Vanessa Brousseau’s sister, Pamela Holopainen, has been missing since December 2003. Holopainen, age 22 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen leaving a house party in Timmins, Ont.
Brousseau claims Timmins Police failed to take Holopainen’s case seriously. The mother of two was reported missing on New Year's Eve 2003; local police issued the following missing person poster.
In an interview with Glacier Media, Brousseau said the image of her sister used on the poster has not been approved by the family. Brousseau said the poster also refers to Holopainen's race as ‘Non-White.’
In an act of reconciliation, Staples and advocates for missing and murdered Indigenous women and two-spirit individuals, have designed and printed a new missing poster. Brousseau says the new poster has made a huge difference and she is now able to spread them “all over the community with pride.”
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To honour her sister and spread awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women and two-spirit individuals, Brousseau has created red dress seal skin pins. She uses seal skin to represent her sister’s Inuk identity and shares her story on TikTok where she is known as Resilient Inuk.
You can also view Brousseau's art on her online store.
