Calgary 8th Longest Night of the Year remembers 242 lives

Emotions were high, and tears were shed as 242 names of people who lost their lives to homelessness this year were read at the eighth annual Longest Night of the Year ceremony Wednesday.

The public memorial remembers those who died while experiencing homelessness or succumbed to illnesses or injuries on the street.

It was supposed to be held at the permanent memorial in Victoria Park but was moved inside the Memorial Building due to the extreme cold.

Nigel Kirk co-founded the Longest Night of the Year, which began as a small gathering with friends. He once lived in houselessness in Calgary and lost many friends.

“Some died peacefully in their sleep. Some died of overdose. Some passed away from suicide, and some passed away from exposure to the cold,” Kirk said.

Matt Nomura, the vice president of strategic investments and community impact with the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF), says the ceremony provides perspective on what homeless people go through.

“It’s really hard to be safe and healthy without a home, and this symbolizes that homelessness can often have deadly outcomes,” Nomura said.

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While the city provided accommodation for the ceremony, actions the city made are not lost on those at the event, as people still suffer in the cold.

“We’re also seeing now that the city is starting to remove doors from train station platforms, specifically to target homeless people, and that’s not going solve the problem,” Kirk said.

“That’s going to exacerbate the issue of homeless deaths.”

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The ceremony was a collaboration between the Client Action Committee, the CHF, and the Calgary Allied Mobile Palliative Partnership.

Kirk says for many people remembered, it’s the only commemoration of their lives.

“For many on the streets, we’ve kind of accepted that it’s part of life on the streets,” he said. “The big thing to remember is that these are people too, and they deserve dignity.”

Several city councillors paid their respects, along with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek. The city has now proclaimed Dec. 21 The Longest Night of the Year.

But the sentiment among speakers is the hope it never needs to be held again.