Tour launches in Prince George, BC on October 13 with additional stops in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto
October 13, 2016 – CBC Radio One’s The Current today announced that it will be holding a series of town halls across the country with host Anna Maria Tremonti to confront the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW) and hear directly from the communities affected. Additionally, The Current’s groundbreaking virtual reality documentary The Highway of Tears, CBC’s first virtual reality documentary, will be made available at each town hall venue and widely to all Canadians online at cbc.ca/radio/TheCurrent.
As the federal government’s inquiry into MMIW gets underway, The Current’s community outreach could not be more timely. Beginning at the Prince George Civic Centre at 7p.m. on Thursday, October 13, the first event will be taped for broadcast on The Current, Monday, October 17 at 8:30 a.m. ET/9 a.m. NT on CBC Radio One.
The Current ’s MMIW tour will also travel to Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto (dates and venues to be announced shortly). All of the events are free to attend. For complimentary tickets to the Prince George event and for those that follow, audiences can go to http://www.eventbrite.com/e/cbc-radios-the-currents-mmiw-public-forum-tickets-28351434905ticketbrite. Since The Current launched in November of 2002, the program has covered the issue of MMIW extensively — long before it was on the wider news agenda. The Highway of Tears is CBC’s first virtual reality documentary. Audience members attending The Current’s town hall events can experience this 4-minute, immersive documentary using virtual reality headsets that will be available on site. The documentary will also be available to download as an app from The Current’s website at cbc.ca/radio/TheCurrent.
In the documentary, viewers will be transported to the area in British Columbia known as the Highway of Tears, where the RCMP say 18 women have gone missing or been murdered since 1969 – Indigenous communities say the number is closer to 50 – and where one mother shares her story of personal loss and ongoing search for answers.
CBC produces a number of internationally renowned, award-winning documentaries each year, many of which are broadcast on The Current. CBC seeks to serve and include all Canadians and is constantly working to make all of its media platforms accessible for everyone.
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For more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the CBC Media Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre.
For further information, contact:
Nicola Makoway
Publicist, CBC Radio One
416-205-7673
