Victims' families hold vigil at site of Robert Pickton's farm

WARNING: This story containsdistressingdetails.

The families of Robert Pickton's victims held a vigil at the site of his Port Coquitlam, B.C., farm on Wednesday evening, a day before the serial killer is eligible to apply for day parole.

In 2007, Pickton was convicted of six counts of second-degree murderand sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of full parole for 25 years.The remains or DNA of 33 women were found on his pig farm in Port Coquitlam, around 25 kilometres east of downtown Vancouver.

The serial killer becomes eligible to apply for day parole meaning he would have to return to prison or a halfway home at night on Feb. 22, according to the Parole Board of Canada.

In a statement, a parole board spokesperson said there is no hearing automatically scheduled for Pickton on Thursday.

"The offender day parole eligibility date is on Feb. 22, 2024, but that does not mean a hearing is automatically scheduled for this date," the spokesperson wrote. "Offenders need to apply to obtain a day parole review."

Victims' families held a vigil at the site of Pickton's farm, which is now held by the B.C. government.

WATCH | Stephanie Lane's mother says Pickton should stay in jail for life:

Grieving mother aghast at idea Robert Pickton could apply for day parole

3 months ago

Duration 0:47

Michele Pineault, whose daughter Stephanie Lane's DNA was found on the farm of serial killer Robert Pickton, said not enough is being done to stop Indigenous women from being killed.

"It's important to honour the women that lost their lives here, and formy daughter," said Michele Pineault, the mother of Stephanie Lane, whose partial skeletal remainswere found at Pickton's farm.

Lane was among a number of Indigenous womensuspected to have been taken by Pickton from the Downtown Eastside. Shewas reported missing in 1997 by her mother, but her remains were not found until 2003 on the pig farm.

Pickton was never charged with her killing, despite Lane's remains being returnedto her family in 2014. She is believed to be Pickton's youngest victim, aged 20 when she went missing.

Pineault, who called the police response to Pickton's killings a "s--t show,"said she was aghast at the idea thatthe serial killer could apply for day parole.

"Pickton should not walk on this Earth. He doesn't deserve to take one step out of where he is," she said."He needs to stay where he is until he dies."

Concerns over evidence disposition

The vigil at Pickton's farm also came amid ongoing concerns that RCMP are applying to dispose of evidencefrom the Pickton case.

Lily Louis-Irving, who attended the vigil to honour her aunt Sherry Irving, saidthe ongoing applications have been stressful on the family.

"My dad sent an email out to them trying to get them to look further into it as my aunt's evidence has not been yet looked into yet," she said.

In 2020, the RCMP began filing applications to the court to obtain judicial authorizations to dispose of exhibits that were brought forward in the 2007 trial, with applications continuing to make their way through the courts this year.

In a previous statement to CBC News, RCMP said they are not authorized to hold on to evidence indefinitely, and are required by law to return property to their rightful owners or dispose of it, if it is unclaimed.

B.C. Solicitor General Mike Farnworthsaid authorities would do everything in their power to ensure families are involved in any ongoing applications.

"We know that this is an incredibly sensitive issue for the families," he said. "We want to make sure that everything is done properly and that their concerns need to be taken into account on any decision that's made on this."

Support is available for anyone affected by these reports and the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people. Immediate emotional assistance and crisis support are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through a national hotline at 1-844-413-6649.

You can also access, through the government of Canada, health support services such as mental health counselling, community-based support and cultural services, and some travel costs to see elders and traditional healers. Family members seeking information about a missing or murdered loved one can access Family Information Liaison Units.