty Osborne, or Betty Osborne (1952 - November 13, 1971), was a Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
Aboriginal woman from Norway House reserve who was kidnapped and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed while walking down Third Street in The Pas, Manitoba
The Pas, Manitoba
The Pas is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located in Division No. 21, Manitoba in the Northern Region, some 630 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, near the border of Saskatchewan. It is sometimes still called Paskoyac by locals as the first trading post was called Fort Paskoyac...
on the evening of November 13, 1971.
Life
Osborne was born in Norway House, ManitobaNorway House, Manitoba
- Treaty and York Boat Days :Held annually each summer, the York Boat events serve as the main attraction.-External links:* * * *...
, the eldest of many children born to Joe and Justine (née McKay) Osborne. Her ambition was to go to college and become a teacher. However, the only way to succeed in doing so was to continue her education away from the reserve as secondary education was not available. She spent two years at Guy Hill Residential School, just outside of The Pas, and in the fall of 1971 went to live with a white family (in a government programme where the families were reimbursed for hosting Native students) in The Pas, Manitoba. The Pas was a culturally-mixed town of whites, Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
and Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
people. Helen Betty attended Margaret Barbour Collegiate in The Pas.
On the evening of her death, she had spent the evening with friends at The Northern Lite Cafe and then at the Bensons' place (where she was staying) before heading back downtown. After her friends went home, little is known of her whereabouts after this time, around midnight. She was walking home at approximately 2:30am when she was abducted, brutally beaten, sexually assaulted and killed. The following day Kenny Gurba, a fourteen year old in the town, grew tired of fishing and went off looking for rabbit tracks when he discovered her unclothed body. He and his father reported the discovery to the police.
Murder investigation
Police at first suspected her ex-boyfriend, Cornelius Bighetty, but his name was later cleared after a lie detector test. She and Cornelius had had an argument earlier in the evening at the Cambrian Hotel. During the initial days of the investigation, attention was placed on Betty's friends. Unfortunately, unacceptable recording and preserving of evidence at the Pump House (the crime scene) seriously crippled the investigation http://www.ajic.mb.ca/volumell/chapter4.html#3.Four young local white men were eventually implicated in her death: Dwayne Archie Johnston, James Robert Paul Houghton, Lee Scott Colgan and Norman Bernard Manger. It was not until December 1987, sixteen years after her death, that any of them were convicted of the crime after Constable Rob Urbanoski took over the investigation and placed an ad in the local newspaper for witnesses to come forward. Even then, only Johnston was convicted, as Houghton had been acquitted, Colgan had received immunity for testifying against Houghton and Johnston, and Manger had never been charged.
The Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission
Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission
The Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission was created by the Government of Manitoba, Canada in November, 1999, and issued its final report on June 29, 2001. The purpose was "to develop an action plan based on the original Aboriginal Justice Inquiry recommendations."-External links:**...
conducted an investigation into concerns surrounding the length of time involved in resolving the case. The Commission concluded that the most significant factors prolonging the case were racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, sexism and indifference.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
officially closed the Osborne case on February 12, 1999.
Aftermath
A formal apology from the Manitoba government was issued by Gordon Mackintosh, Manitoba's Minister of Justice, on July 14, 2000. The apology addressed the failure of the province's justice system in Osborne's case. A scholarship was created in Osborne's name, by the province, for aboriginal women.However, to this day, the small town of The Pas, Manitoba is still affected by this event. Recently, there has been a movement by the Aboriginal community to make strides in building healthier communities and this is having a positive impact on the town and surrounding community.
On March 26, 2008, the Osborne family again grieved as her brother was found slain in his apartment in downtown Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
. It was Winnipeg’s sixth homicide of 2008.
On December 2, 2008, a graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
entitled 'The Life of Helen Betty Osborne' was launched by The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation http://www.helenbettyosbornefdtn.ca. The purpose of the graphic novel was to educate youth about racism, sexism and indifference.
Honour
As a way to remember Helen Betty Osborne, the town of Norway House named the school after her. The school is called Helen Betty Osborne Ininew Education Resource Centre. Helen Betty Osborne will be sadly missed by all who knew her and her community.Canadian Indie-Folk Rock band The Wooden Sky has produced a four song EP entitled "The Lonesome Death of Helen Betty Osborne" and has also released a song with the same title on their full length album "When Lost At Sea" in recognition of Osborne. Lyrics to the song depict the night of Osborne's murder.
External links
- Osborne murder investigation officially closed
- "Canada: Stolen Sisters: A Human Rights Response to Discrimination and Violence against Indigenous Women in Canada." Amnesty International of Canada, 4 Oct. 2004, 30 Oct. 2005
- AJIC, Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission. “The Death of Helen Betty Osborne.”
- Dan, Le Moal. “Province Apologizes to Helen Betty Osborne Family.” The First Perspective.
- “The Legacy of Helen Betty Osborne: Catalyst for Change of the Justice System.”
- Internet Movie Database: Conspiracy of Silence (1991) *“http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101070/#comment”
